What is a webinar?
Webinars, short for web seminars, are online video presentations, workshops, or lectures hosted through specialized software. These virtual events are typically interactive, and business-oriented, and allow you to share knowledge with audiences globally.
Webinars are a dynamic and engaging form of marketing, often used to build relationships or establish authority in a particular field. However, their use isn’t limited to external audiences—you can even utilize webinars for team meetings, especially for remote teams.
Compared to in-person seminars or lectures, organizing a webinar is far simpler. You don’t need a physical venue to host large crowds, and attendees can join from any location in real-time. Additionally, if someone can’t attend the live session, you can record the webinar and share the recording with them afterward.
Types of Webinars
If you’re unsure whether a webinar is suitable for your event or want to explore its potential, let’s explore different webinar formats and why you might consider hosting one.
Webinars can fulfill various objectives, but since time with attendees is limited, it’s essential to have a clear goal. Here are several types of webinars your organization could choose to host:
1. Thought Leadership Webinar
A webinar led by an industry expert or influencer that provides insights, trends, and expertise, helping position the host and their company as leaders in their field.
2. Live Webinar
These take place in real-time and may include presentations, workshops, or discussions. Live webinars are especially engaging because the audience can interact with the hosts and influence the event through questions and polls.
3. Panel Discussion Webinar
Featuring multiple experts discussing a specific industry topic, this format provides diverse perspectives and allows the audience to engage with panelists.
4. On-Demand Webinars
These are recorded webinars that attendees can watch anytime. On-demand webinars extend the lifespan of a live event, continuously generating leads, enhancing thought leadership, and contributing to business growth.
5. Educational Webinar
Aimed at delivering lectures, training, or workshops, this type of webinar focuses on sharing knowledge on a specific subject.
6. Paid Webinars
Some businesses charge for access to their webinars, offering valuable insights or content behind a paywall. These sessions may be live or on-demand, with payment gateways integrated into the registration process.
7. Training Webinar
Used by organizations to provide training to employees or clients on topics such as onboarding, software use, or compliance.
8. Professional Development Webinar
Similar to educational webinars, these aim to help attendees achieve their professional goals through targeted education.
9. Recurring Webinars
These webinars are held at regular intervals (daily, weekly, or monthly), often covering consistent topics like product demonstrations, training, or onboarding.
10. Internal Communication Webinar
A format used within organizations to share updates, company news, or hold meetings with remote teams.
How does a webinar work?
Webinars can be launched via a company’s website, popular streaming platforms, or through an audio-only phone line. A key feature of webinars is the real-time interaction they enable between the host and the audience. This allows participants to ask questions during the event, typically using messaging systems, email, or live phone calls. Below are some additional important aspects of webinars:
Live Participation: To qualify as a webinar, an event must be broadcast live with online attendees. While there are no strict rules on the number of participants required, the total audience size depends on the platform’s capacity. Companies typically promote their webinars beforehand to ensure high participation rates.
Audience Engagement: One of the standout features of webinars is the live interaction between the speaker and participants. While some live events may not allow for audience engagement (these are typically called live streams), most webinars include dedicated Q&A sessions, and speakers often respond to questions throughout the presentation. Audience interaction may occur through:
- Taking live calls and responding to viewer questions in real-time
- Answering text-based questions displayed on-screen
- Conducting live text chats and addressing questions verbally
- Running polls or surveys and sharing the results with attendees during the session
Visual Components: Webinars typically incorporate a range of visual aids, such as video presentations, slides, or other media. Presentation slides are particularly useful for efficiently sharing key information, while videos provide a more dynamic way to deliver content and communicate critical messages quickly.
