Anonymous questions for live Q&A
Let your audience ask without giving a name or email.
Turn on Anonymous questions for a talk and people on your web Q&A page go straight to your AI Co-Presenter, with no name box and no email box. The presenter sees no name, but PresEngage still receives the question typed, a random browser ID and an IP address used briefly to prevent abuse. Anonymous does not mean untraceable. It is off by default and set per presentation.
No credit card · Free forever for up to 25 audience members · 14-day full-feature trial
What You Get
Your Choice, Talk by Talk
Anonymous questions is an optional switch for each presentation, off by default. Keep names on for a sales or lead-gen talk, and turn it on for a town hall, a lecture or a feedback session.
No Form Before the First Question
With the switch on, people who open your Q&A link on the web go straight to your AI Co-Presenter: no name, no email, no Google sign-in and no tick box for PresEngage emails.
Each Viewer Is Their Own Person
You see a label such as Anonymous attendee 7F3A2C, so you can tell two viewers apart. In the file from Download participants their Email and Phone are empty.
Counts Like Everyone Else
Anonymous viewers appear in your audience numbers and in Audience Insights, the same as any other viewer.
Works on Every Web Link
The switch covers your direct link, the universal link and presentation code, the QR code, short links and your custom domain (Present Everywhere). Nothing new to distribute.
Same AI Co-Presenter
Answers still come from your slides and documents, and no viewer is ever blocked because of this setting.
Simple Setup, Powerful Results
- 1
Open Choose Presenter Tools
In Your Presentations click Edit Presentation, then open the Choose Presenter Tools tab. The Anonymous questions card sits next to the Smart Prompt card.
- 2
Turn On the Switch
Turn on the switch, "Let viewers ask without giving their name or email". It is off by default and saves by itself.
- 3
Share Your Links as Usual
Use your direct link, QR code, short link or custom domain (Present Everywhere). There is nothing new to distribute.
Leads when you want them. Honest questions when you need them.
Capture contacts, or let people ask without a name. You choose, talk by talk. By default, your Q&A page asks each person for a name and email, so every asker becomes a contact you can follow up with, unless you turn on Anonymous questions for that presentation. Turn it on for a town hall, a lecture or a feedback session, where people may hold back a hard question.
Sales or lead-gen talk: names on (the default)
- What you see
- By default, each asker's name and email, so each one is a contact you can follow up with.
- Follow-up email
- The session recap and Smart Follow-Up emails can go out.
Town hall, lecture or feedback session: turn on Anonymous questions
- What you see
- Anonymous attendee plus a short code for each person, with no name or email.
- Follow-up email
- None for these viewers: there is no address to send it to.
Either way, text messages, WhatsApp (the optional pay-per-use add-on), Google Meet and Zoom still identify people.
What your audience sees
The same Q&A link opens a different first screen, depending on the switch. The two screens at the top of this page are drawn from the real ones.
Switch off (the default)
A new viewer sees Almost there! with Your Name and Email Address boxes and a Start Asking Questions button. This is how every presentation starts.
Switch on
A new viewer goes straight to the chat. The greeting is Welcome! with no name, the Email me this recap button is hidden, and a note at the top reads:
You're asking anonymously: the presenter won't see your name or email. Your questions go to the presenter and to our AI.
The Privacy Policy and Terms of Use links stay beside the note.
Reloads and other devices
The browser keeps a random ID for that one presentation, so a reload keeps the conversation. A second browser, a private tab or a QR scanner's built-in browser counts as a new viewer.
Who sees what
Anonymous questions takes the name and email out of what the presenter sees. It does not take out what PresEngage needs to run the Q&A page and to prevent abuse.
- Presenter
- Sees Anonymous attendee 7F3A2C, the question and the AI answer. Email and Phone stay empty.
- PresEngage
- Receives the question typed, a random ID the browser keeps for that presentation, and an IP address, used briefly to prevent abuse.
- Other attendees
- Do not see the question or who asked.
Viewers can still type their own name or email into a question, and you will see it there. Audience Insights, the in-app view that the Audience Intelligence page describes, shows the same label.
In the Messaging Center and in Download participants
The label shows in the Participants list, in the conversation header and in Audience Insights. In the file from Download participants, an anonymous viewer is one row: the Name column holds the label, the Email and Phone columns are empty, and Identity verified says Anonymous.
| Name | Phone | Identity verified | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Anonymous attendee 7F3A2C | (empty) | (empty) | Anonymous |
| Anonymous attendee 91B04E | (empty) | (empty) | Anonymous |
What you give up, stated plainly
You cannot email these viewers, and neither can PresEngage: there is no email address to send to. There is no recap, Smart Follow-Up or tips email for these viewers. While the switch is on, the Smart Follow-Up card in the app says: "Web viewers on this presentation are anonymous, so they won't get the follow-up email."
People who send questions by text message through the optional pay-per-use add-on, on the same presentation, still get their follow-up as usual. That is the trade against capturing leads, and it is why the switch belongs to one presentation. See how Smart Follow-Up works when names are on.
- No session recap
- No Smart Follow-Up email
- No PresEngage tips email
Honest limits
Anonymous questions is a small, specific switch. These are its edges.
- Off by default, per presentation. It is an optional switch, off by default: every presentation starts with the name and email form, and your other presentations keep asking for a name and email. Every plan can turn it on at no extra cost, free included (see pricing or the free plan).
- Web Q&A page only. It works through your direct link, universal link, QR code, short link or custom domain (Present Everywhere). Text and WhatsApp messages are the optional pay-per-use add-on, and like Google Meet and Zoom they still identify people.
