Introduction
With AnswerStage you produce professionally polished branded videos consisting of video responses to questions you create. The video responses come from anyone you choose by simply sharing the question link with them. You are alerted when responses are available, and then you submit a video for production using the branding and features you select. When you receive notification that production is complete (just a few minutes) you can review and share the video, as part of your marketing outreach for example.
You can choose from two ways to interact with AnswerStage: the AnswerStage Web App or the AnswerStage REST API. (These are fully compatible, so you can choose a hybrid approach.)
AnswerStage Web App
Jump into the AnswerStage App here.
AnswerStage REST API
View and test the REST API here.
Concept Overview
The fundamental activies of AnswerStage are collecting responses and producing videos. Before getting into the details of these activities, it's important to understand a few key roles and concepts.
AnswerStage Video
An AnswerStage Production Video is the ultimate output of the AnswerStage service.
AnswerStage combines one or more Response Videos, along with transitions, profile information, icons, and other video elements to create a polished, branded video which can be used for any purpose. Frequently, Production Videos are shared on common social platforms, such as LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook and Youtube. They can also downloaded for inclusion in blog posts, email marketing or hosted video galleries.
Producer
The Producer oversees the production and sharing of videos by first setting up the branding (a one-time process) and then creating questions, soliciting and reviewing responses, choosing production options, initiating production, and reviewing and sharing the resulting videos.
Contributors
Contributors follow a link provided by the Producer to record responses to questions associated with the link. The link takes contributors to a branded version of AnswerStage Web App that lets them easily record, review, and submit their responses.
Questions
- Use AnswerStage to create links to send to members of your community (e.g Customers, Employees, Speakers, Attendees, Exhibitors, Members, Partners etc.).
- Create a Question. If you need help authoring a Question, AnswerStage uses AI + to give you suggestions for any topic.
- Questions can be grouped into Interviews (premium feature) so that producers can collect multiple responses from a contributor.
- Create a Link. You can set the parameters for the recording, including whether the response can be “audio-only” (for people who may be camera-shy).
- Links contain a QCode that identifies the question (or interview) and the options the producer has associated with them.
- Share the Link using email, text, or any other digital communications system.
Responses
A Contributor Response Video is the video response to a question. It can be recorded by anyone who receives an AnswerStage video request link, or by the person who authored the question.
- Your Contributors click on the Link + they received from you.
- The Link launches a Landing Page + which displays one or more Questions.
- They then pick a Question to answer and go to the Recording page. This works on any device; phone, tablet, or laptop.
- They record a Response and have the option to review and re-record if necessary.
- When they are happy with their Response, it is automatically uploaded and available for you to use in producing Branded Videos.
While AnswerStage makes it easy for you to direct questions to other Contributors, you can also create and answer questions yourself. AnswerStage is often used by a marketing group to convey their own thought leadership along with video collected from their community.
Branding
The logo, colors, branding, fonts and overall look of your videos can be customized for your company or organization. This is handled within the Producer Tools section of your account.
- Set the branding for your event or organization.
- Upload your logo.
- Pick colors, fonts, backgrounds, intros, outros, and styling elements.
Branding is automatically applied to all of your videos, so you only need to set the branding once (although you can update it whenever needed).
Templates
AnswerStage Production Templates are used to apply your branding, transitions, and other options when creating a Production Video.
Most AnswerStage templates produce a video with resolution 1280 x 720 (commonly known as 720p). These videos are HD, but are still small enough in size to be easily shared. We’ve found that they work well on all social platforms.
AnswerStage also has a template the produces square (720 x 720) and vertical (1280 x 720) videos. The different sizes and orientations are useful for sites that are optimized for vertical or square formats such as Instagram Reels.
Collecting Responses
Creating Questions
In the AnswerStage Web App, select the Questions tab and tap the "+ New Question" button at the top of the screen. Enter the text of the Question and optionally set the Response Time Limit and additional Instructions.
Creating a Question using the REST API
Using AnswerStage+AI to Suggest Questions
At the top of the "Add New Question" screen, tap "Suggest Questions." Enter a description or the topic you're interested in covering, then tap "Get Suggestions." You'll be presented with several suggested questions. To use one of the suggestions, just tap it and continue with creating the Question (you can edit the suggested Question as appropriate for your audience.) To reject all the suggestions, tap "Back." You can have AnswerStage+AI try again, or cancel out entirely.
Grouping Questions into Interviews
If your subscription plan includes the ability to create Interviews, there will be an "Interviews" tab at the top of the Questions screen. When you open the Interviews tab, select "+ New Interview". You'll be presented with a list of the Questions in your account. Select the ones you want to include in the Interview, then tap "Review and Arrange." You can set the order in which the Questions should be presented to the Contributor. When you're satisfied, select "Continue." Set a name for the Interview (for your use only - it is not shown to the Contributor) any options you wish to apply to the Interview, then tap "Save." On hte next screen, you can choose to preview the Interview (go to the Contributor Landing Page as it will appear to anyone who follows the QCode link), copy the share link for use in your commuication to Contributors, or launch your email client to send an email message directly.
Creating an Interview using the REST API
Setting Options
Options are:
- Include additional instructions to display to the Contributor
- Set a due date to display to a Contributor
- Set the maximum length of response (varies by subscription plan)
- Allow audio-only responses
- Allow imported responses
- Choose which profile fields to request from the Contributor
- Name
- Email Address
- Title
- Organization/Company
- Photo
- Custom-named field
- Allow Contributors to use Speaking Notes generated by AnswerStage+AI
For the Profile Fields, you can choose whether they are required or whether they are "private." Private fields are viewable by the Producer but are not used in the production of a video.
