Learn how to collect, manage, and answer audience questions during your event using Crowdcast's Q&A feature. Attendees can submit questions, comment on existing questions, and upvote topics they want answered, while hosts can organize questions, timestamp answers, and display questions on stage.
What Is the Q&A Feature?
The Q&A feature provides a dedicated space for attendees to submit questions during an event. This makes it easier for hosts and moderators to review, prioritize, and answer questions without them getting lost in the chat.
Answering Questions During Your Event
When you're ready to answer a question:
Open the Q&A panel.
Select the question you want to answer.
Click Start Answering.
When you click Start Answering, Crowdcast timestamps that moment in the recording and marks the question as currently being answered.
📌 Timestamping is only available for recorded events. If your event is not being recorded, you can still use Start Answering, but attendees will not be able to jump directly to answers in the replay.
Displaying Questions on Stage
By default, the question being answered will also appear on stage so attendees can easily follow along.
Marking Questions as Answered and Reopening
When you've finished answering a question, click Done Answering.
The question will move to the Answered section.
If you need to revisit a topic, you can reopen an answered question at any time.
Mark a Question as Answered
If a question has already been answered, is a duplicate of another question, or doesn't require a live response, hosts and moderators can mark it as answered.
To do this:
Locate the question in the Q&A panel.
Click the ... (more options) menu next to Start Answering.
Select Mark Answered.
The question will be moved to the Answered section, helping keep the Q&A queue organized and focused on unanswered questions.
Answer Questions Quietly
If you'd prefer not to display a question on stage while answering it, you can choose to Answer Quietly.
This option timestamps the question and associates it with the answer in the replay without displaying the question text over the video during the live event.
Answer Quietly is a great option if you:
Want a cleaner viewing experience for attendees.
Prefer not to overlay text on your presentation or screen share.
Want replay viewers to be able to jump directly to answers without displaying question text on the recording.
Like Start Answering, this feature creates a timestamp for recorded events, allowing replay viewers to navigate directly to the answer later.
Viewing Answers in a Replay
For recorded events, attendees can view previously answered questions and jump directly to the corresponding answer in the replay.
Open the Answered tab.
Click View Answer next to a question.
The replay will jump to the timestamp where the host began answering that question.
For Attendees
Submitting Questions
To ask a question:
Open the Q&A panel (speech bubble with a question mark icon).
Enter your question in the text field.
Press Enter or click Submit.
Editing and Deleting Questions
Attendees can edit or delete their own questions after submitting them when using a supported web browser.
Commenting on Questions
Attendees can comment on existing questions to add context or contribute to the discussion.
Upvoting Questions
Attendees can upvote questions they'd most like answered.
Questions with more upvotes move higher in the list, helping hosts prioritize popular topics during the event.
Managing Questions as a Host
Move Chat Messages into Q&A
If an attendee posts a question in chat instead of the Q&A panel:
Hover over the chat message.
Click the ? icon.
The message will be converted into a question and added to the Q&A panel.
Hide Questions from the Stage
If you'd prefer not to display questions on stage:
Open the Q&A panel.
Click the Settings icon.
Disable Display Questions on Stage.
Questions will still be timestamped when you click Start Answering during recorded events.
Disable the Q&A Feature
To hide the Q&A panel from attendees:
Open the Q&A panel.
Click the Settings icon.
Select Disable Q&A.
You can re-enable Q&A at any time.
Recommended Setup
For Hosts
To get the most out of the Q&A feature:
Encourage attendees to submit questions in Q&A instead of chat.
Explain at the start of the event when questions will be answered.
Ask attendees to upvote questions they want addressed.
Assign a moderator to monitor incoming questions during larger events.
Use Start Answering and Done Answering consistently to create useful timestamps for replay viewers.
Consider reserving dedicated time for audience questions at the end of your presentation.
For Attendees
Submit questions as they come to mind.
Upvote questions you'd also like answered.
Use comments in the Q&A section to provide additional context when needed.
Check existing questions before posting a duplicate.
Common Questions
Can attendees upvote questions?
Yes. Attendees can upvote questions to help hosts identify the most popular topics.
Can attendees edit or delete their questions?
Yes, when using a supported web browser. Editing is not currently available in the Crowdcast mobile app.
Can attendees comment on questions?
Yes. Registered attendees can comment on existing questions.
Can hosts move questions from chat into Q&A?
Yes. Hover over a chat message and click the ? icon to convert it into a question.
Can I hide questions from appearing on stage?
Yes. Hosts can disable question display from the Q&A settings menu while still using timestamps for recorded events.
Can I disable the Q&A feature entirely?
Yes. Hosts can disable or re-enable Q&A from the Q&A settings menu.
Do timestamps work in every event?
No. Timestamps are only available when the event is being recorded.
Can replay viewers jump directly to answers?
Yes. For recorded events, attendees can select View Answer from the Answered tab to jump directly to the corresponding moment in the replay.
Does Q&A work during RTMP sessions?
Questions can still be submitted, but they won't display on stage or generate timestamps during RTMP sessions.
Important Notes
The timestamp feature is not currently available on the Crowdcast mobile app.
In the Crowdcast mobile app, users cannot edit chat messages or questions after posting. To edit content, sign in using a supported web browser.
Was this article helpful? Please share your rating below! Happy Crowdcasting! 🎥