# Chat simulation

Fill the chat on a simulive or evergreen webinar with a conversation generated by AI from a cast of simulated attendees, or scripted by you in a timed CSV.

- Applies to: Simulive and evergreen webinars
- Status: Beta
- Verified: 2026-10-16
- Canonical page: https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/chat-simulation/

Chat simulation plays a conversation in the chat of a recorded webinar, so a session doesn't open to an empty room. In EasyWebinar you set it up on a simulive or evergreen webinar's **Engagement** tab, under **Chat Simulation**, in one of two ways. **AI Simulation** builds a cast of simulated attendees and generates their chat and questions. **Manual Simulation** plays a script you write in a CSV, with each message timed against your video. The Chat Simulation section carries a **Beta** label in the app.

## At a glance {#at-a-glance}

| | |
|---|---|
| **What it does** | Plays a simulated chat during a recorded webinar |
| **Webinar types** | Simulive and evergreen. Live webinars have real chat |
| **Where you set it** | Webinar → **Engagement** → **Chat Simulation** |
| **Two modes** | **AI Simulation** or **Manual Simulation**; turning one on disables the other |
| **AI Simulation** | A cast of simulated attendees, each with name, country, engagement, knowledge, language and behaviour |
| **Manual Simulation** | A CSV with four columns: `HH:MM:SS,Name,Role,Message` |
| **Message timing** | Measured from the start of the video |
| **Roles in a script** | `Attendee` or `Admin`; Admin messages appear as host replies |
| **Chat required** | **Easywebinar Chat**; third-party chat replaces the built-in panel |
| **Status** | Beta |

## What chat simulation is {#what-it-is}

A [live webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/#live) has a shared room: everyone is there at the same time, so the chat fills itself. An evergreen webinar doesn't. Each registrant picks their own session, attendees arrive at different times, and a genuinely shared chat isn't possible. Without anything in it, the chat panel looks abandoned.

Chat simulation solves that by playing messages into the chat at set points in the video. You choose how those messages are made:

- **AI Simulation**: you describe a cast of attendees, and the AI generates what they say.
- **Manual Simulation**: you write every line yourself, with a timestamp, a name and a role.

Only one can be active on a webinar at a time.

## Why chat simulation matters {#why-it-matters}

### What it's for {#what-its-for}

Chat simulation gives a recorded webinar the feel of an attended session. A greeting in the first seconds, a question a few minutes in and a host reply tell a newcomer the room is active. That impression keeps people watching long enough for the content to work.

### How it helps {#how-it-helps}

- **The room never opens empty.** Messages can appear within seconds of the video starting.
- **It plays in every session.** On an [evergreen webinar that runs all day](https://easywebinar.com/evergreen-webinars/), the same setup plays each time without you.
- **You choose how much control to keep.** **AI Simulation** fills a room naturally, while **Manual Simulation** plays exactly what you wrote.
- **Common questions get answered in view.** A scripted question with an `Admin` reply puts [an objection and its answer](https://easywebinar.com/blog/webinar-qa-strategy-closing-opportunities/) in front of everyone.

### What happens without it {#without-it}

On a recorded webinar with an empty chat, the first impression is a room nobody else came to. Attendees already suspect they may be watching a recording, and a silent panel confirms it. Many leave before the content has had a chance to work.

### Why buyers care {#why-buyers-care}

It matters to anyone who relies on [evergreen webinars inside a funnel](https://easywebinar.com/blog/evergreen-sales-funnel/), where nobody presents live. Those teams need the automated session to hold attention the way a live one does, most of all when it plays many times a day.

## The EasyWebinar approach to chat simulation {#approach}

{/* 5P */}

Take a typical case. A novelist is launching a monthly online book club for readers of literary fiction. She records a 30-minute introduction to the club and runs it as an evergreen webinar, linked from her newsletter. She expects around 40 viewers a day, spread across several sessions.

A common approach is to leave the chat on and hope viewers start talking. In practice, people who arrive alone tend to stay quiet, so each one sees an empty panel. Questions about reading pace and meeting times may go unasked, and some readers leave unsure whether the club suits them.

Nothing about the video has to change. What helps is a chat that raises the questions readers usually ask, at the moment the video covers them, with an answer from the host. A room with a few voices also reads as a club that people actually join.

