The ultimate guide to creating and presenting webinars

Webinars are an essential tool for engaging audiences, increasing reach, and helping develop essential skills. And they’ve become incredibly popular in recent years. According to Wyzowl, for example, 83% of people find webinars effective. And, according to a 2020 survey from LinkedIn, 67% of marketing organisations were increasing investment in webinars.  

 

Webinars are popular – and that popularity only looks to grow. But far too many webinars are published and promoted without much thought. They are seen as simple discussions, or last-minute teaching sessions that do not require much preparation. Or, for other organisations, webinars are seen as too complex and complicated, requiring too much attention and effort. 

 

Neither of those things are true. Webinars do require attention and effort, but some easy research, some basic advice and guidance, and some simple tips will do the trick. So, without further ado, we run through all of the basics of how to put on an engaging webinar.  

 

Skip to: Think about your webinar audience 

Skip to: Consider the best topics for your webinar

Skip to: Pick the best speaker for your webinar

Skip to: Choose the right time for your webinar

Skip to: Master webinar promotion 

Skip to: Use the best digital webinar tools 

Skip to: Create engaging webinar slides 

Skip to: Write a great webinar script 

Skip to: Focus on interaction on the webinar

Skip to: Record and promote after the webinar

 

 

Think about your webinar audience 

 

Define your webinar’s value 

 

According to HubSpot, the most engaging webinars teach the audience specific and necessary skills. So think about your expertise and consider the current market.  

 

Are you able to offer something of value that others are not offering? Do you have specific expertise working in a particular area? Is that expertise likely to provide additional value to your audience? 

 

Remember that people are busy and asking them to take an hour out of their week is a commitment. If you are not able to offer content of value and tangible takeaways that provide real-world benefits, then perhaps the webinar is not worth the effort.  

 

It’s also worth remembering that certain content will better suit other formats. If you want to produce a well-reasoned argument on a subject, then perhaps an article is better suited. If you want a discussion, consider a podcast. If you want to give a quick tutorial, think about video content.

 

 

Establish user needs prior to the webinar

 

If you still think a webinar is the best format, and you think you can provide value to the audience, then you should proceed. Start by thinking about what your audience wants to see. Defining user needs is essential, as the wants and needs of your users should rest firmly in the centre of your organisation, your mission, your values.  

 

Considering user needs before creating content brings myriad benefits, such as: 

• Giving your goals, your mission, and your strategy greater direction 
• Allowing for more informed and more targeted decision-making 
• Encouraging greater empathy throughout your organisation 
• Allowing you to create more effective products and services 

Without user research, organisations produce content based on assumptions and that can lead to wasted resources and wasted time. There are various ways to establish user needs, the best of which will be specific to the nature of your organisation.  

 

 

Conduct effective webinar research 

 

To determine user needs, you may want to start with quantitative research. Use the information you already possess. That means uncovering data from past events, sign-ups, social interactions, and so on. Use each piece of small information to gain a better understanding of the content that resonates with users – and what you might be missing. 

 

So, for example, look at your successful content and see if you notice trends. Do not simply look at page views but consider engagement metrics. Check out your CRM to find out common attributes among users, such as job role, type of organisation, size of organisation, and so on. That should give you a sense of your audience, in quantitative terms. 

 

Use qualitative data to fill gaps in quantitative data. The key to qualitative research is to think carefully about information you need. You can ask your audience specific questions – via email, on socials, or after the webinar – to gauge what they’d like to see.

 

Ask questions that will inform your webinar and use the information as a guide to dictate your content.

 

 

Consider the best topics for your webinar

 

Take stock of wider webinar trends 

 

So, you’ve established a broad understanding of what your users want. But the best webinars often give the audience something they don’t know they want. So, when thinking about the best topics to cover in your webinar, think about what your audience might not know.  

 

By keeping abreast of trends, charities will be able to notice opportunities and risks, offering them a greater understanding of the market. Opportunities include:  

• Extending services across geographical boundaries
• Creating better service options for users
• Providing differentiated service options
• Reducing costs with new digital enhancements

Marry demographic trends with wider social, cultural, or tech trends to make the most of your opportunities.

