There are a few options out there for you to choose from. We're reviewed the best.
First things first - your existing booking system might already have an easy way for you to deliver live streamed exercise - many now have pre-built integrations with live streaming platforms. If this is the case, that's probably the best (and quickest) way for you to get your classes online, so check with your booking system first.
If you don't use a booking system, then it might be worth quickly checking out this section to see if it makes sense for you to start using one:
There are a few options to choose from and itβs important to make sure you are comfortable with whichever solution you use. The happier and more relaxed you are, the more this will reassure your online participants.
Here's an overview of the main options, with further detail available in this section. Each option is fairly simple to set up and use, so take a look and pick the one that works best for you.
Best for:
Large or small interactive classes, where you want to see and hear from participants.
Paid-for classes (you can generate unique URLs per class to send to participants).
Good to know:
There is a free option (limited to 40 mins per broadcast without a recording option). The paid for plan starts at Β£11.99.
Best for:
Connecting with your existing followers and other potential participants on Facebook.
Extremely simple to get going.
Good to know:
You can't see or hear your participants, so if your classes usually involve feedback, adjustments, etc. then Facebook Live isn't ideal for you.
You can receive Facebook messages and reactions, but this may distract you during the class.
Best for:
Connecting with your existing followers and other potential participants on Instagram.
Extremely simple to get going.
Good to know:
Like with Facebook Live, you can't see or hear your participants, so not ideal if you prefer delivering interactive classes. Also, all Instagram broadcasts are in portrait, so bear this in mind!
Also, unlike with Facebook Live, Instagram Live videos disappear from your profile after 24 hours, so participants can't watch them easily later.
Best for:
Can be publicly or privately shared, so potentially suitable for both free and paid-for classes.
Good to know:
To broadcast from a mobile, you'll need to have at least 1,000 subscribers, but you can stream from a webcam without restrictions. You might also have to wait a little while (24 hours) when you first try to broadcast for your account to be verified by YouTube.
YouTube is a by-word for "online video". More recently, YouTube has introduced the ability to live stream content and is widely used in many sectors from fitness to gaming.
YouTube is an option if you want to stream both public classes (free for anyone to access) and unlisted classes (e.g. for those who have booked / paid).
No - it's free to use. You need a YouTube channel, laptop / smartphone to stream from, then you're good to go.
To broadcast from a mobile, you'll need to have at least 1,000 subscribers, but you can stream from a webcam (i.e. your laptop) without restrictions. You might also have to wait a little while (24 hours) when you first try to broadcast for your account to be verified by YouTube, so it's worth getting ready well ahead of time.
Like with Facebook Live, participants just need to have your YouTube channel up when you start your public live stream (or access the specific link you've sent them if you've set up a private live stream for your class).
We've all seen YouTube videos, so you can imagine how it looks from the participant's point of view! π
Apart from comments, this is a non-interactive option - you cannot see the attendees, only they can see you, so it's good for mass audiences where you're not looking to give direct feedback or motivation to individual participants.
It's very simple.
Log in to YouTube (or create an account). Click the video camera icon (in the top right if you're on a laptop or the YouTube app), and in the drop down menu select Go Live.
Go through the account verification steps if you need to - this may take up to 24 hours to come through.
On the next page, you can add details about the class you're going to stream, including the Visibility settings - public (anyone can find and watch), unlisted (only those with the link will be able to find and watch) and private (you can select specific people, via email address, to access the video - up to a limit of 50 people).
You can also select a time to stream the class, which is a good way to get everything set up (generate the URL, etc.) ahead of time, so you can communicate this to participants.
Send the YouTube link out to your participants, either ahead of time for a public URL or send the unlisted URL just before the class if you only want those who have booked / registered to be able to watch your class.
YouTube is very strict with copyright regulations, so be careful if you're using any music during the class. YouTube has its own library of audio content you can use if you're not sure.
