Hosting a webinar with pre-recorded content

With simulive webinars, you can reduce the amount of effort required to successfully run a webinar by using pre-recorded content. Simulive webinars are helpful when you want to reuse content for a webinar, such as broadcasting marketing sessions, repeating your organization’s all hands sessions across multiple time zones, delivering training courses, and more.

Simulive webinars allow hosts to share a previously recorded cloud recording as a video file within a webinar. The webinar will automatically start at the scheduled time, without the need for the host to be present. The host and panelists can still join and interact with the audience through live chat and webinar Q&A.

Simulive webinars can be managed by users with scheduling privileges. Both users must have a webinar license and Zoom Events or Zoom Sessions license in addition to existing prerequisites.

Hosts can also configure the simulive webinar to automatically transition to a live session after playback. During the simulive playback, hosts and panelists can join the backstage area to prepare for the live portion. They receive visual notifications before the transition to live. Once transitioned, the webinar functions as a regular live session.

Additionally, you can create simulive webinars in Zoom Events sessions. Learn more about the comparison of Zoom Webinars and simulive webinars.

Requirements for hosting a simulive webinar

• Zoom Events Unlimited license or Zoom Events Pay Per Attendee license; or, Zoom Sessions Unlimited or Zoom Sessions Pay Per Attendee license
  Note: Pay Per Attendee (PPA) licensed users can use this feature only in their Zoom Sessions and Zoom Events. PPA does not allow users to use this feature on the Zoom web portal—they can only use it on the Zoom Events portal.
• Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education account
• A saved recording on the Zoom cloud
• Hosts must update their Zoom mobile or desktop app to version 6.3.0 or later to join a simulive webinar. Panelists and attendees can join with any version.

Limitations of simulive webinars

• During the simulive phase, hosts and panelists cannot speak or appear on live video in front of webinar attendees and can only use the chat and Q&A features. However, once the simulive playback ends and the webinar transitions to live (if the option was enabled), all previously restricted features—such as video, audio, and full interaction—are enabled.

• Only the speaker view is selected in recordings, even if you recorded with multiple views.

• Hosts can’t add multiple cloud recordings to a single simulive webinar.

• Since simulive webinars start automatically, they do not support practice sessions. If backstage is used, access to backstage will begin at the scheduled time.

How to set up a webinar with simulive capability

Create a simulive webinar

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Webinars.
3. On the right, click Schedule a Webinar.
4. Next to Webinar Type, choose Simulive.
5. (Optional) Select the Transition to live afterwards toggle to automatically transition to a live session once simulive playback ends.
   Note: To transition a simulive webinar to live, a host must be present at the time of the transition.
6. Next to Recorded Webinar, click Add recording to choose a previously-recorded personal cloud recording to add to simulive, then click Save.
   Note: If the Transition to live option is enabled, the session duration will remain unchanged. Otherwise, it will automatically adjust to match the length of the content. If the webinar hasn’t transitioned to live yet, you can still manually adjust its duration.
7. (Optional) In the top-right corner of the video tile, click the edit icon to change the recording. Click the trash icon to remove the recording. Click the video icon to preview the recording.
8. Select webinar settings as needed.
9. (Optional) If you want create a recurring series, do the following:
   1. Select the Recurring webinar check box.
   2. Set the recurrence schedule, repetition pattern, and end date.
      Notes:
      • A recurring series for simulive webinars can’t be No Fixed Time recurrences. They must be daily, weekly, or monthly recurrences.
      • Hosts can set a webinar series to be either live or simulive webinars. You can’t make a single occurrence within a series to be simulive and the other occurrences live.
      • All sessions in a webinar series will use the same recording. It’s not possible to change the recording for individual occurrences.
10. Click Schedule.
    The simulive pre-recorded webinar will start automatically at the time(s) selected.

Once you’ve scheduled a simulive webinar, you can edit a session at any time up until the session starts and modify any webinar options. You cannot edit a simulive webinar while it’s in progress.

Note: You cannot delete a cloud recording that is scheduled to be used or actively running in a simulive webinar. However, it is possible to delete the recording after the webinar has ended, once the lock is lifted at the end of the webinar.