 

So, for example, we know that people under 25 avoid voice calls, preferring text and chat. We also know that they are one of the most generous demographics. So, if you have any expertise with digital fundraising, you could host a webinar explaining how chat bots and other chat tech can boost a charity’s fundraising.  

 

 

Finalise your choice of webinar 

 

You should now have some expertise, along with an understanding of user needs and general trends. Then start brainstorming with your team.

 

That might mean two or ten people, but you’ll benefit from the dialogue, finding and addressing any problems with the content. Establish some topics and discuss them, establishing the right time to present each topic.

 

Charity Digital has been putting on webinars for more than three years. Here are some of our most popular webinars to date, in terms of engagement and overall views, which might give you a sense of some of the most popular topics, at least according to our audience: 

• How to create the perfect digital strategy 
• Social media for charities 101 
• Digital trends for 2022 
• A guide to hybrid events 
• The best volunteer management systems for charities

 

Pick the best speaker for your webinar

 

Your content will help you pick the presenter, as you will always want the presenter to understand the topic. The aim is to have skilled, knowledgeable experts presenting your webinars. That might not always be possible. But passion goes a long way.  

 

According to WorkCast, for example, 32% of attendees said that they felt most engaged when the webinar presenter was passionate and human, so encourage presenters to showcase their personalities while presenting.  

 

There are several ways that presenters can showcase personality and passion, while also maintaining a human touch. Below is some advice.

 

 

Ditch long webinar scripts 

 

Webinar scripts are meant to support your presentation, but they can inadvertently lead to a robotic presentation. We’ve all seen presentations where the presenter keeps their head down, repeats what’s in front of them, and does not add any flair or personality.

 

One key tip is to minimise the length of scripts, using only bullet points to highlight key talking points.

 

 

Practice your webinar in advance 

 

Practicing the webinar in advance allows you to notice problems that might appear on the day. You’ll find places where you stumble, where experience might be limited, where you might find gaps in knowledge.

 

The practicing stage will also let you deal with any linguistic challenges, giving you adequate preparation to properly answer those questions on the day.

 

 

Increase the energy in your webinar

 

A big tip is to increase your energy and remain positive. Attendees would much rather spend an hour listening to a high-energy expert with some knowledge, than a robotic presenter that knows everything.

 

They’ll also learn a lot more, according to research, so aim to bring positive energy, passion, and a sense of humanity to every webinar presentation.

 

 

Choose the right time for your webinar

 

Choose the best day 

 

According to research from Live Webinar, the best days for webinars are Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday. From these three days, according to MegaMeeting, Thursday draws the highest attendance and best engagement, but the other days are not far behind.  

 

The trend is not a surprise. People tend to be more productive during the middle of the week, when working mindsets hit their peak. Mondays are a day of adjustment, with employees settling back into work and preparing for the week. On Fridays, employees are often distracted by the weekend or simply unwilling to commit to anything too strenuous. 

 

 

Choose the best time

 

The best time for webinars, according to research from GoTo, is directly before or just after lunch. As a rule, the best times are between 11:00 and 14:00, but not at 12:00 – largely because that is typically the lunch hour and people are unwilling to sacrifice that lunch hour.

 

Remember, too, that you must consider your target audience when choosing. Are they split across several time zones? If so, you need to find the most accommodating time for everyone.

 

 

Choose the best length

 

You do not want to bore your audience. That fact often leads people to presume that shorter webinars are more successful. But, research shows, that simply isn’t the case.

 

According to GoTo, for example, people are drawn to longer webinars, with 60-minute webinars attracting 2.1 times the number of registrants as the 30-minute webinar. Indeed, according to WorkCast, the average attendee viewing time is 57 minutes – not exactly a short webinar. Longer webinars work, but you will need to maintain the energy throughout.

 

So, the 60-minute webinar is a safe choice, but always ensure that you have the right content to justify that length. And remember that the 60-minute webinar should include a Q&A.

 

 

Master your webinar promotion 

 

Write an SEO blurb and title 

 

You’ll want to keep your webinar on a landing page, somewhere on your site that is easy to find, and you’ll want to direct promotion to that page. The landing page should have a simple sign-up form and description of the webinar, which should include a blurb and a title that is optimised using Search engine optimisation (SEO).  

