Each webinar is delivered one of three ways. The mode only changes where the picture comes from. The registration page, room, chat, offer, replay, emails and analytics work the same in all three.
Where to find it:
You pick the mode when you click + New Webinar. To change it later, open the webinar's Content tab and use the Delivery switch at the top: AI Deck, Recorded or Live.
AI Deck:
Your script becomes narrated slides. Each slide is drawn in the attendee's browser and its narration plays with it, timed against the server clock. There is no video file to render, upload or host, so the webinar is ready as soon as the narration is made.
- Best for: evergreen and automated funnels, and anyone who would rather not appear on camera
- You need: a script, written by you or by AI
- Read next: Writing Your Script And Building Slides
Recorded:
A video you already have plays like a live show on your schedule. Playback follows the session clock, so everybody sees the same moment and latecomers join where the show is. Link a video you host on a video service, pick one from your Media Library, or record one in your browser.
- Best for: a talk you have already given, or a polished presentation
- You need: a video file or a video link
- Read next: Recorded Mode And The Browser Recorder
Live:
You broadcast in real time from your browser with camera, screen or both. Choose how it travels: straight to your own site with no account, through your own Cloudflare Stream account for very large rooms, or by embedding a stream you run elsewhere.
- Best for: launches, Q&A sessions and anything where you want to answer people as they ask
- You need: a camera or a screen to share, and a date on the Schedule tab
- Read next: Going Live From Your Browser
Switching modes:
- Open the Content tab.
- Click AI Deck, Recorded or Live in the Delivery row.
- The webinar saves and the editor reloads in that mode.
Your slides, your video link and your live settings are stored separately, so switching back does not lose the other mode's setup.
A real example:
Maya ran her Spring Planting Q&A live, with a busy chat. She wanted the same show to run every week without her. On the live webinar's Chat History tab she used Turn This Live Webinar Into An Automated One, which made a Recorded copy playing her saved broadcast with the live chat replayed at the right moments. See Turning A Live Webinar Into An Automated One.
Which one to start with:
An AI Deck is the quickest way to a complete webinar. You can record a live version later and run the same funnel from it.
Good to know:
- Viewer controls such as pause and skip work on AI Deck and Recorded webinars. A live broadcast always plays live. See Viewer Controls And Subtitles.
- One shared chat for everyone watching is for AI Deck and Recorded webinars. See Chat History And The Questions Inbox.
Comparing the three modes:
- Preparation. AI Deck: a script and a voiceover. Recorded: a finished video. Live: your show itself, at the scheduled time.
- Where the picture comes from. AI Deck: drawn in the browser from your slides. Recorded: your video file or video service. Live: your camera and screen.
- Schedules that fit. AI Deck and Recorded: any of the four. Live: One-off dates or Recurring weekly.
- Replay. AI Deck: the narrated deck. Recorded: the video. Live: the saved recording.
- Viewer controls such as pause. AI Deck and Recorded only.
How the schedule fits each mode:
- AI Deck and Recorded webinars suit Just in time and On demand, because there is nothing for you to do at show time.
- Live webinars are meant for One-off dates or Recurring weekly. A Live webinar set to Just in time or On demand shows a note on the Schedule tab, and sign-ups join your next live show, or the replay once it has finished.
What stays the same when you switch:
- The registration page and its address
- The schedule and everyone booked on it
- The emails and their stats
- The offer, polls, handouts and simulated chat
- The analytics history
A real example of all three:
- Kitchen Garden Plan is an AI Deck, because Maya wanted a 30 minute evergreen class without filming.
- Raised Beds Made Simple is Recorded, because she already had a polished video from a workshop.
- Spring Planting Live Q&A is Live, because the questions change every season.
What to do next:
- AI Deck: Writing Your Script And Building Slides
- Recorded: Recorded Mode And The Browser Recorder
- Live: Going Live From Your Browser
Common questions:
Can an AI Deck play a video?
An AI Deck plays slides with narration. For a video, use Recorded mode. You can switch one webinar between the two at any time.
Can a Live webinar repeat every week?
Yes. Set Recurring weekly on the Schedule tab and go live at each session time.