Webinars and live virtual events have become essential for businesses and entrepreneurs. Live events can hold an audience’s attention longer than just video uploads. Reaching out to people in real time elevates your brand’s online presence and attracts new clients.
If you’ve ever hosted a webinar, however, you know that live events have their own difficulties. Technical issues can halt your webinar and deter your audience much faster than an in-person event. Staying alert and interacting with live viewers for hours in front of a screen gets tiring, too.
But with a simulated live event, or “simulive,” your webinars can run smoothly. Pre-recorded streaming lets you broadcast webinars that appear as live streams to your viewers. You can use a simulive to host well-produced and edited webinars while keeping your live audience engaged. Let’s explore how pre-recorded streams work and why you should simulive your next virtual event.
How to simulive a webinar
A simulated live webinar combines the production quality of edited videos with the captivating feel of live streams. You can have extra takes to record your best presentation before going live. With Restream, you can then upload that recording and stream it to your viewers as a live webinar whenever you want.
Platforms like Restream have an online cloud where you can store pre-recorded videos. If your webinar recordings are under 20 minutes and less than 500 megabytes, you can store them free of charge with Restream. You can even upload videos stored on your phone from your mobile browser.
After the webinar video is uploaded, you can schedule it to livestream whenever your audience is most likely to watch. You’ve just set up your first simulive!
Simulated live webinars also give you control over your time. For example, a simulive can stream when you’re out of office, or completely offline. Many brands use Restream’s Upload and Stream to simulate product demos and webinars, allowing them to benefit from the power of live minus the stress.
Why simulive a webinar?
Simply put, a simulated live webinar combines the best features of both live and on-demand webinars. Here’s a few reasons why you should simulive your next webinar.
Live content is king
Live streamed content isn’t just popular; social media algorithms heavily favor it. Platforms like YouTube, LinkedIn and X promote live content to draw in more viewers. That’s why live streams see almost twice the amount of viewer engagement as regular videos. Live videos often get more exposure with extra alerts and bright banners atop your followers' feeds.
Using a simulive guarantees that your webinar will appear as a live stream on social platforms, even if it’s a pre-recorded video. This works especially well with Restream’s multistreaming feature, which lets you stream your webinar on several platforms at once.
Peak production value
Hosting a live webinar and working on camera can be stressful. Awkward pauses or slip-offs can hurt your event, especially with a virtual audience. Streaming pre-recorded videos can help you make a flawless impression.
By recording and editing your webinar or presentation, you can create live content on par with the quality of video uploads. With a simulated live webinar, you could enhance your webinar with dynamic content that would be harder to manage while streaming. No more worries about fumbling through a slideshow or waiting for a video to load.
With Restream Studio, you can perfect the design and layout of your simulated live webinar in real time. Sequence your videos, display your chat feed, and add text or captions while your event is streamed to the platforms of your choice. Studio lets you make your webinar material more interactive and engaging for your audience.
Consistent and flexible
For most busy entrepreneurs, having a consistent live streaming schedule for webinars isn’t easy. However, a simulated live webinar simplifies scheduling regular live events, even if you’re unavailable at the time.
Try recording your webinar whenever and setting it up to go live on a weekly schedule. With this setup, viewers can better anticipate when to tune in and watch. Streaming your webinars consistently will keep your audience coming back and give you time to plan ahead!
Reuse and rerun videos
If your viewers miss the stream, include a simulive “re-run” by streaming the same webinar at a later time. Using a simulive is a great way to retain your online audience during vacation times or busy work hours. Rerunning your simulated live webinars will help your content reach more viewers in different time zones as well. This way, you’ll grow your viewer base further and get more traffic from your existing webinars.
Let’s say you wanted your audience to always have access to your simulated live webinars. With Restream’s new video looping feature, you can broadcast pre-recorded content on replay for maximum reach and convenience. It’s also useful for promoting products or links when coupled with Restream Studio’s QR code designs. This lets your webinar audience stay informed whenever they’re available and buy your products at any time.
Live vs. simulive: Pros and cons
We’ve touched on some key features of live webinars and their pre-recorded counterparts. However, we know it can be hard to decide to pre-record or go live with your webinars. Let’s compare the strengths and drawbacks of live and simulated live events.
Live webinars
Pros
- Real-time interaction between the host and their audience.
- Speakers can address audience requests on the spot.
- Viewers feel included and heard.
Cons
- Technical issues can disrupt the webinar.
- It’s more stressful to present live on camera.
- Mistakes and off-topic moments can’t be corrected and will be recorded.
- Hosts need to be fully alert and present throughout the event.
Simulive webinars
Pros
- Record, edit, and polish your webinar beforehand.
- More control over your content and schedule.
- No need for a steady internet connection during the broadcast.
- Easier to manage dynamic content and media.
- Schedule webinars at optimal times for your audience.
- Webinars can go live even if you're not present.
- Hosts can interact in real time using live chat.
Cons
- Limited engagement without a live Q&A segment.
- Some audiences may prefer the authenticity of live over pre-recorded webinars.
Wrapping up
Whether you’re an individual entrepreneur or you represent a brand, webinars are a great way to reach colleagues and clients alike. But you’ve probably encountered issues with virtual events or video conferences before. Live webinars rely heavily on your network connection to succeed, and it’s easy to get off-track when you’re speaking to a screen.
A simulated live webinar is where the excitement of a live event meets the creative control of video content. Record your webinar beforehand and stream your best take to viewers with Restream whenever you like. Hop in the live chat to answer questions and get audience feedback instantly. Soon, you’ll see the difference that a simulive webinar makes. Try streaming a pre-recorded webinar with our special 7-day free trial offer.