 

SEO is the art of ranking high on search engines, improving your visibility to potential attendees who may be looking to learn about your specific subject matter. SEO is an art, not a science, and the algorithm is constantly changing on all search engines.

 

But there are some basic principles that you can follow that should help improve your ranking and promote your webinar to a wider organic audience. These rules include: 

• Ensure your blurb is well-written, readable, and engaging
• Use keywords with a human touch, ensuring reading quality remains
• Write a precise, concise, and keyword-focussed title
• Ensure your site easy-to-use and optimised for mobile

 

Start promoting early 

 

Promotion is an essential ingredient for a successful webinar. BrightTALK recommends that webinars that see the best success are promoted with three-to-four weeks in advance.  

 

If that’s not possible, it’s essential that you open registrations at least eight days prior to the event. According to Blogging X, 54% of attendees will sign-up for the event within the final days.

 

So open registrations early to ensure a greater window to register, but double-down on promotion as the event approaches. 

 

 

Promote through various channels

 

Email is perhaps the most likely and most used medium to promote webinars. According to Outgrow, for example, 65% of webinar hosts use email as their top strategy for promoting webinars. Email marketing is a must for all aspect of charity marketing and comms, but particularly when it comes to the promotion of webinars.

 

Email marketing improves the number of registrations, supports effective communication of content, and allows you to build a subscriber lists, improving your return users. Effective email marketing software can also help you target audiences, review data to improve future emails, and broadly create a wider reach.

 

To find out more, check out our comprehensive article on email marketing. 

 

Social media is another necessary channel. Our advice to charities is to focus on a few platforms, mastering those platforms rather than spreading resources too thin.

 

The best platforms to promote webinars are typically LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter, but for charities looking to approach younger demographics, you might want to try Snapchat or TikTok.

 

Google rankings, email marketing, and social media are likely the best ways to draw people to your webinar. But there are other options

 

You might want to embrace digital advertising, with various pay-per-click options. Alternatively, you might want to pay for advertisements, or work with others in the charity community and beyond to spread awareness, asking for favours in return for similar favours in the future.

 

 

Use the best digital webinar tools

 

Opt for familiarity and reliability 

 

So, you’ve thought about your audience, picked your topic, found your passionate host, picked the best time, and you’ve done your promotion. Now you need to think about actual delivery. The first thing to consider is the tools you’ll want to use.

 

You’ll want to choose tools you and your audience are familiar with. Teams and Zoom are both good options for presenting webinars, largely because most charities will have some experience with the tech and the audience will, too. Google Hangouts is another option that also provides some familiarity, but perhaps not as much since Teams and Zoom have taken off during the pandemic.

 

But if you need more professional features – such as in-depth analytics, built-in interactivity features, options for effective co-hosting – then you can try out other platforms, such as: 

• WebinarNinja
• ClickMeeting
• Demio
• GoToWebinar
• Livestorm 

Do you research, consider your needs, and pick the most cost-effective option for your charity. Remember that, according to WorkCast, 25% of people use mobile devices to view webinar content, so ensure the platform you choose is mobile-friendly.  

 

 

Think carefully about hardware 

 

Your choice of equipment will largely depends on your budget, your needs, and the needs of your audience. For many charities, using a standard laptop will do the trick. You’ll be able to effectively convey the information, present your slide deck, and give a decent presentation.

 

But webinars can benefit from some professional and cost-effective hardware. The equipment required to get started with a webinar is modest. Aside from a computer, you might want to include a good quality microphone, such as one of the below examples: 

• Blue Microphones Yeti 
• Amazon Basics Professional USB Condenser Microphone 
• Audio-Technica ATR2100 

You’ll also want to look at some headphones, such as:  

• Audio-Technica ATH-M30X 
• Plantronics Voyager Legend 
• BlueParrott B550-XT 

 

Check your equipment 

 

Prior to recording, meet with everyone involved in the presentation of the webinar and ensure all equipment is working well. That means: 

• Testing the sound levels on the microphone and the headphones 
• Ensuring slide transitions and the chat function is working 
• Testing any interactive features you might want to use 

You should test these all out about half-an-hour before the webinar, ensuring everything is ready for when the actual event starts. It’s also essential that you have contingency plans, so that if issues arise, you can make quick changes to ensure everything runs smoothly.  

