How to Host a Webinar Your Audience Will Love

The pandemic has disrupted not only our day-to-day lives but has also entirely changed the landscape of businesses and consumer demands, forcing global organizations to adapt to a new normal to thrive.

Webinars have emerged as a powerful tool to help marketers engage with their prospects and drive leads while working from home.

Though webinars are not a new trend, they have gained immense popularity as the ideal tool for effective remote communication. Owing to the several benefits, such as flexibility, time-saving, and cost-effectiveness, webinars are here to stay even after we’re back to some normality.

If you are contemplating conducting a webinar but are not sure how to take the plunge, do not fret! In this blog post, I cover seven tips to help you deliver a compelling and impactful webinar that your audience will remember. Have a look.

1. Choose the right platform to deliver your webinar

Selecting the right platform depends on your objective – whether you want to attract new leads or educate your customers. Also, decide on whether you want to do a live webinar or a pre-recorded one.

There are many webinar platforms available off the shelf, such as Zoom, GoToWebinar, Livestorm, etc., each having its own features, capabilities, pros, and cons. Choose the one according to your business needs, objectives, and audience size. You can also use Facebook, YouTube, or other live streaming platforms to host a webinar.

2. Create an eye-catching slide deck

You are required to present something relevant and interesting that resonates well with the audience in order to intrigue them with your webinar. So, use images to make your deck visually pleasing. Pick the images that go well with the overall objective and design of your presentation.

Plus, the images must be in proportion to the size of the slides. In case you have to compress the images, make sure that their resolution and quality don’t get impacted. Avoid writing text over the images as it will be difficult for the audience to read.

Useful Tip – If you are running short of time and can’t design images on your own, you can choose pre-designed and professional-looking templates that feature stunning visuals and well-researched content.

3. Complement your webinar with various media

You can’t ace your webinar merely by including good content. You must consider incorporating various media types, such as animation, videos, audio, downloadable checklists, etc., to make it more interactive and keep the audience focused, listening, and engaged. Further, the inclusion of multimedia will help break up a large chunk of information into small and understandable snippets.

4. Create “hooks” for audience engagement

With the increasing popularity of webinars, many platforms are expanding their features to let presenters engage with their audience in the best possible manner. For instance, some platforms allow the audience to take quizzes during the webinar, while others let them vote in polls and comment with questions.

As a webinar planner or moderator, you just need to be a little bit creative and think of ways to leverage these features to turn your audience from passive listeners to active participants.

5. Make a difference by sharing innovative ideas

If you really want to add value and make your audience keener to attend/watch your webinar, refrain from presenting the same content that they have already seen several times before. Choose a specific niche of your industry that has not been covered before or has scope to be covered with a new perspective. Think outside the box to establish yourself as a thought leader, make a difference in the industry, and spark change with your ideas and products.

In the world of webinars, where lots of webinars are available on common topics, you can compel your audience to register for your webinar by being creative with the topic and purpose. So, do careful research to come up with an engrossing subject to cover.

6. Schedule the webinar considering time zones

When your webinar is tailored for a global audience, it becomes imperative to schedule it, taking into account time zones. However, there is no particular rule about the best time to plan a webinar. It is extremely difficult to choose a time that fits all time zones. I suggest picking a time when the highest proportion of both nationwide and international audiences will be able to attend it.

Useful Tip – Record your webinar and make it available when someone signs up. It will help you boost conversions even if audiences of any time zone can’t attend it live.

7. Show appreciation for your audience

Since you are conducting the webinar online and there is no team waiting outside the conference hall/meeting room for the next meeting, it doesn’t mean that you should extend your webinar beyond the specified time. Acknowledge and respect the valuable time of your audience and try to conclude your webinar within the stipulated time frame.

Furthermore, express sincere and genuine appreciation for your audience’s attention and time. Make them feel important by showing how grateful you are for this opportunity to present and speak to them. After all, it’s the audience that makes your webinar successful.

The bottom line

Good webinars are like short movies that encourage viewers to take on the world and leave them inspired and delighted. Undoubtedly, planning the perfect webinar, especially if you are hosting it for the first time, takes lots of time, but the benefits it brings are worth it. If you genuinely want to make your webinar useful and interesting, avoid all potential pitfalls and live up to your own hype that claims your webinar is truly valuable.

I hope these tips will help you make your audience fall in love with your webinar. If you have some other tips/suggestions, leave your response in the comments below. And, if you like the blog post, share it on your social media handles.

Guest author: Ashish Arora is the Co-Founder of SketchBubble.com, a leading provider of result-driven, professionally built presentation templates. Travelling the world to gather new creative ideas, he has been working in the digital marketing space since 2007 and has a passion for designing presentations. You can also find him on Twitter or LinkedIn