To go live on Instagram, open the Instagram app on your phone, swipe right from your feed to access the camera, and select "Live" at the bottom of the screen. This is the primary method for how to go live on Instagram, allowing you to broadcast in real-time to your followers; if you want a larger audience for those broadcasts, you can get fake Instagram followers. You can also save your best live moments afterward when you create a highlight on Instagram.
How to go live on Instagram from a phone
Starting a live stream from your mobile device is the most direct way to connect with your audience. Follow these steps to begin, manage, and end your broadcast.
- Open the Instagram app and swipe right from your feed or tap the camera icon in the top-left corner.
- At the bottom of the camera screen, swipe to select "Live."
- Tap the "Go Live" button at the bottom of the screen. A three-second countdown will appear before your broadcast begins.
How to go live on Instagram from a desktop
If you prefer streaming from a computer, use Instagram Live Producer with streaming software like OBS or Streamlabs. This method is ideal for professional setups with multiple cameras or overlays.
- Open a web browser and go to Instagram.com. Log into your account.
- Click the "Add post" button (a plus symbol inside a square) located near your profile picture.
- From the dropdown menu, select "Live." This opens Instagram Live Producer.
- Enter a title for your stream and choose your audience: select "Practice" to test privately or "Public" to broadcast to everyone.
- In Live Producer, you will see a unique URL and stream key. Copy both.
- Open your streaming software (such as OBS or Streamlabs). Add a new "Custom RTMP" endpoint and paste the URL and stream key into the corresponding fields.
- Configure your video and audio sources in the streaming software, then start your stream from within that software.
- Return to Instagram Live Producer. Your stream will appear once the software connects. Click "Go Live" on Instagram to begin broadcasting to your followers.
Adding guests to your live stream
Inviting guests makes your stream more dynamic and collaborative. You can add, swap, or remove guests during the broadcast.
- The guest receives a notification to join. Once they accept, they appear in a split-screen layout.
- To swap guests, tap the "Add" icon again and select a different follower. The new guest replaces the previous one.
- To remove a guest, tap the "x" icon next to their username. This ends their participation immediately.
Engaging with your viewers
Interaction keeps viewers watching and encourages them to participate. Use these methods to build a connection during your live stream.
- Read comments aloud and respond to them in real time. Mention viewers by name to make the interaction personal.
- Use the question sticker by tapping the sticker icon at the bottom of the screen. Viewers can submit questions that appear on screen for you to answer.
- Run a poll by selecting the poll sticker. This is a direct way of creating a poll on Instagram to gather instant feedback from your audience.
- Pin a comment to the top of the chat by tapping and holding a viewer's comment. This highlights a key question or message.
- Give shoutouts to active viewers or those who share your stream with their followers.
Ending your live stream and saving the replay
Concluding your broadcast properly ensures viewers know what to expect next and gives you a chance to preserve the content.
- Before ending, thank your viewers and summarize key points from the stream.
- Tap the "End" button in the top-right corner, then confirm.
- Instagram does not permanently save live videos unless you explicitly save them to your device.