EasyWebinar handles this with Chat Simulation (Beta) on the webinar's **Engagement** tab. The author picks **Manual Simulation** and uploads a CSV of timed messages. In the script, `Attendee` lines ask about pace and meeting times, and `Admin` lines answer as the host. **Preview Simulated Chat** shows the whole conversation before she saves.

The screenshot under Set up Manual Simulation shows the CSV upload beside **Preview Simulated Chat** and **Attendees on Event Page**. How other platforms handle simulated chat is covered in How chat simulation compares, below.

## Before you begin {#before-you-begin}

- **Use a simulive or evergreen webinar.** Chat simulation isn't available on live webinars.
- **Select Easywebinar Chat** on [**Engagement** → **Chat**](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/live-chat/#chat-mode). Simulated chat works with EasyWebinar's own chat panel; **Third party** replaces it.
- **Know your video.** For a manual script, you'll time messages against the recording, so have it to hand.

## Set up AI Simulation {#set-up-ai-simulation}

1. Open your simulive or evergreen webinar and click **Engagement**, then **Chat Simulation**.
2. Under **AI Simulation**, use **Add New** to create a simulation, or pick a saved one from the selector.
3. Turn the simulation on with its **Active** toggle. This disables Manual Simulation.
4. Review the attendee list and adjust each simulated attendee.
5. Click **Add Attendee** to add more people to the cast.
6. Check the counts for attendees, chat messages and questions.
7. Click **Save Changes**.

![AI Simulation on a simulive webinar, showing the simulation selector, the Active state, counts for attendees, chat and questions, and a table of simulated attendees](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/images/chat-simulation/step-01-ai-simulation.png)

*1 Simulation selector · 2 Active toggle · 3 Attendees · Chat · Questions · 4 The attendee list.*

| | Area | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | **Simulation selector** | Your saved simulations, with **Add New** |
| 2 | **Active toggle** | Turns this simulation on |
| 3 | **Attendees · Chat · Questions** | How much has been generated |
| 4 | **The attendee list** | Each simulated person and how they behave |

### What each simulated attendee has {#attendee-attributes}

| Attribute | What it controls |
|---|---|
| **Name** and country | Who they appear to be |
| **Engagement** | How often they post: High, Medium or Low |
| **Knowledge** | How expert they sound, from Beginner through Expert |
| **Language** | What they write in |
| **Behavior** | Their character, such as Curious, Sceptical or Enthusiastic |

### Build a believable cast {#believable-cast}

The mix of attendees decides whether the chat reads as real. A room full of enthusiastic experts posting constantly looks staged. A few beginners asking basic questions, one sceptic, a couple of quiet observers on low engagement and some mid-level regulars looks like an audience.

A useful check: look down the attendee list as a newcomer would meet that room. If almost everyone is an enthusiastic expert on high engagement, add curious and sceptical attendees, and move some of the most active ones to Medium or Low.

## Set up Manual Simulation {#set-up-manual-simulation}

1. Open your simulive or evergreen webinar and click **Engagement**, then **Chat Simulation**.
2. Select **Manual Simulation** and make it active. This disables AI Simulation.
3. Click **Download sample CSV** to get the template.
4. Write your script in the four columns and save the file as **CSV (UTF-8)**.
5. Drag the file onto the upload area, or use **Choose File**.
6. Add the names for **Attendees on Event Page**, separated by commas.
7. Read through **Preview Simulated Chat**.
8. Click **Save Changes**.

![Manual Simulation with a CSV uploaded, the Download sample CSV link, the simulated chat preview and the attendee list settings](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/images/chat-simulation/step-02-manual-csv.png)

| Area | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Simulated Chat (CSV upload)** | Your scripted messages |
| **Preview Simulated Chat** | Exactly how the chat will appear in the room |
| **Attendees on Event Page** | Names shown in the attendee list, added comma-separated |

### The CSV format {#csv-format}

| Column | What it holds |
|---|---|
| **HH:MM:SS** | When the message appears, measured from the start of the video |
| **Name** | Who posts it |
| **Role** | `Attendee` or `Admin`. `Admin` messages appear as host replies |
| **Message** | The text. Wrap it in double quotes if it contains a comma |

A short script looks like this:

```
HH:MM:SS,Name,Role,Message
0:00:12,Priya,Attendee,Morning everyone
0:00:20,Dan,Admin,"Welcome Priya, glad you could make it"
0:02:30,Aisha,Attendee,We get maybe 3 reviews a month. Is that normal?
0:02:51,Dan,Admin,"More common than you'd think Aisha"
```

### Write a script that reads like a real room {#write-the-script}

- **Line messages up with the video.** A question about a slide should land while that slide is on screen.
- **Open early.** A message in the first few seconds tells new arrivals the room is active.
- **Mix the roles.** Attendee questions answered by `Admin` replies read as a conversation. Attendee messages alone read as a wall.
- **Let it breathe.** Real chat comes in bursts with quiet stretches, not one message every thirty seconds.
- **Check the preview.** It shows timestamps, names and roles as attendees will see them.

