When YouTube started in 2005, it took its slogan, “Broadcast Yourself” to heart. Since then, it’s become the largest video-sharing platform in the world, competing with traditional viewing platforms like film and television. And one of the main ways it competes with movie and TV experiences is through YouTube Premiere.
Whether you’re diving into YouTube for the first time or are a seasoned pro, here’s everything you need to know about using YouTube Premiere.
In a nutshell, YouTube Premiere lets viewers watch new videos together — YouTube likens it to a TV or movie premiere, and for good reason.
With YouTube Premiere, you can upload prerecorded videos and schedule them to air at scheduled dates and times. This allows you to promote the video content before it premieres, and interact with viewers in real time during the premiere in the comments or in the live chat. (After a YouTube Premiere, the video remains available like a regular video.)
YouTube Premiere especially beneficial for creators or organizations seeking to debut new videos at a specific time. In this way, it's a great alternative to livestreaming because it retains the live viewing experience while also giving you the freedom to record your video at any time (much like Facebook Watch Parties). This can be useful for many industries including:
The most time-intensive part of YouTube Premiere is filming and editing the video you’d like to premiere. However, if you use a live-editing tool such as Switcher Studio, you can edit while you record, eliminating the need for post-production. Beyond that, scheduling a YouTube Premiere takes only a few minutes!
To set up and schedule a YouTube Premiere, follow these steps:
Note: At this time, Premiere videos can only be published from a computer, but they can be watched from any platform.
One of the key advantages of using YouTube Premiere is being able to schedule videos in advance, thereby permitting you the opportunity to promote the video ahead of time. If you’re in need of tips to make the most of your promotions, here a few suggestions:
This will naturally be most people’s go-to, as it should be! When promoting your YouTube Premiere on social media, it’s important to consider which channels to leverage. For example, if the bulk of the audience you want to target is on Facebook and Instagram, promoting it on LinkedIn or Twitter won’t prove as fruitful. Similarly, promoters looking to target a Generation Z audience should primarily focus on TikTok and Instagram. To increase your reach with these posts even more, you can pay to "boost" them to a custom audience of your choosing. Wherever your existing audience is on social, share the link to your YouTube Premiere (the video's page will show a live countdown leading up to the premiere time) along with details, video stills, or even a preview clip to entice people to tune in.
Social media shouldn’t get all of the attention! If you have an email list at your disposal, by all means, use it! Subscribers to your email list are already invested in your organization, product, or service, therefore making them more likely to tune in for the YouTube Premiere. This will also help promote it to anyone who may have missed your social media posts! All you really need to include is a link to your video, a description of what it's about, and a still from the video.
You spent valuable time creating content — enjoy it with your community, followers, and fans! Happy broadcasting!
Whether you love to go live or prefer to record in advance, Switcher Studio lets you edit videos while you livestream or record, which means there's no turnaround time after filming. You can even bring in remote guests in real time. Start with a 14-day free trial to take Switcher for a spin.