 

 

Keep webinar accessibility in mind 

 

Accessibility should be front of mind when delivering a webinar. The first thing to consider is captions. Live captioning and transcription help people with hearing problems, as well as those who speak English as a second language.  

 

Captions and transcriptions may be built into your webinar platform’s features, or you can use a third-party auto-captioning app or software.

 

There are two forms of captioning that you need to consider. Closed captioning offers more than direct speech-to-text, as it can include description of non-speech parts of the webinar, such as noting certain sound effects and identifying different speakers.

 

Live transcription converts speech into text, with the text transcribed from the words in the webinar. The benefit of live transcription is that it focusses entirely on the speech element of the webinar, which can help avoid excessive information from other elements. 

 

You should also consider contrast for your slides. High-contrast colours mean that people with visual impairments will still be able to see the slides, without too many issues. The best contrast ratio, at least for main text, is at least 4.5:1.  

 

Your charity should give words plenty of space to breath between text and images, ensuring the right font size, and pick accessible fonts. The most accessible fonts, according to Siteimprove, include Tahoma, Calibri, Helvetica, Arial, Verdana, and Times New Roman.

 

 

Create engaging webinar slides 

 

Pick the best platform to prepare your deck 

 

Now it’s time to create slides. You can create slide decks using various platforms. Microsoft PowerPoint remains popular – and for good reason. PowerPoint has decent functionality, allowing you to create aesthetically appealing slides without too much hassle. 

 

Google Slides is another trusted option, providing users with a sense of familiarity at no cost. Canva is another great option, with various paid for and free options, which provides a greater emphasis on design. Canva is easy-to-use and intuitive, so works for small charities.  

 

And there are plenty of other options for creating slide decks, including: 

• Prezi 
• Saleshandy 
• DocSend 
• Slidebean 
• Powtoon 

You should do further research and find the best platform for you. Platforms come with different functionalities, at different costs, so think about your needs when choosing.  

 

 

Avoid reliance on written word 

 

Slides should substantiate, clarify, and reinforce what the presenter is saying. Indeed, research from Shift Learning suggests that reinforcing our words with imagery drastically improves comprehension and retention of the message.

  

One rule, suggested by Second Nature UK, is to limit each slide to the 5X5 rule. That means each slide should have no more than five bullet points and no more than five words per bullet point. That might seem a little constricting, but it’s beneficial to keep in mind. 

 

A broader rule is to simply replace words with graphics wherever possible, but always ensuring images are meaningful. So if you have some stats, consider putting them in visual form, using SmartArt and Icons in PowerPoint, for example. And make use of the full range of visual options, employing imagery, charts, graphics, and videos to bring your message to life.  

 

Take advantage of hyperlinks, too. Do not over-explain, for example, but give a broad explanation and include some hyperlinks for the audience to do dig further if they want to. Perhaps you’ll have a resource section on the webinar page, where you can direct attendees to more in-depth information on a particular topic rather than including everything in slides.  

 

 

Keep webinar slides clean

 

You do want to employ visuals rather than the written word, but that does not mean you should saturate your slides with hundreds of graphs, graphics, and photos. Keep your slides clean and simple, with precise copy, lots of white space, and clear imagery. Making clean slides allows your audience to engage with the content without too many distractions. 

 

 

Write a good webinar script 

 

Slides should substantiate your script, drawing the audience’s attention to essential points. But your script is the bulk of the webinar and likely the most time-consuming part of the preparation.

 

The script needs to keep your audience’s attention for an hour – according to our suggested length – so you’ll need to ensure it’s particularly engaging. 

 

 

Think about webinar format 

 

Not every webinar will require a detailed script. Some will only require bullet points because the presenter will be able to elaborate without a script. But, if you’re producing a webinar on a topic that is not precisely your expertise, it’s best to prepare more detailed notes. 

 

 

Start by setting expectations 

 

Begin the script by setting out expectations. That means defining what you expect from the audience and what the audience can expect from the webinar. Start by summarising the structure, outlining the parts of the presentation, and explaining key takeaways.