Zoom is a leading video tele-conferencing software. It enables you to broadcast your class to participants who all join a Zoom "meeting". It basically works by creating a unique website URL for each "meeting" that you can send to participants for them to join the class from their smartphone, tablet or laptop.
Maybe - it depends on what you need. There is a free plan which allows you to stream for up to 40 minutes - great for 30 min classes, not so good for anything longer. Think about how this might impact your class structure - you will want to get in the virtual class a few minutes early to greet people and hang around at the end in case people have any questions. The basic plan also does not allow you to record your classes.
The next package available is Β£11.99 per month, which has 24 hours maximum class duration rather than 40 minutes - which should remove any issues around class duration. Plenty of time to sweat! π
All plans allow up to 100 participants as a minimum, so for most classes that's plenty, especially if you're aiming to be interactive - it's hard to keep it personal when there are 100 moving bodies! π΅
If you want more than 100+ (people might be queuing out of the virtual door to attend your class!), check out the various packages and sign up at:
In most cases, participants will receive a URL (web link) and all they have to do is click on that link and it will open the Zoom "Meeting". If participants join from a laptop, they can either join via their browser (no downloads required, so quick and easy) or download Zoom for desktop; if joining from mobile they'll need to download the Zoom app.
Either way, participants won't need to create their own Zoom account so most people will be able to easily join your class with the link you've provided. That said, if you're restricting access to specific people only, then participants will need to create a Zoom account with the same email address that you have for them (e.g. the email address they used to book the class) so you can add their email address to the list of approved attendees in Zoom.
One of the great benefits of Zoom over other platforms, e.g. Instagram, is that youβll be able to see your participants - this can be done in a grid view to see multiple participants on one screen. Perfect for providing feedback!
Sign up and choose your plan.
In your Zoom account, under "Profile", you'll find your Personal Meeting ID. You have three options for how to invite participants to your class (these are instructions for using Zoom on your laptop, but it's similar for the app):
Re-use this Personal Meeting ID as the main link for all of your participants to use for all your classes. This is a good approach if you have only a few classes that aren't back to back, and you aren't worried about the link being shared widely (i.e. your classes are free to attend).
Another option is to create a new URL for each class ahead of time. To do this, click on "Schedule A Meeting" in the top right of the screen and fill in the required fields. At the "Meeting ID" step, select the Generate Automatically option, so that Zoom knows to create a new URL for this class. You could also password protect the class so that only those with both the URL link and password can access the class - double safe! π. Once you've filled out the options and hit Save, on the next page under Invite Attendees you'll see the URL for this specific class that you can distribute to participants.
The last option is to create a new "meeting" for the class just before the class starts. If you're confident about doing this 10 minutes before the class and can send out the URL to all participants, then it's a slightly simpler than option 2 above (although more risky if something goes wrong, as you won't have much time to figure it out before the scheduled class start time!). For this option, just click "Host A Meeting" (in the top right again), select "With Video On", and a Zoom meeting will launch.
Once you've done one of the options above, share the link (and password if you've set one) with your participants (see "Getting your classes out there").
When it's time for you to run the class, head to Zoom, and find and launch the right Meeting. If doing this from your desktop, if will probably ask you to download or launch Zoom for desktop. We recommend you do that for the best experience, but you can also run Zoom from your browser (Chrome, Internet Explorer, etc.) - you'll see this option ("If you cannot download or run the application, start from your browser.") pop-up somewhere on the screen, so just hit it and away you go! π
Select "Join Audio By Computer" - this tells Zoom to use your inbuilt laptop microphone and speakers (or any headphones / speakers you have connected to the laptop). Make sure your video is turned on and microphone is unmuted, using the options at the bottom of the page. If you went for option 3 in the list above, then click "Invite" at the bottom of the screen and you can copy the meeting URL to send out to participants.
You can also hit "record" (if using the Pro plan or above) if you want to capture the class for others to watch later at their leisure.
