How to Create Automated Webinars and Meetings with Zoom
Complete SimuLive + Zoom Tutorial
SimuLive Team
Product and Marketing
This guide walks you through every step of creating automated Zoom webinars and meetings with SimuLive. Zoom supports both Meetings and Webinars - deliver pre-recorded content through real Zoom events with intelligent chat simulation, virtual participants, bulk registrant management, and multi-platform live streaming, without being live.
Looking to use Google Meet instead? Google Meet supports Meetings only. See the Google Meet automation guide. Or check out the combined guide covering all supported platforms.
What You Will Learn
Who Uses SimuLive with Zoom
Prerequisites
Zoom Account
- Zoom Pro, Business, or Enterprise for Meetings
- Zoom Webinar add-on for Webinars (100 to 10,000 attendees)
- HD video, Chat, and DLP integration enabled in Zoom settings
Google Account
- Google account for Google Drive content storage
- One-click authorization - SimuLive is Google verified
Video Content
- MP4, MOV, AVI, or MKV format
- 720p or 1080p recommended, up to 24 hours duration
01Sign Up and Account Setup
Visit simulive.us and create your account. Google OAuth is recommended for seamless Google Drive integration.
Google OAuth (Recommended)
Click "Continue with Google" for instant signup with automatic Google Drive integration.
Email Registration
Sign up with email, verify your account, then connect Google Drive from Dashboard → Integrations.
After registration, go to Dashboard → Settings to set your default timezone, contact information, and notification preferences.
02Choose Your Subscription Plan
Navigate to Dashboard → Subscription to purchase credits. Credits are consumed per hour of event duration.
Chat simulation and virtual participants require Platinum or Diamond. Live streaming requires Gold or above. See the below.
03Connect Your Zoom Account
Go to Dashboard → Integrations and connect your Zoom account. SimuLive is approved on the Zoom Marketplace.
Public SimuLive App (Recommended)
One-click authorization through the Zoom Marketplace - no configuration required.
SimuLive on Zoom MarketplacePrivate Integration
Create a private Zoom app for multiple Zoom accounts or full control.
Zoom Integration GuideRequired Zoom Account Settings
Configure the following in your Zoom account settings before creating runbooks:
- 1Go to Settings → Meeting → In Meeting (Advanced) and enable "HD video" for 720p/1080p streaming. Zoom HD Video Guide
- 2Go to In Meeting (Basic) and enable "Chat"
- 3Go to In Meeting (Advanced) and enable "External in-meeting chat DLP integration" - required for chat simulation
04Connect Google Drive
Google Drive stores your event content. If you signed up with Google OAuth, your Drive is already connected. Otherwise, go to Dashboard → Integrations and click "Connect Google Drive".
05Upload Your Content
Content is uploaded during runbook creation via Dashboard → Runbooks → Create → Config → Upload Files.
Video File
Supported formats
- MP4 (Recommended)
- MOV, AVI, MKV
Recommended specs
- 720p or 1080p resolution
- Up to 24 hours duration
Chat Simulation (messages.json) — Platinum/Diamond
Timestamped chat messages sent automatically during the event. Requires Chat and DLP integration enabled in Zoom settings.
{
"00:30": "Welcome everyone!",
"05:00": "Great question, let me address that...",
"10:30": "We are halfway through!"
}Virtual Participants (participant-names.json) — Platinum/Diamond
Up to 10 pre-joined attendees for social proof.
["Sarah Johnson", "Michael Chen", "Emily Davis"]
06Create Your Zoom Runbook
Go to Dashboard → Runbooks and click "Create Runbook".
Step 6.1 - Config
- Subscription: Select active plan with credits
- Zoom Account: Select your authorized Zoom account
- Google Drive: Browse existing folders or upload new content
Step 6.2 - Details
- Event Type: Zoom Meeting or Zoom Webinar
- Date and Time: At least 5 minutes ahead, in your timezone
- Schedule Type: One-time, Recurring fixed time, or Recurring flexible
07Manage Zoom Registrants
SimuLive supports bulk registrant management for both Zoom meetings and webinars. Upload a spreadsheet from the runbook dashboard and sync registrants automatically - no manual registration needed.
