No matter how daunting or uncomfortable live streaming your classes may sound, it can bring you joy, fulfillment, and money.
That’s true whether you’re leading a faith study group, teaching yoga or dance, helping students learn a new language, guiding music practice, or running workshops and group coaching sessions for young parents or business leaders.
You can start livestreaming your classes online by following a few simple steps.
In this guide, you’ll learn how to:
Define the type of “instructor” you are
Understand what makes learners choose a live-streamed class
Decide if you also want to offer on-demand or prerecorded content along with live classes
Choose the right classroom livestreaming platform for you and your students
Build a simple tech setup to livestream your classes
Design an engaging live class
Learn different ways to monetize your livestream classes
Create a sustainable class livestreaming routine
A music theory lesson and a faith discussion require different approaches. So, it helps to get clear on what role you’re actually playing in a live class. Are you a:
Teacher, explaining concepts like a physicist, demonstrating techniques like a baker, or building skills step by step like a voice coach.
Guide, leading experiences, and holding presence like meditation, yoga, or reflection.
Host, holding space for conversation, debate, study, or shared learning, like in support groups and town halls.
This distinction affects everything from how and where you livestream your class to the type of gear and technology you should invest in.
Your role also influences how structured your class feels and what students expect in return for their time and money.
Most people can find a slew of free videos that give them the information they need on almost any topic. So, why do people still choose live classes? Typically, they’re looking for:
Accountability: Live classes create a reason to show up. When a real person is waiting, and a set time on the calendar, it’s harder to keep putting things off.
Connection: A live class brings human presence into the learning process. Seeing faces, hearing voices, and exchanging reactions make the experience feel personal rather than transactional. Even brief moments of interaction help students feel seen.
Community: Over time, live classes create a sense of “we.” Students recognize each other, learn together, and often support one another outside of class. This shared rhythm turns learning into something relational rather than isolating. For many people, this sense of belonging is just as valuable as the content itself.
Motivation: Live instruction adds momentum. The energy of the group, encouragement from the instructor, and progress made in real time can push students past the dip where motivation usually fades. People are more likely to keep practicing when they know they’ll return to the same space with the same people
Support: Live classes allow for clarification, feedback, and reassurance in the moment. Students can ask questions, get unstuck, or adjust their approach before frustration builds. Whether it’s correcting a technique, answering a faith-based question, or simply acknowledging that something feels hard, real-time support helps learners keep going.
Live classes also serve people who simply can’t attend in person, for example:
Someone might be far from their home church but still want to study together.
A parent might only have 30 minutes while a baby naps — not enough time to travel to a yoga studio, but enough to practice at home.
An older adult might be interested in algebra or language learning, but isn’t able to drive to a class across town.
By removing distance, travel, and scheduling barriers, live streaming makes learning more accessible without turning it into a solo experience.
Live classes tend to work best when interaction improves outcomes, when students benefit from accountability, or when group energy changes the experience positively.
That’s why live movement classes, live practice-based learning, live discussion, live studying, and live coaching are beneficial for both instructor and student.
Prerecorded classes that are available on-demand work well for teaching foundations, fundamentals, and explanations that don’t change. It gives students flexibility and autonomy to practice at their own pace. Think of a baker’s library of pre-recorded cookie-making videos, or a pastor’s sermons.
Of course, many online educators combine both. You can record the basics once and offer them on-demand, then use live sessions for practice, questions, or community. For example, a yoga instructor might record a short series on basic poses, breathing techniques, or alignment cues that students can revisit any time.
The best livestreaming platform is usually the one your students already know how to use. And in general, you have two main options for livestreaming your class: a public and private classroom.
Public platforms like YouTube Live or Facebook Live are free and easy to join. Anyone can click your link or find your class if it’s public. But the flip side is you can’t control who shows up, comments on, or shares your stream. You also don’t get fine-grained control over privacy, and the class feels a little “open to the world,” which isn’t ideal for sensitive or focused topics, or paid sessions.
Private streams like Zoom or Vimeo let you restrict who can join. You can require a password, pre-approve attendees, or embed a stream behind a website login. This is perfect for paid classes, small groups, or sessions with personal or deeply focused content. The trade-off is that private streams can be technically difficult to set up, and students may need to create special accounts or download certain software.
When you use Switcher Studio, you can manage both public and private livestreamed classes from one setup. For public classes, Switcher supports multistreaming to platforms like YouTube and Facebook at the same time. This works well for audience growth.
For private or paid classes, Switcher can stream directly to your restricted-access website, such as login-based, subscription, or pay-per-view online classes.
Using one tool for both public and private livestreaming reduces setup time and avoids switching platforms as your class format or business model changes.
For more detailed platform information, take a look at our guide on multistreaming best practices.
Your class livestreaming setup can be as simple as a single device and an internet connection. But you do need a setup that matches the way you actually teach, for example:
An online movement or yoga class may need multiple camera angles to show full-body movement and details.
A virtual classroom or workshop needs screen-sharing for slides or documents.
Tutors and coaches benefit from split-screen layouts that support conversation and problem-solving.
Pastors may switch between a camera on their scripture and one on their face.
For those who want to manage camera switching, layouts, and screen sharing without juggling multiple apps, Switcher consolidates everything into one place, accessible from an iPhone or iPad. That keeps the technical complexity out of teaching and makes it easier to stay consistent.