And most importantly:
Test it out with friends first before trying it with your class participants! You will inevitably need to tweak the settings to get it just right for you.
Don't get caught out by the default Zoom settings, which put things in US timezone - you can change this in the Zoom settings page.
Under the Basic (free) or Pro plan, the host (you) can only have one Zoom meeting launched at any one time. So make sure you either space out your classes so you can launch each new Zoom meeting at the right time without overlap, or know that participants for the next class might be joining at the end of the previous class.
If someone joins your class and you don't want them in your session for whatever reason, you can give them the boot π₯Ύ by removing them in the "Participants" section of the Zoom meeting, which also prevents them from entering again until you re-start the meeting.
Facebook Live is a great option where you (a) offer free classes and (b) just want to get going. There are some setups where you could offer classes to paid-up members (e.g. setting them up on a private Facebook Group) so there is still some flexibility.
No. As long as you have laptop / smartphone, Internet access and a Facebook account (free to set up), you can start streaming your class on Facebook!
You'll need to tell participants to be logged-in to Facebook and on your Facebook Page / Group at the time you intend to start streaming.
Participants will be able to post comments and share reactions, but you won't be able to see the participants themselves, which means you can't offer any direct motivation ("Great work, Priyanka! Get those legs higher, Donald!") or help correct on form or technique.
Some instructors also find it a bit tricky as there's no direct feedback from the class, which can feel a little off-putting as you're not sure if what you're doing is landing.
It's very simple - essentially, when you're ready to start streaming, sign into Facebook, select the Create Post option, click on the three dots, and select Live Video. This will open the Live Video Producer settings page - tweak the settings so it works best for you. When you're done and you're ready to start streaming, hit Go Live! πΌ
In the Live Video Producer page, you'll see options of where to post. Depending on what you're aiming for, you probably want to post to a Group or Page that you manage. That way, when you're telling participants about the class beforehand, all you need to do is send them the URL for the Group or Page, and what time you'll be streaming.
If you're using Facebook Live, you might as well use Facebook for all of it's benefits - make sure you're posting regularly and making people aware of your upcoming classes.
If you want more engagement, answer the questions that people are sending in via the comments. Participants will realise you are doing this, they'll be more inclined to post (which in turn raises your profile within Facebook to other potential new participants). You can also acknowledge viewers as they join your broadcast, making your class more personal.
You can also use Facebook's own help pages if you run into difficulties:
There is an option to (best of both worlds!), but we only recommend you attempt this if you are confident with both Zoom, Facebook and tinkering around with platforms like this. π€
Very similar to Facebook Live, Instagram Live is another easy, quick way to get your free classes live streamed within minutes. Unlike Facebook Live, where there are a few workarounds for private Groups or Pages to limit access to those who have pre-booked / paid, Instagram Live really is only appropriate if you don't want to restrict who can join your class.
Nope! As long as you have an Instagram account and a smartphone to stream from, you can get going with Instagram Live.
You'll need to tell participants to be on your profile in the Instragram app or website at the time you want to start streaming.
Participants will be able to post comments, but you won't be able to see them so you can't offer any direct motivation ("Hold for two more seconds, Svetlana!"), nor help correct on form or technique.
Some instructors also find it a bit tricky as there's no direct feedback from the class, which can feel a little off-putting as you're not sure if what you're doing is landing.
Simple: sign into Instagram (or create an account) and from within the Instagram app, click on the camera icon in the top left of the feed, or just swipe right when you're looking at the feed.
At the bottom, if you scroll down, you'll see Live and you can tap the "broadcast" icon. You're now live streaming! π
Tell your participants what time you'll be live streaming on Instagram, and your Instagram handle name so they can find your profile.
Don't forget to save your video once you're done, to re-use elsewhere. You can also share it to your Instagram profile for others to watch later.
You can turn comments off if you think they'll be a distraction during the class.
If you're having any issues getting started with Instagram Live, try here: