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Pre-Recorded or Live: Which Is Right for Your Virtual Event?

February 4, 2021 | by Frank Persia
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“When is it better to rely on pre-recorded content, and when is it better to use a live format?” is a question we hope to answer in this article.

As more businesses adopt virtual events to communicate with their audiences, one question we receive more often is this: “When is it better to rely on pre-recorded content, and when is it better to use a live format?”

It’s a great question. Businesses are under a lot of pressure these days to share high-risk, high-impact information with critical audiences such as investors, and finding the right format in a digital environment is crucial. Both live and pre-recorded content have their advantages:

Why Use a Pre-Recorded Format:

  • More flexible: with pre-recorded content, it’s easier to accommodate more speakers across multiple time zones and multiple content formats. If you are trying to pull off a complex presentation that requires you to synthesize different technologies for, say, a product demo without any glitches occurring, a pre-recorded format allows you to do multiple takes until you get it just right.

  • Ideal for instructional content. If you are providing insight into a topic in a one-way setting (with no audience participation), a prerecorded video allows you to record and edit. For instance, teaching someone how to use an app or play the guitar might be better suited for a pre-recorded format.

  • Well suited for rapid distribution. You can edit, upload, and distribute a pre-recorded video faster, so long as you plan ahead. If you are announcing important news and want to make commentary available for immediate playback, a pre-recorded video can be quite useful.

Why Go Live:

  • More dynamic: many speakers simply thrive off the dynamic of speaking with an audience live. A live format can create energy, excitement, and spontaneity so long as your speakers are ready and understand the risks involved.

  • More participatory: with a live discussion, the audience can join in, which is essential for events such as investor days and earnings announcements. And speakers may use tools such as polling to get real-time feedback from the audience, which can enrich a discussion vastly.

  • Ideal for live commerce. If your business is hosting an event to raise money for a cause or to sell a product, then, of course, the live format is essential. And with live commerce becoming a more popular way for businesses to sell products online, we expect the live format to really take off in 2021.

These are just some of the considerations to keep in mind. Remember also that your event may use both formats depending on your needs.

Download Our Guide

For more information on mastering a virtual event, download our Guide on Webinars, Webcasting and Virtual Events. This guide provides you with all the insights you need to create close emotional bonds with your audience at scale, get high attendance and engagement, faster and more cost-efficiently than you would with an offline event.

The guide builds off the expertise of Investis Digital Live.

For More Insight

“Why the Right Format Can Make or Break Your Virtual Event,” January 7, 2021.

“Why Content Drives Your Virtual Event,” December 22, 2020.

“Why a Strong Strategy Must Define Your Virtual Event,” December 10, 2020.

“Running Successful Events, Virtually,” by Harriet Hall, December 8, 2020.