Convert a scheduled live webinar to a simulive webinar

Hosts can easily convert a previously-scheduled live webinar to a simulive webinar. This allows you to set up and start registration as soon as you know you want to conduct a webinar, but don’t have the content ready yet. Once the recording is ready, you can edit a webinar session and change it from live to simulive. You can also change a simulive webinar to a live webinar at any point before the scheduled start time.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Webinars.
3. Hover over the webinar you want to convert, then click Edit.
4. Next to Webinar Type, choose Simulive.
5. Follow the steps to create a simulive webinar.

Modify webinar options

Set up webinar Q&A auto-response

Before the session starts, you can set up an auto-response for Q&A, which is helpful when the host or panelists may not be present. When enabled, attendees will get an auto-response when they ask questions during the session. An example of an auto-response could be, “Thank you for your question, we will get back to you shortly.”

Note: If Q&A is enabled for the webinar, you can also manage the auto-response during the webinar.

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Webinars.
3. Click the topic of the simulive webinar.
4. At the top, click the Q&A tab.
5. In the Auto-Response section, click Edit, then do the following:
   1. Choose if you want to set up an auto-reply to attendees when you are not present. If enabled, attendees will get an auto response when they ask questions during the session. You can turn it off if you join the session to answer manually, or choose to leave it on and view the Q&A report later.
   2. Enter your auto-response, then click Save.
6. (Optional) In the Settings section, click Edit, and modify other webinar Q&A settings as needed.

Set up a follow-up email to attendees with a link to the recording

You can choose to send a follow-up email to webinar attendees, which is a great way to recap the recording that was used in the simulive webinar.

To copy the recording link to use in the email template:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Recordings.
3. Locate the same recording that you added to the simulive webinar.
4. Click Share.
5. Next to the Shareable Link, click Copy.
6. (Optional) Adjust any sharing settings as needed, then click the close icon ✖.

To add the recording link to the follow-up email:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Webinars.
3. Click the topic of the simulive webinar.
4. At the top, click the Email Settings tab.
5. In the Follow-up Email to Attendees section, click Edit.
6. Modify the email settings as needed.
7. In the text box at the bottom, paste the recording link.
8. Click Save.
   When the simulive webinar ends, attendees will receive a follow-up email at the specified time with a link to the recording.

Customize additional webinar settings

Once you’ve scheduled a simulive webinar, you can customize any options as needed. Learn more about the following webinar customization options:

• Customize webinar registration
• Add panelists to a webinar
• Customize webinar email settings
• Customize webinar branding
• Customize polls or quizzes
• Add a post-webinar survey
• Add webinar resources

Invite attendees to your simulive webinar

You can invite attendees to your simulive webinar the same way you would invite them to a live webinar. Learn more about inviting webinar attendees.

How to host a simulive webinar session

Simulive webinars will start automatically at the scheduled time, so hosts aren’t required to be there at the start. To control webinar host functions, join the simulive webinar as the host. During the session, you can conduct Q&A, polls, chat with attendees or other panelists, and promote attendees to panelists to help answer attendee questions.

Additionally, hosts have the option to transition a simulive webinar to a live session after the recording finishes playback. The simulive session must be set up in advance to transition to live; this decision cannot be made during the webinar itself unless it was already chosen during setup. To make the transition, a host must be present at the time of the switch.

Transition to live disabled

To host a simulive webinar without transitioning to a live session, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Webinars.
3. Hover over the webinar you want to join as the host of, and click Join.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to join the session.
5. The webinar will automatically end once the recording has finished playing.

Transition to live enabled

To host a simulive webinar and transition to a live session after playback ends, follow these steps:

1. Sign in to the Zoom web portal.
2. In the navigation menu, click Webinars.
3. Hover over the webinar you want to join as the host of, and click Join.
4. Follow the on-screen prompts to join the session.
5. During the simulive playback, you and your panelists can join the backstage area to prepare for the live portion. You will receive visual notifications before the transition to live.
6. Once transitioned, the webinar functions as a regular live session.
7. (Optional) If your recording has extra content (like a long after show) that wasn’t trimmed, or if you decide not to continue with the current recording, you can start the live session early with these steps:
   1. In the top-right corner, click SIMULIVE.
   2. Click the 3 dots .
   3. Select Start live session early.
   4. Click Start now to confirm.
      This will end the playback early, and immediately starts the live session.

How to generate simulive webinar reports

Reporting for simulive webinars is the same as live webinar reports. Learn how to generate webinar reports.