How Much Does Livestreaming Cost?

I’m so sorry, but there is no free lunch when it comes to livestreaming. You already know that if you joined me for our webinar, “Leverage Livestreaming for Your Event.” But for those who missed it, budget is the first thing to take into consideration if you want to livestream an upcoming event.

#ProTip: Expect to spend $100+ on a DIY livestream, or $500++ on a professional livestream.

Livestreams require time to set up and to practice and they cannot be done by one person — if you are DIY-ing it, at the very least you need someone to run the camera livestream and someone else - like a friend or colleague – to monitor the broadcast. Some of the platforms themselves require a financial investment, or you might need to purchase cables and adapters or take safety measures. DIY-ers can expect to spend $100 or more. If you hire it professionally, you can expect to spend at least $500, though $1,000 or more is likely.

If it’s a complicated event with a lot of moving parts, I would highly, highly recommend you hire a professional because statistics show that two out of three consumers have a bad opinion of a brand with poor-quality videos. And you can’t afford to put your reputation on the line if you promise a livestream and don’t deliver. For our nonprofits out there, one way to defray the costs is to have a livestream sponsor, which offers many more opportunities for impressions than traditional events, such as giving them the opportunity to address your audience directly. You can also consider selling virtual tickets to defray the costs. In all cases, however, an effective, quality livestream will more than return your investment.

Katie Rutter is the COO of Thing in a Pot Productions. She has received multiple awards for her work, including a nomination for a Chicago/Midwest Emmy in 2021 and being declared Video Producer of the Year in 2018 by the Catholic Press Association. Subscribe to our newsletter to receive our video ProTips in your inbox every month!