Specialized Features: Webinar hosts often utilize specialized software that offers a variety of tools for managing the event. This software can include features for creating polls or surveys, moderating audience interactions, and offering a range of audio and visual options. Common additional features include:
- Calendar reminders for attendees
- Collaboration support for presentations
- Integrated streaming capabilities
- Recording and editing functions
- Q&A tools and screen-sharing options
- Live chat functionality
- Social media integration for invitations
How to create a webinar
To create an exceptional webinar experience, follow these five essential steps:
- Select a Specific Topic
- Decide on Your Format
- Assemble Your Team
- Set a Date and Time for Your Webinar
- Organize Your Space and Equipment
- Develop Your Content
- Choose a Webinar Platform
- Set Up Your Registration Page
- Promote Your Webinar
- Promote Your Webinar
6 Tips on How to Conduct Webinars Effectively in 2025
In the past, webinars provided a rather flat and passive experience for attendees, lacking branding, interaction, and production quality. They often consisted of simple online broadcasts, featuring a presenter or voiceover alongside a slideshow. Although this format was functional, advances in technology have elevated expectations.
As we move into 2025, a digital transformation is reshaping the way webinars are viewed and used. Event planners and marketers are rethinking how to maximize the impact of webinars. Today, webinars can range from single-presenter sessions to multi-person panel discussions or open forums that actively engage attendees.
With the development of better webinar platforms, these events have become more interactive, offering enhanced engagement, improved production quality, and numerous ways to captivate audiences. If you haven’t yet embraced the latest webinar technology, it’s time to rethink your tools and strategies to meet the growing expectations for audience engagement.
Before we dive into the specifics of planning successful webinars in 2025, here are a few key tips to help you conduct effective webinars:
- Select a dependable webinar platform: Choose one with advanced features, seamless integration, and strong tech support to guarantee a smooth experience for both hosts and attendees.
- Offer free access to maximize attendance: While some situations may justify charging for attendance, offering free webinars is often more beneficial for building your marketing funnel and drawing a larger audience.
- Utilize interactive tools to boost engagement: Make use of features like polls, live chat, Q&A sessions, and breakout rooms to encourage real-time participation and increase the overall value of the event for attendees.
- Include multimedia elements: Keep your webinar visually dynamic by adding videos, animations, or interactive slides, which can capture attention and make the content more engaging.
- Keep the content focused and concise: With many attendees already spending long hours in front of screens, it’s crucial to keep the webinar brief and focused on delivering relevant information to maintain engagement.
- Provide actionable takeaways: Ensure that participants walk away with valuable insights and practical tips they can implement immediately, helping solidify the value of your webinar content.
How to promote webinars
Promotion plays a critical role in a webinar’s success, and it’s important to promote consistently and early. About 15% of registrations occur well in advance, typically 3-4 weeks before the event.
However, approximately 33% of people register on the day of the event, so continue promoting right up to the start. Despite your best efforts, expect only a quarter to a third of registrants to attend, which is normal. Just by signing up, these individuals have expressed interest and opted into your email list, opening the door to follow-up offers or sending them a recording afterward.
Here are the best channels for promoting your webinar:
- Email: The majority of marketers consider email the top tool for promotion. Send invites to your current email list, and follow up with those who didn’t open your previous emails. If you don’t have a list yet, webinars are a great way to build one.
- Social media: Start promoting your webinar weeks in advance through social platforms. Give sneak peeks of the content and encourage your followers to submit questions ahead of time. For paid webinars, you might offer special discounts to your social media audience.
- Website: Include webinar details and registration links on your site. Webinars often focus on onboarding customers or demand generation, and your website is the perfect space to drive registrations with pop-ups, blog posts, videos, and dedicated landing pages.
- Video: Incorporating video into your promotions—whether through email, your website, or social media—can significantly boost click-through rates and registrations.
When should you use a webinar for your business?
Many businesses use webinars to connect live with potential customers, showcase expertise, build brand authority, or support product launches. Webinars can also be valuable for existing customers, offering training or onboarding, adding extra value, or supporting upsell efforts.
Typically, webinars work best for B2B, SaaS companies, bloggers, and small businesses looking to share their expertise. For e-commerce, other strategies may be more effective, but B2C companies with high-ticket items or services can also benefit from the webinar format.
