Question

1/what is the difference between holding a small and large scale webinar? How does this change the webinar?

2/Create a DETAILED checklist of how to complete a webinar start to finishWith the each portion of the check sheet you need to detail what you are going to accomplish during this step.

3/ Are there any topics that would not be appropriate for a webinar? Why do you say this?

Answer 1

Hi,

Question 1: what is the difference between holding a small and large scale webinar? How does this change the webinar?

Answer 1: When you are planning the event online, you have to know how many people you’re expecting. Is this an event for 5 people? 50? 500? How many people you have attending will direct what kind of event you have.

If the event has a small audience, let's say 5, then a webinar may be called a small webinar or web conference where you can collaborate with the audience and gives everyone the chance to speak and ask questions. You not only build community in your organization, you can also make sure that everyone’s input is heard, and you can get a feel for what other support they might need.

However, if you’re having an event for 500 people, web conferencing is not going to work. You’re going to have a hard time controlling a conversation with that many people, and you don’t want your message to get lost. This is when you would choose a large scale webinar.

Large scale webinars give you more control over the conversation. You can choose to share the presenting with someone else, or not. You can also decide when, if at all, you want audience input. Rather than a full-on conversation, where everyone gets a chance to speak, you can do a Q&A session, moderated chat or polls and surveys to get audience input.

Question 2: Create a DETAILED checklist of how to complete a webinar start to finish With each portion of the check sheet you need to detail what you are going to accomplish during this step.

Answer 2:

These are steps that one needs to ensure while he/she is preparing the webinar

1. Choose the right topic, title, and format

First of all, think of what the purpose of your webinar will be.

Is it to generate leads, grow your list, sell a product, or onboard new users?

Then, decide on the topic. What is the most important knowledge you can share with people in an hour or so? If you’re looking for inspiration for your webinar’s content, you can run through your other content’s stats to see what drives traffic to your site, and what your audience is the most interested in. This step will definitely ensure higher engagement.

Remember to be precise. It helps people understand what they’re signing up for, and it also helps you with your landing page’s SEO. Consider naming it with a question, e.g., ‘How to make a webinar sale? Free webinar with *an industry influencer*’. Whether it’s a webinar directed towards people new to the subject or experts, specify it. It will save you from lots of negative opinions like “I already knew that” and “It was too complicated; I need to know the basics first.”.

2. Choose the presenters & team

When preparing for a webinar, you’ll need to pick a qualified presenter. It should be a person who’s knowledgeable on the subject, not afraid of public speaking and answering tough questions, has good charisma and is at least a bit immune to stress. Of course, your web seminar can have more than one presenter.

Then, you can choose an assistant, who could admin the chat and possibly answer some of the audience’s questions while the speaker continues with their presentation.

After you’ve found perfect people who will create the webinar’s content, you can also ask someone (or a few people) to take care of the technical side of your web seminar (make sure the Internet connection is strong and that you can be heard and, if required, seen)

3. Plan out the content

Once topic and team is sorted, Now is the time to work on the planning

a) The Outline:

When you know the topic and purpose of your online seminar, it shouldn’t be hard to create an outline. Remember that the average webinar lasts about 40-60 minutes, so that’s the standard timeframe you’re going to work with. If you’re creating a prerecorded webinar, create a storyboard first, just like a film director would.

b) The structure:

The content you provide throughout the webinar should be engaging enough to keep the participants until the end. You can also tease a bonus at the start, to create an incentive to keep watching. Then, it should naturally lead into a paid offering, if that’s a part of your webinar’s purpose. There’s an 80-20 rule for this – make the webinar 80% solid content, and you can promote your product for the remaining 20%.

Always start by welcoming participants. Ask them where they are joining you from, and you’ll create instant engagement.

Make the participants sure that’s the right place for them to be, by specifying who will benefit from the online seminar. Also, introduce not only the subject of your webinar but yourself. Start with a relatable story to prove you’re trustworthy and keep it brief.

Remember to always save some time in the end for a Q&A session. Mention it at the beginning so that the audience will have time to think through the questions they want to ask.

4. Prep the tech & environment:

Before you run a webinar, make sure you have a camera (a working laptop camera is good enough) and a working microphone with settings adjusted to the environment you’re in. Speaking of which, choose a set for your webinar – it can be your office or even your living room, but keep it professional and ensure nobody interrupts you during the webinar. It can throw you off guard and disrupt the focus of participants.

To minimize the risk of some miss ups, check if your Internet connection is stable, make sure your laptop charger is plugged in, or that your computer won’t start updating itself.

And it should go without saying – if you’re going to share your screen, don’t have any unnecessary tabs open in your browser and possibly clear your desktop.

It’s also best to log into the webinar room 20 minutes before the scheduled meeting and check if everything goes smoothly.

5. Schedule your webinar:

What is the best time to run a webinar?

It’s hard to pinpoint the ‘perfect’ date and time, but the rule of thumb is to schedule a webinar for the middle of the week, Tuesday to Thursday (with Tuesday as the winner). The other days are more likely to have people vacationing. Most people will only commit to one webinar per week, so you’ll be competing with other players in the field.

While you may assume people want to attend web seminars in the afternoon, when they’re off work, it’s not entirely true. Some statistics suggest that the time most people prefer to attend webinars is 10 a.m. or 11 a.m. Keep in mind that you’ll probably have guests from different time zones, and if you’re really far away from your targeted audience, you may even have to sacrifice some sleep to host. And, try not to schedule the seminar for lunch hours.

While promoting your video seminar, mention that it will be recorded – people will know it’s worth signing up even if they can’t attend and that they’ll receive the recording later.

6. Promote your webinar:

To run an online presentation, you need people to register for it. It’s not just the content that makes them register – it’s how you promote it.

Webinar landing pages

Create a landing page with an invitation, that will encourage people to sign up and tell the audience everything they need to know beforehand.

First, write a short copy explaining the topic. In a few pointers highlight what the participants will take away from it. Then, place a signup form where your leads will leave their name and email, and finish it off with a clear CTA button – the word “register” should be enough.

Don’t forget to introduce the hosts. It’s a nice touch that will set the foundation of your newly-built relationship.

And there’s the last step that you should never skip – highlight the date and time of your webinar (especially the timezone if you expect participants from all over the world).

Last step: Spreading the word (Email invitation, Banners, Popups, ads etc.) followed by reminders before the D day.

Question 3: Are there any topics that would not be appropriate for a webinar? Why do you say this?

Choosing the right topic is the most important part of the equation. Think about what topics your audience is interested in and what kind of information they’re seeking.

Then choose the topics best suited to the webinar format. If your topic could be better communicated through a blog post or eBook, it’s not the right topic. A webinar is a completely unique medium that is visual and interactive, so take advantage. Webinars are great for product demos, panel discussions, Q&As, tutorials, live audits, and workshops. Don’t be afraid to get creative!

If you need inspiration for topics, try:

• Checking trending topics on social media
• Finding out what questions prospects are asking your sales reps
• Looking at your most popular content and blog posts
• Seeing what your competitors are doing