Webinars are powerful for lead generation, brand building, and knowledge sharing. However, careful planning and adherence to best practices are essential to deliver an outstanding experience. In this blog, we’ll walk you through a comprehensive webinar planning checklist and share actionable best practices to ensure your webinar runs smoothly from start to finish. 

Webinar statistics

  • 64% of B2B B2B marketers hosted a webinar, virtual event, or online course. (Content Marketing Institute)
  • +20% increase in average interactions per webinar attendee since 2022 (ON24)
  • ~30% of all webinars are produced by businesses in the software and technology sector (GoTo)
  • ~200 average number of webinar attendees in 2023 (ON24)
  • 44% attendance rate for marketing webinars (GoTo)
  • 53 minutes – average duration of webinar engagement in 2023 (ON24)
  • 58% B2B marketers said virtual events/webinars/online courses produced the best results for their content marketing in the last 12 months (Content Marketing Institute)

Webinar planning steps

From selecting your topic to promoting and delivering the event, having a webinar planning checklist ensures everything runs smoothly. Here are the high-level steps for planning your next webinar:

  1. Define your goals and audience
  2. Select a relevant topic and speakers
  3. Set event details like title and event time
  4. Set up the webinar platform
  5. Prepare presentation and speakers
  6. Promote
  7. Deliver webinar
  8. Post-event follow-up
More details about what to do in each step is below.

Webinar planning checklist

Here are more in-depth details on what to do in each stage of webinar planning and execution.

Webinar planning checklist Source: reddotcs.com

1. Define goals and audience

The first step is to decide the purpose of your webinar. Whether you are growing marketing qualified leads, nurturing sales leads, delivering product training or meeting another business goal, having the goal in mind will help you decide on the webinar topic, speakers, content, presentation format, and invitees. 

Knowing your goals and audience will also help you decide on your KPIs for the event. Sample metrics may include:

  • Number of registrants
  • Number of attendees/attendance rate
  • Engagement rate
  • Number of registrants with specific titles
  • Number of new registrants
  • Number of re-engaged contacts.

2. Select a relevant topic and speakers

Once you know who you are targeting and the event’s purpose, you can select a topic that will resonate with your audience’s interests and align with your goals.  Things to consider include:

  • Audience needs and interests: Does the topic cover the pain points, goals, and challenges of your target audience?
  • Alignment with business goals: Does the topic align with the organization’s goals or business strategy?
  • Relevance: Does the topic focus on a trend, industry development, regulation, recent technological advance, or seasonal event?

Once you have your topic, selecting your host and speakers is your next step. Here are some ideas of whom to invite to speak for different webinar types if you are selling a product or service: 

  • Thought-leadership webinar: Industry experts from trade associations or C-suite leaders from organizations who make buying decisions and can speak at an industry level.
  • Marketing webinar: Power users of your product or service
  • Sales webinar: Sales engineering or customer success teams well-versed in industry problems and how the product or service works.
3. Set event details

The next step is to set the event details, including promotion materials. This includes: 

  • Title – Should be clear and concise, use actionable keywords and SEO keywords and focus on benefits.
  • Date – Studies show that midweek days typically attract higher attendance rates.
  • Time – Aim for popular webinar times, usually 11 AM or 2 PM, depending on your audience’s location. You may want to plan for multiple webinar sessions to accommodate different time zones.
  • Length – According to GoTo, 60 minutes is the most popular webinar length, followed by 90, 30, and 120 minutes. Select a duration that will allow you and your guests to deliver value yet still maintain attention and engagement.
  • Description: Describe what will be covered in the webinar. Consider including a section of the key takeaways the audience can expect to gain after the webinar and who (job titles, etc.) would benefit from the presentation.

What days are most webinars held? Source: GoTo

What time to hold a webinar? Source: GoTo

4. Setup webinar logistics

Once you have set the details for the webinar, the next step is to set up the platform for the event and promotional items to encourage potential attendees to register. 