When using the REST API, the options can be set when creating the Question or Interview, or they can be set with a subsequent update request
Sharing Links with Contributors
When a question or interview is created, it is assigned a short QCode that can be used on links. Example: https://answerstage.app/qcode/ABCDEF where ABCDEF is the QCode.
In the AnswerStage Web App, when you view the details of a Question or an Interview you'll have the option to copy the link to share with your Contributors through your normal comminication channels or to Email the link directly from the App.
If you're using the REST APIs, you'll be given the QCode and QCode link as part of the response to a request to create or edit a Question or Interview.
The Contributor Experience
When Contributors follow a link to a question or interview, the AnswerStage Web App will display a Landing Page that is branded with logo and colors of the Producer's choice. The Landing Page displays the question or questions, provides a little context, and gives the Contributor the option to begin recording. The Contributor is then asked to choose how to respond (if audio responses or imports are allowed), and given a chance to create "speaking notes" that can be used while recording. Optionally, speaking notes can be generated by AnswerStage+AI.
The recording screen provides the Contributor with a countdown timer, the option to start and stop recording, and the ability to view or hide the speaking notes.
When recording is complete, the Contributor is offered a chance to review the response before accepting it for submission. If the response was imported from an existing video, the Contributor is given a chance to set a cropping region.
Once the Contributor determines that the response is OK to submit, they are presented with a profile form to complete. The form includes the fields requested by the Producer.
When the Contributor has completed the profile form, the response is uploaded to the AnswerStage cloud and the Contributor is returned to the Landing Page. If there was only a single question associated with the QCode link, the Contributor is done. Otherwise, they can record responses to the other questions.
Branding the Landing Page
Producers can set up the Landing Page branding in the Producer Tools section of the AnswerStage Web App. A REST API will be available in the future.
Notification of New Responses
When a new Response is available, the Producer receives an email message.
If you've set up a WebHook, AnswerStage will POST a JSON object to the WebHook URL when a new Response is available. The POST body will contain JSON that includes the ID of the Response. You can use the ID with the REST API to fetch info about the Response.
Reviewing Responses
Responses appear on the Responses list within the AnswerStage Web App, where you can review and edit them to prepare them for use in production.
Producing a Video
Producers can set up a video for production using the Studio screan within the AnswerStage Web App or via the REST API.
- Select one or more response videos.
- Pick a template, an orientation +, and a few other options.
- The AnswerStage video production engine will render the production video, automatically sizing and inserting visual elements, logos, background images, animations, text, captions, background music, and response videos.
- Your slick, branded video is available within minutes.
- Share the branded video instantly + through the Gallery. -Or, download the video as a file and then upload it to your website, blog, and/or social sites using your existing video sharing tools.
- Have the video’s Contributors share it with their social network, amplifying its impact.
Setting Up Branding
Before producing a video, Producers will want to set up the branding (logos and colors) to be used.
To set up the video branding using the AnswerStage Web App, select Producer Tools from the Options menu (the three dots on the top right of the screen) and then choose Configure Video Theme. You can set the logos, images, fonts, and colors to use. Your choices are shown in preview thumbnails, so it's easy to get the effects you desire.
You can also set or modify the video theme using the REST API /settings/videobrandings.
Selecting Responses
When using the Studio feature in the AnswerStage Web App, Producers simply select Responses from a list.
When using the REST API, you can retrieve a list of available responses (see Reviewing Responses, above) or keep track of the Response IDs as the Responses are received from contributors. As part of the data posted to the REST API when Initiating Production, you include a list of the Responses (by ID) to include.
Choosing a Template
List the available Templates using the REST API
Orientation
Most templates support multiple orienations: Portrait, Landscape, or Square.
Template Options
Some templates support background music or sound effects, the ability to suppress the introductory animation, or the ability to remove animated trasitions.
Initiating Production
Starting Production using the REST API
When you initiate production useing the API, the response contains a URL that you can ping for production status. When production is complete, the status API returns a URL that you can use to access info about the completed video.
Notification of Completion
When production is complete, AnswerStage sends an email to the Producer. The email message contains info about the new video.
In addition to the email message, AnswerStage will call any WebHook that you've set up.
Reviewing Videos
The Gallery screen in the AnswerStage Web App lists all of the Videos you've produced, with the newest first. You can view the videos directly in the App.
Sharing Videos
With each Video listed in the Gallery, there's an option to play it, download it, or share it. Selecting "Share" launches a screen that provides a shortened link to the Video hosted publicly on AnswerStage. You can provide this link to others either through your normal communication channels or posting it on a web site. The Share screen also provides an opportunity for you to directly post the Video to your LinkedIn account.
Using the REST API
Authenticating
Use the /auth/tokens endpoint to get an access token to use with subsequent API requests. The /auth/tokens endpoint uses BASIC http authentication with your AnswerStage Screen Name (you can view your Screen Name on the My Account page within the AnswerStage Web App) and password.
Example of Fetching Access Token
/* nodejs example */
const usernamePwd = Buffer.from(screenName + ':' + password).toString('base64');
let token;
let opts = {
method: 'POST',
headers: {Authorization: 'Basic ' + usernamePwd}
};
const authRes = await fetch('https://api.answerstage.com/v1/auth/tokens', opts);
if (authRes.ok) {
const authResObj = await authRes.json();
token = authResObj.access_token;
} else {
console.log('auth error. status: ' + authRes.status + ' statusText: ' + authRes.statusText);
}
Coding and Examples
For complete documentation of the REST APIs see the REST API documentation.