Key takeaways:
Zoom RTMP ingest allows third-party tools to stream into Zoom
Socialive makes it easy to create campaign content from webinars and events
Zoom clients can boost quality with existing infrastructure

It’s time to maximize the production quality of your Zoom broadcasts, webinars, and events!

Zoom Sessions and Zoom Events users can upgrade their live content with Socialive’s Studio and Virtual Green Room via the new Zoom RTMP ingest.

 

Before we get into the technical aspects, such as how RTMP ingest works and what tools are compatible, the key thing to keep in mind is why this matters.

Zoom RTMP ingest opens up the ability to run a studio-quality production in a third-party browser-based studio, such as Socialive, and deliver that high-quality content directly into Zoom’s user interface. With Socialive, every individual’s feed is recorded, which makes it that much easier to create an entire campaign around each event.

Long story short, you can add branding, music, multiple speakers — all the great things about a dynamic broadcast — and deliver it into a system your audience is comfortable using. Webinars and virtual events, panels, roundtables, or any other live content you want to stream into Zoom can now have a professional look. At the same time, Socialive creates the pieces that can fuel an entire content campaign.

An overview of Zoom’s RTMP ingest

The new Zoom RTMP ingest is a simple connection between a third-party video production tool and Zoom’s webinar tools. The main thing to keep in mind is that it will allow for a behind-the-scenes workflow outside of Zoom but deliver the same comfortable experience audiences are used to.

The new functionality will also allow content teams to get more out of each event with less effort. Check out our step-by-step guide to see how to set up your Zoom account.

What is RTMP?

Real-Time Messaging Protocol (RTMP) is a way applications establish and maintain a secure connection through a uniform network. The protocol delivers content from an encoder to an online video host with reliable delivery.

RTMP is important and powerful because it is capable of low-latency streaming and is known for its minimal buffering, a major plus for broadcasters streaming major events in real time. Broadcasters use RTMP to connect to any other platform that uses the same protocol where there isn’t an established integration (such as API).

RTMP is like an international language that the machines use to communicate. It’s reliable, secure, and doesn’t require any custom development — so long as the platform sending the livestream can send an RTMP stream AND the endpoint can ingest RTMP.

The Zoom RTMP ingest is new as of September 2024.

Why Zoom RTMP ingest matters

Connecting Socialive to stream directly into Zoom makes for a more flexible production workflow and higher-quality content. While Zoom does have a number of webinar solutions and production tools, the platform is best at delivering content. Having a behind-the-scenes production studio allows producers and presenters to focus on creating great content, while the audience interacts with that content in Zoom.

The workflow turns out to be pretty straightforward:

  • Producer sets up Zoom live event
  • Producer creates an RTMP stream URL in Zoom
  • Producer inputs RTMP stream URL in third-party production tool
  • Producer and presenters create production in third-party tool
  • Audience views the front-end of the production in Zoom, as they always have

This workflow will allow producers to easily build out a run of show and manage production elements like adjustable layouts, graphics, overlays, slides, pre-recorded videos, and more.

The key is that you use a third-party tool that has these production elements built into a live studio, much like Socialive’s browser-based production studio.

Tools like CapCut or StreamYard that are built for an individual to share their feed might not be right, as the ability to run a full production workflow will really take the content delivered into Zoom to the next level.

Creating a campaign from Zoom webinars and events

With Socialive, you can create and securely deliver a studio-quality broadcast straight from your browser. You can bring in multiple speakers, customize the branding, and manage everything behind the scenes.

But there’s so much more value to a livestream than it just “looking good.”

Webinars and live events draw a massive audience in a way that recorded content can’t quite meet. On LinkedIn, for example, a LinkedIn Live drives 7x the reactions and 24x the number of comments compared to pre-recorded videos. And if you’re using a production platform like Socialive to livestream into Zoom via RTMP, you can simulcast to platforms like LinkedIn to draw an even wider audience.

Live video is essential, but to really get the most out of any live event, there should also be a campaign element to it, which will bring an even larger audience.

When creating an event or webinar in Zoom, never forget to:

  • Create promotional materials with your speakers
    • You can easily record each speaker’s feed in Socialive during a practice session or send them a link to record on their own
    • With Socialive’s editor, you can quickly add elements to keep the branding consistent
  • Ask speakers to send their promotional video from their account
    • This adds a personal touch and amplifies reach by tapping into your SME’s networks
    • Personal LinkedIn profiles tend to outperform company pages (we’ve seen 5x engagement across our own accounts)
  • Repurpose the webinar recording to drive on-demand views
    • Since Socialive records each individual’s feed, you have a clean feed to edit snippets and the best moments from each event and build a highlight video
    • Socialive also makes it easy to clip out moments from the composite

Easily record promos ahead of the event

With Socialive, it’s easy to create promos by sending presenters a recording link ahead of the scheduled broadcast. Simply draft up a quick script, send the link, the speaker records, and then recording is instantly uploaded into the platform, where the production team can edit it into teaser content.

Plus, Socialive records each individual feed during a webinar or event. So it’s not just the composite, but each and every individual’s ISOs are recorded. With those clean feeds, the mix, and all the content that went into the production broken out, there’s tons of rich content to create snippets, recaps, and more from every Zoom production.

Get more out of Zoom with RTMP

Zoom is the industry standard and the go-to for many virtual events. But with Zoom’s RTMP ingest and the right video production platform, there are tons of opportunities to improve the experience for audiences and producers alike.

Of course, the content team will also have plenty to work with both pre-event and post-event.

One of the best things about Zoom’s RTMP ingest — Zoom can become one of several destinations if you choose to simulcast your broadcast. For big external events, such as webinars, it may be ideal to broadcast to LinkedIn in a LinkedIn Live. But the live event is just the beginning of the content’s usefulness.

Check out how you can get the most out of your livestream and kick off an entire campaign in our guide to LinkedIn Live campaigns.