What We Need From You to Set Up Your YouTube Live Stream

Setting up a professional live stream on YouTube isn’t just about turning the cameras on—it’s about making sure your channel, branding, and content are ready for broadcast. At Virtu Nova Media, we handle the technical side, but we’ll need a few things from you to make sure everything goes smoothly.

Below is a checklist you can reference (or share with your team) so we can set up your YouTube live stream without a thousand back-and-forth emails.

1. Make Sure You Have a Brand Account

If your business is streaming under its company name, you’ll want to make sure you have a YouTube Brand Account instead of just a personal channel. A Brand Account allows multiple managers (like our team) to log in and handle streaming without sharing your personal Google credentials.

How to Add Us as a User:

• Log in to your YouTube

• Go to Settings → Permissions.

• Click Invite, then add our email.

• Assign us the role of Manager (not Owner).

This gives us access to set up and manage your live stream while keeping you in control of the account.

2. Provide a Stream Thumbnail

A thumbnail is like the “cover art” of your stream—it’s the first thing viewers see.

Specs we need:

• Size: 1920 x 1080 pixels (HD format).

• File size: Under 2MB (YouTube’s current limit).

• Format: JPG or PNG.

This keeps the video looking sharp without upload issues.

3. Share Stream Details

We’ll also need the key content and settings you’d like applied:

• Title of the stream (short, clear, searchable).

• Description (include any links, event details, or calls to action).

• Tags/keywords (optional, but helpful for SEO).

• Category (e.g., Technology, Nonprofits, Education, etc.).

• Location (if you want YouTube to show the city of origin).

• Chat settings:

  • Should chat be enabled during the stream?

  • Do you want the chat replay to stay visible after the stream?

• Event date and start time (double-check the timezone).

4. Confirm the Time & Rehearsal

We always recommend a pre-event test stream if possible. This helps us confirm connectivity, graphics, and any transitions before the real broadcast.

Why This Matters

YouTube live streaming is one of the most effective ways to share your event, conference, or announcement with a global audience. The more prepared we are with your assets, the smoother (and more professional) your stream will look to viewers.

At Virtu Nova Media, our goal is to make you look flawless on camera while making the process painless behind the scenes.