Quickstart: Producing Videos with AnswerStage in Minutes

🎓 AnswerStage Onboarding 

A practical reference for new clients to get started making great videos quickly.

🌟 Introduction: Philosophy, Goals & Use Cases

AnswerStage was built on the belief that real voices and authentic stories are more powerful than scripted marketing. In an age of AI-generated content and faceless promotion, what stands out is humanity — faces, voices, perspectives, and passion.

🧠 The Core Concept:

Enable anyone — whether it’s a marketer, speaker, employee, or volunteer — to easily record and share video responses to thoughtfully crafted questions. These clips are then instantly branded and formatted for professional use on social media, websites, email campaigns, and beyond.

🎯 The Goal:

Make it frictionless for organizations to capture short, relevant, personal video content — and repurpose it across multiple channels to build trust, engagement, and visibility.

💡 Common Use Cases:

• Event Promotion: Speakers previewing what they’ll cover at an upcoming conference.

• Client Testimonials: Capturing how a service or nonprofit has impacted individuals.

• Thought Leadership: Internal experts commenting on trends or industry developments.

• Employee Spotlights: HR or marketing showcasing team culture and talent.

• Volunteer and Donor Stories: Sharing motivations and impact for fundraising.

Whether you’re in tech, healthcare, education, or community services — if you’re telling stories, AnswerStage makes it easier, faster, and better looking.

🛠️ Step-by-Step Guide

1. Branding Setup: Set It and Forget It

This is the very first step. AnswerStage is designed to look professional out of the box — but to match your specific brand identity, a few one-time customizations ensure every video aligns with your look and feel.

Configure:

• Colors, Fonts & Animations: Select visual themes that match your brand.

• Intro/Outro Styles: Optional animated bookends for each video.

• Video Orientation Defaults:

  • Square – Ideal for LinkedIn or websites

  • Vertical – Best for TikTok or Instagram Reels

  • Horizontal – Great for YouTube or embedded use

• Custom Background Image (optional): Light, non-busy backgrounds work best.

• Landing Page Branding: When recipients click to record, they’re welcomed with a branded, customized landing page that includes your colors, a header image, and guidance text.

📝 Once set, this branding applies across all future videos — saving time and maintaining consistency.

2. Create Questions or Prompts

This is where content starts. You determine what you want people to talk about.

Options:

• Ask a direct question: “What inspired you to volunteer with us?”

• Use a directive: “List three ways our program has helped your career.”

• Add coaching tips: e.g., “Be sure to mention the April 25th event.”

• Set a time limit (default: 2 minutes; adjust up or down if needed).

Each prompt generates a unique URL you can send via email, SMS, or even embed on a webpage.

3. Send Links and Collect Responses

• Recipients use their phone or computer to record a video.

• No login or download is required — just click, record, submit.

• All submissions are automatically routed to the Responses tab in your dashboard.

4. Review and Refine Responses

Each response can be reviewed and lightly edited before it becomes part of a final video.

Tasks:

• Trim start/end to remove delays or stumbles.

• Review transcription for accuracy (captions are auto-generated).

• Correct display name/title if needed.

• Reword prompt if the original text doesn’t perfectly match the intended question.

✅ Clients maintain full control before anything gets published.

5. Assemble Videos in the Studio

The “Studio” is where you bring it all together.

Key Actions:

• Combine one or multiple responses.

• Choose a design template and video format.

• Add or remove captions, music, and intros/outros.

• Click “Create AnswerStage Video” — the system generates a professional, share-ready video in minutes.

📦 Think of each response as a modular building block — you can use it solo or alongside others in sequence.

6. Use Multi-Question Interviews (Optional)

Rather than one question per link, you can group multiple prompts into a single experience.

• Respondents see all questions at once.

• Ideal for longer-form content, such as featured interviews or panel-like sequences.

• Saves time for the respondent and gives you richer material.

7. Share and Repurpose

Completed videos appear in your Gallery with tools to:

• Copy a direct link

• Download the video

• Share on social platforms (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, etc.)

Encourage your contributors to share on their own networks — increasing reach and credibility.

8. Test Freely — No Risk

• All videos and responses are private by default.

• Clients are encouraged to:

  • Record test answers.

  • Experiment with styles and sequences.

  • Explore the system freely — there’s no per-video charge or penalty for testing.