How to Upload Registrants
- 1Go to Dashboard → Runbooks and click the Registrants icon on your runbook
- 2Upload your registrant file in .xlsx, .csv, or .json format - it is stored automatically in your Google Drive
- 3Click Sync to register all new rows. Already processed rows are skipped automatically
- 4Click View & Edit in Google Sheets to update the spreadsheet, then Sync again to process changes
Required Columns and Status Guide
Leave blank or set to init to register on next Sync.
Update an existing registrant's details on next Sync.
Cancel and delete an existing registrant on next Sync.
These rows are skipped. Set back to init to re-process.
08Configure Live Streaming
Stream your automated Zoom event simultaneously to multiple platforms. Requires Gold, Platinum, or Diamond subscription. Click the Stream icon on your runbook in Dashboard → Runbooks.
Supported Streaming Destinations
- 1Open Live Stream modal → set stream start time and resolution
- 2Add stream key and RTMP URL for each destination (min 10 characters)
- 3Click Save All
- 4When runbook is Running, start the Source Encoder first, then Start All destinations
09Manage and Monitor Events
All events are managed from Dashboard → Runbooks.
Runbook Statuses
Available Actions
View
View details
Edit
Modify settings
Stream
Live streaming
Delete
Remove or abort
10Subscription Plans Comparison
| Feature | Silver $5/hr | Gold $7/hr | Platinum $9/hr | Diamond $11/hr |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Video Quality | 630p | 720p | 1080p | 1080p |
| Audio Quality | 32kHz | 48kHz | 48kHz | 48kHz |
| Live Stream Quality | 720p | 1080p | 1440p | 4K |
| Max Duration | 24 hrs | 24 hrs | 24 hrs | 24 hrs |
| Auto Chat | - | - | ||
| Pre-joined Participants (up to 10) | - | - | ||
| Chat Prohibited Words | - | - | ||
| Custom RTMP | - | - | ||
| Priority Support | - | - | ||
| Dedicated Support | - | - | - |
11Troubleshooting
Zoom account not connected
Go to Dashboard, then Integrations and re-authorize your Zoom account. For private integrations, verify OAuth credentials and webhook URL in the Zoom integration guide at simulive.us/knowledge-base/zoom.
Video quality lower than expected
Enable HD video in Zoom Settings, then Meeting, then In Meeting (Advanced). Silver plan maxes at 630p, Gold at 720p, Platinum and Diamond support 1080p.
Chat messages not appearing
Verify you have a Platinum or Diamond subscription. Ensure Chat (In Meeting Basic) and External in-meeting chat DLP integration (In Meeting Advanced) are both enabled in your Zoom settings.
Live stream not starting
Verify you have Gold or above. Check stream key (min 10 chars) and RTMP URL. Start the Source Encoder first when the runbook is Running, then start destinations.
Google Meet not available when creating a runbook
Google Meet requires the Meet permissions to be accepted during Google authorization. Go to Dashboard, then Integrations and re-authorize your Google account, accepting the Meet permissions on the OAuth consent screen.
Insufficient credits
Go to Dashboard, then Subscription to purchase additional credits or reduce the event duration.
Need help? Visit simulive.us/support or email support@simulive.us. Platinum and Diamond subscribers receive priority support.
12Frequently Asked Questions
More questions?
View All FAQs13Conclusion
You now have everything needed to run fully automated Zoom webinars and meetings with SimuLive. Connect your Zoom account, upload your content, manage registrants in bulk, and stream to multiple platforms - all without being live.
Want to automate Google Meet Meetings? Google Meet supports Meetings only - no Webinar type. See the Google Meet automation guide.
Ready to Automate Your Zoom Events?
Start delivering live-quality Zoom webinars and meetings with pre-recorded content today.
