What is a pre-recorded webinar?
A pre-recorded webinar automatically streams an existing video from your Wistia account at a scheduled time, giving your audience the feel of a live event without anyone presenting live. This is also known as a “simulive” or fully simulated webinar. You can still engage with your audience through chat, Q&A, and polls in real time during this type of webinar!
Tip
If you want to combine video playback with a live host presence, check out our Present Media feature. It lets you run a partially simulated webinar—ideal for playing intro videos, demo clips, or countdown timers during your presentation
A pre-recorded webinar is a good fit when you want to:
Run the same webinar on a repeating schedule or across time zones (an evergreen webinar).
Air a session when your speaker can’t present live.
Edit and polish your content before your audience sees it.
What’s available vs. disabled
Available during the event:
Audience chat and private chat
Q&A — hosts and audience can ask and answer questions
Polls — hosts can launch, audience can respond
Any host can end the event early
Disabled for pre-recorded webinars:
Selecting another video to present
Layout changes
Bringing people on and off stage
Bringing chat, polls, or Q&A on stage
Uploading or presenting slides
Simulcasting
Video requirements
Before you choose a video, make sure it:
Is at least one minute long
Does not have Wistia Forms enabled
Is not password protected
How to set up a pre-recorded webinar
In the Webinar setup wizard, set the Event type to "Pre-recorded"
Scroll down to Event video and click "Choose from your video library"
Select a video from your Wistia account — you can search and browse all your content — then click "Add 1 video."
Click "Save & continue" to add remaining event details and complete setup.
If you decide to swap the video later, head to the webinar's Overview page, click "Edit" next to Settings, and click "Replace video" to choose a new one.
Tip
You can create the webinar, enable registration, and promote it before your final video is ready. Use Replace video any time before the event begins to swap in the finished media.
What happens during a pre-recorded webinar
At the scheduled time, the webinar automatically begins streaming your selected video (it may start up to a minute after the scheduled time). During this time, you can interact with the audience in chat, answer questions, and even launch a poll during the webinar. However, you cannot bring these items to the stage during a pre-recorded webinar.
The event ends automatically when the video finishes — there’s no separate session length to fill.
Note
In an emergency, any host can end the event early.
Tip
Pre-recorded webinars can be embedded on your own site. See Embed a Full Webinar Experience.
Pre-recorded webinars FAQ
Can I use more than one video?
No. A pre-recorded webinar plays a single video. To sequence multiple clips, combine them into one video before uploading it (you can use our Editor to stitch together content).
What if my video is shorter or longer than I expected?
The event runs for the length of the video and ends when it finishes, so there’s no fixed time slot to fill.
Can I preview or test the webinar before it goes live?
You can create and run a test pre-recorded webinar to get familiar with the controls before the actual event!