## AI or manual: which to use {#which-to-use}

| | AI Simulation | Manual Simulation |
|---|---|---|
| **Setup time** | Minutes | Longer, because you write every line |
| **Control** | The AI decides what is said | Exactly what you wrote |
| **Varies per session** | Yes | No, identical every time |
| **Best for** | Filling a room naturally | A rehearsed, scripted run |

## Use simulated chat honestly {#use-honestly}

Simulated chat is there to stop an automated room looking empty. It isn't a place for social proof that didn't happen.

- **No invented testimonials.** Simulated attendees shouldn't claim results or endorse your product.
- **Don't impersonate real customers.** A simulated message shouldn't pass itself off as something a real customer said.
- **Keep host answers accurate.** An `Admin` reply is read as your answer, so it should be one you'd give live.

## How chat simulation works with other features {#works-with}

### The Chat setting {#with-chat}

With **Easywebinar Chat** selected, a recorded webinar's Chat screen offers **Simulated Chat**, which plays back a pre-written chat during the webinar, and **Simulated Attendees**, which shows a simulated attendee list in the room. The script, attendee count and names are set on the Chat Simulation tab. Choosing **Third party** replaces the built-in chat, so simulation stops applying.

### The attendee list {#with-attendee-list}

Simulated attendees can show in the attendee list too, with **Show attendee list on event page**. The webinar-wide **Show Attendees** setting on the **Settings** tab controls whether attendees see the list at all.

### Q&A {#with-qa}

For an automated webinar that should still feel busy, pair **Everyone** chat and Chat Simulation with [**Private Q&A**](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/questions-answers/#pair-with-chat), so real questions reach your team in a queue.

### Evergreen schedules {#with-evergreen}

Chat simulation suits [evergreen webinars running](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/create-an-evergreen-webinar/#with-chat-simulation) [just-in-time](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/automated/just-in-time/) or [on demand](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/on-demand/) sessions, where attendees arrive in ones and twos at all hours.

### Simulive webinars {#with-simulive}

On a [simulive webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/create-a-simulive-webinar/#what-it-is), everyone in a session watches the same moment, so real chat works and you can answer live while the recording plays. Chat Simulation is available on simulive webinars as well as evergreen ones.

## Who uses chat simulation, and how {#who-uses-it}

These are typical patterns, to show how the two modes fit different automated webinars.

### Course creators {#course-creators}

A creator [turns their best live session into an evergreen webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/clone-a-webinar/#choose-type) and [writes a manual script](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/use-cases/sell-courses/#chat-simulation) from the questions people really asked live, with `Admin` replies that match the answers they gave. Every session plays the same tested conversation.

### Small businesses and solo operators {#solo-operators}

A solo operator without time to script uses AI Simulation, builds a cast with a mix of beginners, a sceptic and quieter observers, and reviews the cast before turning the simulation on.

### SaaS and product teams {#product-teams}

A product team runs an [on-demand demo](https://easywebinar.com/use-cases/product-demos/). A manual script places a short exchange about integrations at the point in the video where integrations come up, so the answer appears just as viewers are wondering.

### Agencies {#agencies}

An [agency building evergreen funnels](https://easywebinar.com/solutions/marketing-agencies/) for several clients uses AI Simulation to set up each room quickly, then switches individual webinars to Manual Simulation once a client wants a fixed, approved script.

## How chat simulation compares {#compare}

EasyWebinar's Chat Simulation (Beta) can write the chat with AI or play a script you upload as a CSV. It can also add simulated names to the attendee list. EasyWebinar is the only platform in this table that does all three.

