Inviting and Managing Guests in Live Studio

Introduction

A live show is only as good as the guests on it. This guide covers everything about getting guests into your Live Studio show, keeping them comfortable, and handling the small things that come up during a live broadcast.

Sending an Invite

To invite a guest:

Open your Live Studio stream
Click Sources in the sidebar
Click Invite guests
Click Copy Invite Link
Send the link to your guest

That's it. There's no separate guest account, no app to install, and no PIN code to read out on stream. The link works in any modern browser.

Screenshot suggestion: Invite guests dialog with the Copy Invite Link button highlighted.

What Your Guest Sees

When your guest opens the link:

They see a quick camera and microphone check, pick the right device, see and hear themselves
They click Join
They appear on your canvas

If you've already started broadcasting, they show up live the moment they join. If you haven't, they wait in the canvas until you click Go Live.

Reserving a Slot With "Add Placeholder"

If a guest is going to join later, a booked interview at a fixed time, a co-host running late, a second guest on after the first, you can reserve their slot in advance.

In the Sources panel, click Add Placeholder. A blank slot appears on your canvas with a label. The placeholder takes up space in your layout exactly like a real guest would.

When the actual guest joins, they slot into the placeholder automatically. Your layout doesn't shift, your viewers don't see anything reorganize on screen, and the show stays clean.

Pre-Show Checklist for Guests

Send this to your guests when you send the invite. It saves a lot of awkward moments.

Browser: Chrome, Edge, or Safari (latest version)
Device: laptop or desktop preferred, phone works but keyboard shortcuts won't
Audio: headphones, always, earbuds with a built-in mic are fine
Camera: built-in is okay; an external webcam looks better
Light: face a window, or have a lamp pointed at your face. Don't sit with a window behind you.
Internet: wired ethernet if possible, otherwise sit close to the router
Background: tidy what's behind you, or use a virtual background with green screen removal
Phone: silenced, on the other side of the room
Sip of water nearby: trust us

During the Show

You have controls for every guest source on your canvas. Click any guest's source slot to see options:

Mute / unmute audio: silence a guest who's not speaking, or has noise
Hide / show video: temporarily remove a guest from the layout
Remove: drop them entirely (they can rejoin via the same link)
Move: drag them to a new position in your custom layout

If a guest's connection is unstable, their video may freeze briefly. Live Studio will reconnect them automatically, keep talking and they'll come back.

Switching Layouts as Guests Come and Go

Most multi-guest shows use a few layouts in rotation. As guests join and leave:

Solo or two people: switch to Spotlight or Showtime
Three people with a key speaker: Half Screen
Anyone shares a screen: Pip or Showtime
Everyone talking at once: Grid

For a full breakdown see Live Studio Layouts Explained.

What If a Guest Drops?

Live Studio reconnects automatically. Most blips are gone before viewers notice.

If a guest leaves entirely:

Switch to a layout that doesn't include their slot, Spotlight is the safest
Keep talking, don't apologize on stream, just adapt
When they rejoin (same link), drop them back into the layout

The placeholder feature is great here, when the guest rejoins, they slot back into the same place and your layout stays clean.

Common Pitfalls

Guest forgets to allow microphone. Their video will work, no audio. Have them refresh the page and accept the prompt.
Echo. Always headphones. There's no software fix for a guest using laptop speakers and a laptop mic.
Wrong camera. If the wrong camera is selected, they can switch in the camera-check screen, or you can ask them to refresh and pick a different one.
Background noise. Mute aggressively when they're not speaking.

Privacy

The invite link gives camera/mic access only to the live show. Guests can't see your stream destinations, your media library, or your account. Each link is unique to the stream.

If you want to revoke access, for example, after an unwanted person joins, refresh the link by closing and reopening the Invite dialog. Anyone using the old link will be denied.