Live classes benefit from structure, shorter segments, natural pauses, and regular interactions. Most effective live classes follow a simple rhythm:
A welcome that helps people settle in
A clear sense of what the session is about
Guided teaching or practice
Moments of interaction, and a clear close with next steps
Small production elements can support that rhythm without distracting from it. For example, chat gives students a low-pressure way to check in, ask questions, or respond without interrupting the flow.
Music can help set the tone at the beginning of class, during movement or reflection, or while people are practicing on their own.
Simple graphics or overlays — such as a session title, a prompt, or a scripture reference — help orient students and reduce the need to repeat instructions aloud.
Monetization simply means how money moves from students to instructors, and there are a few ways you can monetize your live streams.
Donations / pay-what-you-can: Often used in yoga, meditation, faith study, and community classes. Students attend for free and contribute if they can. This works best when attendance is open, and usually relies on volume and goodwill.
One-time pay-per-view classes: Students pay for access to a specific session or workshop. This is common for special events, guest teachers, or focused topics. Income is tied to promotion and attendance.
Prepaid series or packages: Students pay upfront for a set number of classes, for example, a 4-week series or 10 tutoring sessions.
Memberships or subscriptions: Students pay monthly for ongoing access to live classes, replays, and on-demand libraries. This works well for instructors who teach regularly and for long-term curricula.
Bundles: Students pay for live classes paired with worksheets, bonuses, merch, or other additional resources.
It’s best to be upfront about monetization expectations and to clarify that the transaction occurs before the stream begins.
Where you stream directly affects how much and how you get paid.
Public platforms: Streaming is free, but monetization is limited. Platforms may:
Take a percentage of tips, stars, or memberships — for example, YouTube charges a 30% cut on Channel Memberships.
Restrict monetization until you meet certain requirements
Control when payments are processed and distributed
Private platforms: These often don’t handle payments at all. You collect money elsewhere (a website, ticketing tool, or email invoice) and use the platform only for delivery. This gives you more control, but adds steps and tools.
Switcher includes built-in tools that let you sell access and earn directly from your audience:
Tickets and pay-per-view access
Subscription passes
Gated recorded and live video content
Donations during live streams or via clickable call-to-action links.
Payments are processed securely through Stripe, and you can set your own prices for tickets and subscriptions.
A sustainable live class routine makes livestreaming easier to maintain over time. Here’s how to make it easy:
Keep the same class schedule: Live classes work best when students know exactly when to show up. A weekly class, biweekly workshop, or monthly session can all work. Reliable timing builds trust and improves attendance.
Keep the same class structure: Use the same class format every time because repetition lowers cognitive load and helps students feel safe.
Set clear boundaries for live teaching: Live streaming can quietly expand into extra labor if boundaries aren’t clear. Some helpful boundaries include:
Clear start and hard end times.
Specific ways and times when students can ask questions.
Specific post-class follow-up period and rules.
Accessibility and safety show up in small, practical decisions you make before you go live. There are some recommendations for creating an accessible, inclusive, and safe online education experience:
High-quality audio is essential. If students can’t hear you or see what you’re demonstrating, they disengage quickly.
Test your audio levels before class.
Frame your camera so hands, instruments, or full-body movement are visible when needed. Switcher makes framing automatic, so you don’t have to worry about being out of frame during class.
Recordings are easier to caption than live video and can be shared with students who need them.
Make sure slides, visuals, and any classroom text on your website or platform can be read by screen readers.
Use meaningful headings, alt text for images, and descriptive links so everyone can understand your content.
Use high-contrast colors for text and backgrounds to make reading easier on any device.
Don’t rely on color alone to convey important information; for example, avoid using just red to signal errors.
Chat is where students mostly interact with each other and with the instructor. It can either be a useful or destructive tool. State chat expectations at the start of class to minimize disruptions and protect focus.
Answer the following questions before the live class begins:
Is chat open throughout, or only during specific moments?
Are questions asked live, in the chat, or saved for the end?
Will chat appear on-screen or stay private?
Moderation means to monitor for unsafe conduct and to stop this conduct entirely. Public streams, in particular, require heavy moderation. That may mean:
Muting disruptive participants
Removing spam or inappropriate comments
Redirecting off-topic questions
Some instructors moderate themselves. Others ask a friend or colleague to help.
It helps to be clear about your “rules of conduct.” You could consider including them in a virtual classroom handbook for students to read, reference, and agree to before joining classes.
Live classes may include sensitive topics, faces, or personal stories. For example, many instructors keep students off-camera and off-record in faith groups, support spaces, or individual coaching.
Decide in advance:
Are participants’ names or comments visible on screen?
Can other students see or hear each other?
Are live sessions recorded, and if yes, who gets access to replays?
How long are those recordings available?
Switcher makes it simple for instructors manage visuals, screen sharing, graphics, music, and camera switching without putting students on screen.
You don’t need to have everything figured out first before you livestream your class.
Start with one class, one platform, and one tool, and go from there. Don’t worry about optimizing for reach or production just yet. Instead, focus on showing up, leading your class, and finishing the session. Your first live class is a test, not a performance, and definitely not a measure of your your success.
If you want a way to get started without turning teaching into a technical project, Switcher makes it easy to go live anywhere online with a simple setup: just an iPhone or an iPad, and an internet connection. You can start basic and add more structure or production later, without rebuilding your workflow.
If you want a simple way to get started, try Switcher today and see how easily you can start livestreaming your class.