Whether you choose Zoom, GoToWebinar, ON24, or another option, ensure the webinar platform supports the features you need, such as screen sharing, polls, and Q&A. 

You will also want to look at registration page customization options and ways to track how your attendees found and registered for your events so you can measure marketing effectiveness. 

In addition to the registration page for the webinar presentation, don’t forget to do the following:

  • Set date for trial run presentation
  • Setup webinar for trial run
  • Reserve time in speakers/host schedule for event
  • Send trial run and event information to speakers/host

5. Prepare presentation and speakers

To prepare presenters for a webinar, consider doing the following:

  • Set key messages: Identify the key messages you want the audience to take away, ensuring they align with the presentation’s overall goals.
  • Set up check-in times: Schedule regular check-in points with the presenter(s) to review progress, discuss any concerns, and provide feedback. 
  • Build draft presentation: Work with the presenter(s) to create a draft version with a clear structure, introduction, main content, and conclusion. Incorporate visuals, interactive elements, and relevant data to make the presentation engaging.
  • Brand check: Once the draft is ready, send it to a graphic designer who will ensure that the presentation aligns with the brand’s style, colour schemes, and design standards.
  • Practice final presentation: Schedule a rehearsal with the presenter(s) to practice the flow, timing, and any technical aspects and anticipate potential questions from the audience.
  • Finalize presentation: Based on feedback, make any final adjustments and ensure all elements are polished and ready for the live webinar.

6. Promote your webinar

You will need a multi-channel promotional plan to encourage people to attend your webinar. Here are items to add to your list:

  • Create a registration page: If you haven’t already set one up, design a high-converting landing page with your webinar title, description, speaker bios, and registration form. To avoid drop-offs, ensure that you only ask for the necessary details on your registration form. 
  • Announce the event on your website: Don’t forget to include webinar details and a registration page in the Events section of your website.
  • Design an email marketing sequence: Announce the webinar to your existing email list with an enticing invitation. Remember to send reminders closer to the date to increase registration and attendance and encourage recipients to share event details.
  • Social media posts: Share announcements, teasers and countdown posts on social media platforms where your audience goes. Encourage employees and speakers to share the announcements with their network.
  • SEM/Paid ads: To reach a wider audience, use targeted ads on platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Google. Consider also running retargeting ads for those who visit the registration page but do not sign up. 
  • Industry media: Consider exploring how industry or media properties might be able to help you promote your event. Often, they offer spots in their newsletters or banner ads on their website.
  • Influencer or partner promotions: Collaborate with industry influencers or partner companies who can co-promote the webinar.

7. Deliver your webinar

On the day of the webinar, it is a good idea to log into the webinar platform 30 minutes to 1 hour before the event time to ensure no technology issues. It also allows you to check the angle of the cameras to ensure it is a flattering angle. 

For webinars where you expect many attendees and possibly many questions, it is advisable to have someone other than the host manage questions and comments. This allows the host to focus on the presenters and keep the presentation moving.

 

8. Post-event follow-up

Your webinar can keep contributing to your marketing program after the presentation date. Your post-event follow-up activities are an opportunity to engage with all registrants, build brand awareness and drive prospects to your website. Here are some things you can do with your webinar recording:

  • Follow-up thank you email: Thank your registrants for registering for the webinar and send a link to the recording. Include helpful resources or a summary of what was discussed during the event. 
  • Write a summary blog: Capture the webinar’s key takeaways in a blog. It can add to your SEO efforts and drive traffic when done well. 
  • Post on social media: Promote the webinar recording or post-webinar blog on your social networks. 
  • Create YouTube shorts: Select highlights from the webinar presentation (<1 minute) and upload to YouTube. Share on social media or through your newsletters to help promote your brand and webinar recording.
  • Evaluate KPIs and feedback: Measure attendance, engagement, and feedback to assess success and identify areas for improvement.

Get help with your webinar planning!

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