Host a webinar

A webinar starts as an event on your journey agenda. You prepare the running order and the settings in the studio, invite guests on stage, go live, and after the show you publish the recording as a replay on the same Watch Live link.

Communication - live to your audience - 9 min. You need: a journey, a camera and a microphone

Nothing is broadcast until you press OFFLINE and it turns LIVE.

The Livestream Studio: the timeline on the left, the stage with the camera preview in the middle, live chat and viewers on the right
Your studio: running order, stage, chat.

What you will be able to do

  • Plan it Date, programme, guests.
  • Go live Camera, screen, guests, chat.
  • Run it with two A helper picks the questions.
  • Share the replay Same link, watch it later.

Get this ready first

  • A journey The webinar lives in a journey. Its agenda holds the event.
  • Camera and microphone The ones in your laptop are fine. Headphones stop echo.

Do it together, one step at a time

First you prepare (steps 1 to 7). Then you go live (8 to 10). Then the replay (11 to 13).

  1. Plan the webinar on the agenda

    A webinar is an event on your journey agenda. Make it first.

    • Open your journey and look at the Agenda on the right.
    • Press the orange + and make an event with a title, a date and a time.
    • Open the event. Under Program you write the running order; under Reminders you set when people get a reminder.
    • People who sign up show under the participants tab.
    The event Open evening - Location North opened from the agenda, with the tabs Info, Program, participants and Reminders, and the buttons Prepare, Host Live, Event Manager, Ask for photos, Open camera and Watch Live
    Your webinar, as an event on the agenda.

  2. Three buttons on the event

    You host. A helper can run the chat. Everyone else watches.

    • Host Live opens your studio. Only editors of the journey see it.
    • Event Manager opens a second screen for a helper who runs the chat and the questions.
    • Watch Live is what your audience opens. Everyone sees this button.
    • Prepare gathers what you need for the meeting in one place.
    The event popup with Host Live, Event Manager and Watch Live
    One event, three doors.

  3. Get ready in the studio

    Put your items in order. Check that you see and hear yourself.

    • The top left says PREVIEW — NOT LIVE : nobody sees you yet.
    • TIMELINE : every item of your show. Press + Add timeline item for a slide, a video or a waiting screen. GO puts that item on air.
    • STAGE : choose Program, Speaker or Grid for how the picture is laid out.
    • Under the stage: your camera, and Video, Screen and Invite to add more.
    • Speak: the bar next to your camera moves when the microphone hears you.
    The studio: timeline items with GO buttons, the stage preview marked PREVIEW — NOT LIVE, the camera tile with Add, Video, Screen and Invite, live chat and viewers
    Everything you need, on one screen.

  4. Choose who may watch

    Decide if people must log in. Pick the picture quality.

    • Press the settings button (the gear) in the top bar.
    • Stream resolution : 720p is right for most webinars.
    • Require login to watch : tick it and only people who log in can watch. Leave it off and anyone with the link can.
    • Viewer Chat input only : viewers see the video and a chat box, nothing else.
    • Backup stream (OBS) : for a big show, also stream to YouTube Live or Vimeo Live as a fallback.
    The Settings panel: audio processing, Stream resolution 720p, Guest video quality, Stage circles, Require login to watch, Viewer Chat input only, Backup stream (OBS)
    Who may watch, and how it looks.

  5. Invite a guest speaker

    A guest gets a link and joins you on stage with their own camera.

    • Press + Invite next to VIEWERS , or the Invite tile under the stage.
    • Search a person, or type an e-mail address.
    • Tick Invite as a guest on stage for a speaker. Untick it to invite someone to watch only.
    • Press Send invitations, or Copy link to send the link yourself.
    • In the show, the guest appears in the viewer list as GUEST .
    Invite to the livestream: a search box, a personal note, the tick Invite as a guest on stage, the link with Copy link, and Send invitations
    One link per guest.

  6. A helper for the questions

    Someone else reads the chat and picks the questions for you.

    • Your helper opens the event and presses Event Manager.
    • They see the same timeline and a live preview of the stream.
    • They drag good chat messages into the ON-AIR QUEUE , then drop one on the live preview to show it on the stream.
    • Clear from stream takes it off again; Hide chat hides the chat on the stream.
    The Event Manager: the timeline on the left, the live preview in the middle with Sound on, Clear from stream and Hide chat, the ON-AIR QUEUE below, live chat on the right
    Your helper's screen.

  7. Go live

    Press OFFLINE. Say yes to recording if you want a replay.

    • Press the OFFLINE badge at the top right. It turns LIVE .
    • The studio asks Record this stream?
    • Press ⏺ Record to save the whole show as a file on your own computer. You need that file for the replay.
    • Or press No thanks. You can still press Start Recording later.
    The question Record this stream? Save a local recording of this livestream to your computer? with No thanks and Record
    Yes = you get a replay.

  8. Run the show

    Press GO for the next item. Answer the chat.

    • Press GO on the next timeline item to put it on air.
    • Screen shares your screen; Video plays a film.
    • Guests who joined appear under the stage. Their picture goes on air with the layout you chose.
    • Type in Message as host... and press Send to answer the chat.
    • Export saves the chat afterwards.
    The studio with the timeline, the stage, the camera tile, live chat with Message as host and Send, and viewers
    GO, talk, answer.

  9. See how many watch

    See how many people watched, minute by minute.

    • Press Stats in the top bar.
    • Per minute you see VIEWERS and USERS (people who were logged in).
    • Press Export CSV to open the numbers in a spreadsheet.
    Viewer stats (per minute): Time, Viewers, Users, No data yet, and Export CSV
    The numbers, per minute.

  10. End the webinar

    Press Close. Viewers see that the livestream has ended.

    • Press Close in the top bar.
    • Recording for replay (optional) : press Choose File to add a recording - your own, or one made elsewhere (MP4, WebM, OGG, MOV or MKV, up to 2 GB).
    • Press Close livestream.
    Close livestream: ends the stream and shows every viewer a livestream closed message; Recording for replay (optional) with Choose File; Cancel and Close livestream
    The end. Add the file for a replay.

  11. Publish the replay

    Recorded with the studio? One button puts it online as the replay.

    • Stop the recording, or end the show. The studio asks Publish recording as replay?
    • Press Publish replay & close stream. The file is uploaded and the stream closes.
    • Press Not now to keep the file only on your computer.
    Publish recording as replay? Your recording is saved. Upload it now and close the livestream - viewers opening the same link will watch the replay instead. Not now and Publish replay & close stream
    One button, and the replay is online.

  12. People watch it back

    The same Watch Live link now plays the recording.

    • Open Watch Live again, or the link you sent.
    • It says Livestream closed and Watch the recording below.
    • Viewers press play. Captions appear when the recording has been written out.
    • Keep sharing the same link: in a newsletter, on a landing page, in the journey.
    The Watch Live page after the show: Livestream closed, This livestream has ended. Watch the recording below, and a video player
    Same link, now the replay.

If something is not right

I do not see Host Live.

Only editors of the journey can host. Ask the owner to make you an editor.

Viewers see nothing.

Press OFFLINE so it turns LIVE.

People hear an echo.

Wear headphones, or turn on Echo cancellation in the settings.

There is no replay.

Add the recording file when you press Close.

The words, in plain language

webinar
A live online presentation that people watch in their browser and can react to.
replay
The recording of the webinar, to watch after it has ended.
stage
What is on air right now: your camera, a slide, your screen or a guest.

Where to go next