- What PresEngage still receives. The question typed, a random browser ID and an IP address used briefly to prevent abuse still reach PresEngage, and a viewer can type their own name or email into a question.
- One person is not always one viewer. A second device, a private tab or a QR scanner's built-in browser counts as a new viewer, so your audience numbers can count one person more than once.
- Free-plan connections. On the free plan, anonymous viewers count toward the 25 free audience connections: your next 25, total across all your presentations. Your first presentation never counts toward them.
- Changes reach new arrivals. Turning the switch on does not rename a viewer who already gave a name, and turning it off does not make an anonymous viewer give one. A change reaches viewers when they arrive, even in the middle of an event.
- Blocked storage. If a browser blocks storage, the viewer can still ask, but a reload starts the conversation again. They are never sent to the form.
- A save can fail. If your connection drops, a Settings not saved message names Anonymous questions. Change the switch and change it back, leaving it where you want it, to send it again.
- Not on the sample deck. The shared sample deck behind the live demo is read-only, so its switch is locked. Turn Anonymous questions on in your own presentation.
Optional anonymous question submission for town halls, lectures and seminars
Keep names on for talks that sell, and turn Anonymous questions on for talks that listen. See how presenters in four fields run their talks.
HR & Internal Comms
Town halls and all-hands meetings, where people may hold back a hard question.
See this use caseHealthcare & CME
Continuing-education sessions, where learners may hold back a basic question.
See this use caseFinancial Advisors
Client seminars: keep names on to follow up with prospects, or turn Anonymous questions on for an open Q&A.
See this use caseHigher-Ed Lecturers
Lectures, where students may hold back a question in front of the class.
See this use case
Frequently Asked Questions
Can my audience ask questions without a name or email?
Yes, when you turn on Anonymous questions for a presentation. People who open its Q&A link on the web go straight to your AI Co-Presenter, with no name box, no email box, no Google sign-in and no tick box for PresEngage emails. It works on the web Q&A page only: text messages, WhatsApp (the optional pay-per-use add-on), Google Meet and Zoom still identify people.
Is it on by default, and which plans include it?
No. It is off by default and belongs to one presentation, so your other presentations keep asking for a name and email. Every plan can turn it on at no extra cost, free included.
Where does it work?
On the web Q&A page: your direct link, the universal link and presentation code, the QR code, short links and your custom domain (Present Everywhere). It does not change text messages, WhatsApp (the optional pay-per-use add-on), Google Meet or Zoom, which still identify people by phone number or meeting account.
Will I see who asked?
No. Each person who asks shows as their own attendee, labelled Anonymous attendee plus a short code, such as Anonymous attendee 7F3A2C, so you can tell two attendees apart. You never see an email or any other identifier for them. If a viewer types their own name or email into a question, you will see it there.
Can I email the people who asked anonymously?
No, and neither can PresEngage. There is no recap, Smart Follow-Up or tips email for these viewers. People who send questions by text message through the optional pay-per-use add-on, on the same presentation, still get their follow-up.
What does PresEngage still collect?
The Q&A page does not ask for or show a name or email, but PresEngage still receives the questions people type, a random ID their browser keeps for that presentation, and their IP address, which it uses briefly to prevent abuse. Anonymous does not mean untraceable.
Is it anonymous to PresEngage too?
No. The presenter sees no name or email, but PresEngage still receives the questions typed, the random browser ID and the IP address described above. Anonymous does not mean untraceable, so promise your audience what is true: the presenter will not see their name or email. The note viewers read says the same, and adds that their questions go to the presenter and to the AI.
Can I switch it on or off in the middle of an event?
Yes. New viewers see the change when they arrive. People already in a conversation keep the identity they have: a viewer who gave a name stays named after you turn the switch on, and a viewer who is asking anonymously stays anonymous after you turn it off and is never asked for a name later.
Do anonymous viewers count in my numbers and on the free plan?
Yes. They are included in your audience numbers, and on the free plan they count toward the 25 free audience connections like any other attendee: your next 25, total across all your presentations. Your first presentation never counts toward the limit, at any size.
What happens if a viewer reloads or uses another device?
The browser keeps a random ID for that one presentation, so a reload keeps the conversation. A second browser, a private tab or a QR scanner's built-in browser counts as a new viewer. If a browser blocks storage, the viewer can still ask, but a reload starts the conversation again.
Does it change the answers the AI gives?
No. Your AI Co-Presenter answers from your slides and documents exactly as before, and no viewer is blocked because of this setting.
What do I get in the participants download?
One row per anonymous viewer. The Name column holds the Anonymous attendee label, the Email and Phone columns are empty, and Identity verified says Anonymous.
Does it work on my custom domain (Present Everywhere)?
Yes. On a presentation with Anonymous questions on there is no form at all, on your custom domain (Present Everywhere) too.
Can employees ask at a town hall?
Yes, on the web Q&A page. Anyone with the link can join, and there is no work-login restriction, so you cannot limit who asks to your own employees. Google Meet and Zoom still identify people: in a town hall held in either one, only questions asked on the web Q&A page can be anonymous. Share the link or QR code and turn on Anonymous questions for that presentation.
Should I turn it on for every talk?
No. Turn it on for the talks where honest questions matter more than contacts -- a town hall, a lecture, a feedback session -- and leave it off for sales, lead-gen and client talks. With the switch off, your Q&A page asks each person for a name and email, so each asker can become a lead by default. It is a per-presentation switch, so you choose talk by talk.
Choose per talk: leads or honest questions
Start free, keep names on for your lead-gen talks, and turn Anonymous questions on for the next town hall.
No credit card · Free forever for up to 25 audience members · 14-day full-feature trial