Collaborative Live Mode
Interview as a Team
Collaborative Live Mode lets multiple people join your interview session in real time. Co-hosts see the same interface you do and can capture events alongside you. Guests follow along with a read-only view. Everything stays synchronized -- when you click a question, everyone's screen updates.
This is especially powerful for host + producer workflows. The host focuses entirely on the conversation while a co-host (acting as producer) handles all the event capture -- marking highlights, flagging audio issues, noting chapter breaks. The result is better interviews and faster post-production.
Three Roles
InterviewCue has three participant roles. Which code you use to join determines your role automatically -- there's no role selection screen.
Creator (Host)
The interview owner. You start and end the session, navigate questions, capture events, add links, and manage participants. Only you can enable or disable collaborative mode and control session settings.
Co-Hosts & Producers
Full participant with the same live interface as the creator. Co-hosts can navigate questions, capture events with all seven hotkeys, and add links. They're a complete partner in the recording process. Co-hosts and producers need a free InterviewCue account.
In practice, your co-host might be a producer, a second host, a content manager, or anyone else who needs full access during the interview. InterviewCue doesn't distinguish between these team roles -- they're all co-hosts with the same capabilities.
Guests
A follow-along view that stays in sync with the host. Guests can see your questions and background notes (helping them stay sharp and on point), and they can add reference links when they mention a resource. Guests cannot navigate questions or capture events.
Guests don't need an InterviewCue account -- they join anonymously with the guest code. This makes it easy to invite your actual interview guest, observers, or stakeholders without requiring them to sign up.
Sessions support up to 50 guests at a time. This number is much higher than most interviews. We want to make sure you can have guests follow along even for large panel sessions.
Setting Up Collaborative Mode
Enable collaboration from the interview details page before starting the interview. The collaborative settings section shows an Enable Collaborative Mode button. Click it and InterviewCue generates both a co-host code and a guest code immediately (each formatted like ABC-XYZ-123).
Share the right code with the right people -- co-host code for your team, guest code for anyone who should follow along. They'll enter it at the join page and connect with the appropriate role automatically.
Session Options
Once collaborative mode is active, an Options dropdown gives you additional controls:
- Lock / Unlock Session -- prevent new participants from joining while keeping current ones connected
- Reset Session -- generate new codes (invalidates old ones)
- Disable Collaboration -- turn off collaborative mode entirely
- Remove All Guests -- disconnect all guest participants at once
Joining a Session
Co-Hosts
The easiest way to join is via the co-host link -- it opens the join page with the code already filled in, so your team just clicks and connects. You can also share the code directly; co-hosts visit the Join Live Session page, enter it manually, and click Join. Either way, they're immediately connected and see the same live interface as the host -- questions, background notes, timer, and all captured events synchronized in real time.
Co-hosts must be logged into an InterviewCue account to join.
Guests
The easiest way for guests to join is via the guest link -- it opens their join page with the code prefilled. You can also share the code directly; guests enter it on the guest join page, optionally provide a display name, and they're in. No account required. Their view stays synchronized with the host's position in the interview.
Real-Time Synchronization
Everything stays in sync across all participants. When the host or a co-host clicks a question, everyone's view updates. When anyone captures an event, it appears on every screen. Links added by any participant -- including guests -- are visible to everyone.
If a participant loses their connection, the session continues for everyone else. When they reconnect, their view catches up automatically to the current state. The host going offline doesn't disrupt the session -- co-hosts can continue capturing events, and everything syncs when the host returns.
Working Together
The most effective collaborative setup is simple: agree on responsibilities before you start.
A common pattern is for the host to focus on the conversation and navigate questions, while one or more co-hosts handle event capture. The host stays fully present with the guest. The co-host watches for highlights, flags audio issues, marks chapter breaks, and adds notes. After the interview, the post-production timeline has thorough coverage because someone was dedicated to capture.
If multiple co-hosts are capturing, duplicates are easy to clean up in post-production. It's always better to over-capture than to miss an important moment.
What's Next?
Live Interview Mode - Full guide to conducting interviews and capturing events
Keyboard Shortcuts - Complete shortcut reference for event capture
Post-Production Timeline - Review and export everything your team captured
Your First Interview - Walk through the complete journey from idea to published episode