Simulated chat features, from each platform's public documentation:

| Platform | Chat written by AI | Scripted chat from a CSV | Simulated names in the attendee list |
|---|---|---|---|
| **EasyWebinar** | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| **WebinarJam and EverWebinar** | Not in docs | Yes (EverWebinar) | Not in docs |
| **WebinarKit** | Partly (marketing page only) | Yes | Not in docs |
| **StealthSeminar** | Not in docs | Yes (Chat Replay import) | Yes |
| **Demio** | Not in docs | Not in docs | Not in docs |

*Yes: documented and built in. Partly: documented with a limit, shown in brackets. Not in docs: not found in the vendor's public documentation.*

### Why EasyWebinar is the stronger choice for chat simulation {#compare-stronger}

- **A chat the AI writes for you.** EasyWebinar's **AI Simulation** (Beta) generates chat and questions from a cast with set engagement, knowledge, language and behaviour. StealthSeminar's Chat Replay is built from messages you add or import. More detail in [EasyWebinar vs StealthSeminar](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-stealth-seminar/).
- **Host replies inside the script.** EasyWebinar's CSV has a **Role** column, so `Admin` lines appear as host replies. WebinarKit's chat simulator documents a username, message text and display time for each message. More detail in [EasyWebinar vs WebinarKit](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-webinarkit/).
- **Names in the attendee list as well.** **Attendees on Event Page** adds simulated names to the list attendees see. EverWebinar's help centre covers preloaded chat messages, with no simulated attendee list documented. More detail in [EasyWebinar vs WebinarJam and EverWebinar](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-everwebinar-webinarjam/).
- **Part of the webinar itself.** Chat Simulation (Beta) sits on the same **Engagement** tab as chat and Q&A. Demio's help centre doesn't document simulated chat. More detail in [EasyWebinar vs Demio](https://easywebinar.com/compare/easywebinar-vs-demio/).

*Competitor details checked against each vendor's public documentation on 21 October 2026. Features and plans change, so confirm with the vendor before you decide.*

## Limits and things to know {#limits}

- **Recorded webinars only.** Live webinars have real chat.
- **One mode at a time.** Turning on AI Simulation disables Manual Simulation, and the reverse.
- **It needs the built-in chat.** Third-party chat replaces EasyWebinar's panel.
- **AI chat varies between sessions; a manual script doesn't.**
- **CSV files must be UTF-8**, with commas inside messages wrapped in double quotes.
- **Timestamps run from the start of the video**, not from the clock time of the session.
- **Changes apply when you click Save Changes.**
- **It's labelled Beta in the app.**

## Common questions {#common-questions}

#### Why would I simulate chat? {#faq-why}

On an automated webinar, attendees arrive at different times, so a genuine shared chat isn't possible. An empty panel makes the room look deserted.

#### Does chat simulation work on a live webinar? {#faq-live}

No. Live webinars have real chat.

#### Can I use AI and manual simulation together? {#faq-both}

No. Turning one on disables the other.

#### What format does the CSV need? {#faq-csv-format}

Four columns, `HH:MM:SS,Name,Role,Message`, saved as UTF-8 CSV. **Download sample CSV** gives you the exact layout.

#### What roles can I use in the script? {#faq-roles}

`Attendee` and `Admin`. `Admin` messages appear as host replies.

#### When do scripted messages appear? {#faq-timing}

At the timestamp you set, measured from the start of the video.

#### Can I see the chat before attendees do? {#faq-preview}

Yes. **Preview Simulated Chat** shows the conversation exactly as it will appear in the room.

#### What can I set for each AI-simulated attendee? {#faq-ai-attributes}

Name and country, **Engagement**, **Knowledge**, **Language** and **Behavior**.

#### Will the AI chat be the same in every session? {#faq-varies}

No. AI Simulation varies per session. A manual script is identical every time.

#### Can simulated attendees appear in the attendee list? {#faq-attendee-list}

Yes, with **Show attendee list on event page**.

#### Does it work with a third-party chat tool? {#faq-third-party}

No. Simulated chat works with **Easywebinar Chat** only.

## Related {#related}

- [Live chat](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/live-chat/): the **Easywebinar Chat** setting that simulation depends on.
- [Questions and answers](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/engagement/questions-answers/): give real questions a private queue beside the simulated chat.
- [Create an evergreen webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/create-an-evergreen-webinar/): the format where attendees arrive at different times.
- [Create a simulive webinar](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/getting-started/create-a-simulive-webinar/): the other recorded format that offers Chat Simulation.
- [Just-in-time sessions](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/webinars/automated/just-in-time/): the evergreen schedule where attendees arrive in ones and twos.
- [Course creators](https://maximuslabs-ai.github.io/easywebinar-product-docs/product-docs/use-cases/sell-courses/): a scripted room on an automated course webinar.