Pre-Recorded Webinar: How to Run a Simulive Webinar

A pre-recorded webinar, also called a simulive webinar, is a recorded presentation that starts at a fixed time for everyone, like a live event. Attendees register, join at the start time and watch together. The presenter and the team answer questions in the chat while the recording plays.

This guide covers when a pre-recorded webinar is the right choice, how to run one so the Q&A still works, and which tools can do it.

Live, simulive and on-demand webinars

Three formats get called "webinar". They differ in who must be present and when viewers can watch.

In a live webinar, the presenter must be on camera at the start time, and mistakes go out as they happen. In a simulive webinar, you edit the mistakes out beforehand, and viewers still watch together. In an on-demand webinar, each viewer watches alone.

The simulive format keeps the two things that make a webinar worth attending: a date on the calendar, and a person who answers questions.

When a pre-recorded webinar is the right choice

Use one when:

• The content is the same every time. A product demo, an onboarding session or a course lesson that you run every week.
• Time zones split your audience. Run the same recording at 9:00 in London and again at 9:00 in New York.
• The speaker is not available on the day, or is not comfortable presenting live.
• The presentation has many moving parts: screen recordings, slides, several speakers, video clips. Editing them together is easier than switching them live.
• Your internet connection is not reliable enough for a one-hour live broadcast from your office.

Stay live when:

• The audience shapes the content, as in an open Q&A, an ask-me-anything or a panel that reacts to comments.
• The news is still changing, for example an incident update or an earnings call.
• You promised a live event. If the invitation said "live", keep it live, or change the invitation.

How to run a pre-recorded webinar so Q&A still works

1. Record with the live chat in mind

Record the presentation as if people were in the room, but do not pretend to react to comments that do not exist yet. Phrases like "great question in the chat" in a recording mislead the audience.

Keep the recording shorter than a live session would be. Cut long pauses and false starts. Leave out the Q&A section; it happens in the chat and after the video.

2. Tell attendees it is pre-recorded

Say it on the registration page and in the first minute: "The presentation is recorded. The team is in the chat now and will answer your questions."

Some platforms make this a rule:

• Facebook asks that live broadcasts with pre-recorded content be clearly marked as pre-recorded (Facebook Live policies).
• LinkedIn asks you not to use pre-recorded content in LinkedIn Live and to stream in real time (LinkedIn Live guidelines).
• YouTube publishes no rule about pre-recorded content in a live stream (checked September 2026).

Our article on fake live streams explains where the honest line is.

3. Schedule it and send reminders

Pick a start time, create the registration page or the live stream event, and send reminders the day before and an hour before. A webinar platform sends reminder emails for you. On YouTube, a scheduled stream gets a watch page with a Notify me button. On Facebook, a live video event posts an announcement to your Page.

4. Staff the chat

The chat is the live part of the event. Plan it like a live session:

• The presenter joins the chat under their own name, so viewers see that the person on screen is answering.
• A second person moderates: welcomes people, removes spam and passes the hard questions to the presenter.
• Prepare answers and links for the questions you expect: pricing, the sign-up link, the slides.
• Collect the questions you cannot answer in one line, and answer them in a follow-up email.

5. Add a spoken Q&A at the end, if your tool allows it

Some tools let you go live on camera when the recording ends; others do not. Check before you promise a live Q&A:

• Livestorm: the host starts the event, plays the MP4, and can run a live Q&A session after it.
• Zoom simulive webinars: hosts and panelists answer through chat and webinar Q&A during playback, but cannot use their camera or microphone.
• GoTo Webinar: a simulive event cannot switch to a live session. You schedule the live session separately.
• A stream to YouTube or Facebook: answer in the platform's live chat. For a spoken Q&A, start a live stream from your camera right after the recording ends and link it in the chat.

Which tools run pre-recorded webinars?

There are two kinds of tools, and the choice depends on where your audience watches.

Webinar platforms host the event on their own page, with a registration form, reminder emails and attendee reports. Use one when you need the sign-up data, for example for sales leads.

Cloud streaming tools broadcast the recording to YouTube, Facebook and other platforms, where your audience already follows you. Viewers need no sign-up. Use one when reach matters more than a registration list.

Features below were checked on each vendor's own help pages on September 25, 2026. Prices were checked on their pricing pages the same day.

Webinar platforms

Cloud streaming tools

All three start the stream at the time you set, and your computer can be off. Pre-recorded Live Stream also repeats a stream every week, which suits an evergreen demo or a weekly class. See the plans for the details.

A pre-recorded webinar on YouTube or Facebook

If your audience is on YouTube or Facebook, you do not need a webinar platform. The steps are:

1. Export the recording as an MP4 file. Check it with the free video pre-flight checker if you are not sure about the format.
2. Upload it to a cloud streaming tool and connect your YouTube channel or Facebook Page.
3. Set the start time, and share the watch page link in your emails and posts.
4. Join the live chat at the start time and answer questions.

Each platform has its own setup steps and rules. See our guides on live streaming a pre-recorded video on YouTube and scheduling a pre-recorded video on Facebook Live.

FAQ

Is a pre-recorded webinar the same as an automated webinar?

Mostly. "Automated webinar" usually means an evergreen recording that runs on a schedule, for example every day at the same hour, without anyone present. A simulive webinar is the same recording with a team in the chat. The recording is the same; the difference is whether a person answers questions.

Do attendees know it is pre-recorded?

They should. Say it on the registration page and at the start. Facebook asks for pre-recorded footage in a live broadcast to be marked as pre-recorded.

Can I run the same recording more than once?

Yes. Each tool above lets you schedule the same video again. Zoom does not support recurring simulive webinars, so there you create each session separately.

Can I stream a pre-recorded webinar to LinkedIn?

LinkedIn's guidelines ask you not to use pre-recorded content in LinkedIn Live. If LinkedIn is your main audience, present live there, or post the recording as a regular video.

Related guides

• Live or pre-recorded: which to choose
• Best practices for virtual events
• How to stream to multiple platforms at once