 

Then mention interactive elements, which we’ll cover below. The audience should know what they’ll need to do during the webinar.

 

Does the audience need to write anything down during the webinar, other than notes? Do they need to participate? Will they go into breakout rooms to engage in further discussion? How long will the Q&A last at the end of the session?

 

Within five minutes of your webinar, you should have outlined what the audience should learn, explained the key takeaways, and made it clear what’s expected of the audience.

 

 

Be mindful of time 

 

You should ideally aim for a conversational pace. The entire presentation should seem as though you’re speaking directly to your audience, breaking up speech into bite-sized and readily digestible chunks, so that your audience can process what you’re saying.

 

Presenters should use the script to ensure they keep to the right time. So, for example, with a 60-minute webinar, you could have markings that suggest where you should be during a particular moment of your presentation. If you happen to be too far ahead, or too far behind, the script gives you an indication that you should adjust your delivery speed.

 

 

Read the webinar script aloud in advance

 

Once you’ve finished your script, you need to practice. Practicing helps you to mitigate any potential risks – poor timing, for example, or the potential of veering off topic – and to improve readability.

 

Make adjustments and alter the script – and the slides, if necessary – as you practice and then practice again once you’ve made changes.

 

 

Focus on interaction on the webinar

 

Interactive webinars increase engagement, but plenty of webinars still seem akin to a lecture. You should consider the best forms of interactivity for each webinar, which might change depending on the topic. Below we run through some tips to improve interactivity. 

 

 

Use polls and the chat function

 

Two-way forms of interactivity will help break down the barriers that exist between the audience and the presenter. These easy and simple methods of interactivity have been shown to increase viewing time, improve ratings, and generally increase attendee satisfaction.

 

Let’s start with polls. Polls are only used roughly 34% of the time in webinars, according to Ready Talk. They are massively underutilised. Polls are particularly effective at the beginning of a session, where you can gauge your audience’s wants and needs, understand their current knowledge on any given topic, and grab their attention as soon as possible.

 

The chat function is standard on most platforms, but lots of webinars do not provide clarity over its use. You should actively encourage the audience to use the live chat throughout the webinar, preferably with another member of your team in attendance to answer questions.

 

Other audience members will also play that role, answering other audience member questions, which will create better interactivity across the board.

 

 

Use innovative forms of interactivity

 

Cost-effective webinar platforms offer limited tools. But, for those who want to increase interactivity even further, you can access third-party platforms that allow you to access innovative interactive elements.

 

Consider Mentimeter, for example. The app lets you boost interactivity with options such as Word Cloud, which lets you ask an open question – such as ‘Where are you listening from?’ – and the app generated a word cloud based on the answers.

 

The feature can be used to find core frustrations, note pain points, and generally improve the engagement of the webinar. The platform also you to create graphs in real-time, based on audience answers, and even allows audience members to add pictures to their answers.

 

And there are plenty of other platforms offering innovative functionality. Kahoot! gives the audience to chance to engage in fun learning games through multiple-choice questions and Quizizz offers a similar experience, with an emphasis on the quiz element.

 

And there are plenty of other collaborative tools, so think about what you want, do your research, and pick the best. Just always ensure that the app is easy to integrate on your chosen webinar platform and ensure that you practice using the tech well in advance.

 

 

Leave lots of time for a webinar Q&A

 

According to HubSpot, when asked what they’d most like to see in webinars, audience members most like to see a host or presenter take questions from the audience. Q&As are an essential part of webinars, changing a presentation into a conversation.

 

Most webinars already have Q&As at the end. Outgrow suggests, for example, that 91% of webinars have a Q&A function in some form. The question, then, is how to make sure your Q&A is effective and champions continued discussion.

 

The first thing to consider is timing. Charity Digital tends to aim for 40 minutes of presentation and 20 minutes for the Q&A. The general ratio of 1/3 seems like a safe choice for webinars.

 

The second thing to consider is how questions should be prioritised. You can use the Q&A function in Zoom, creating a separate chat, and asking audience members to upvote the best questions, which means your answers will have the best possible impact.

 

In terms of answering questions, you can predict the questions you might receive and research potential answers if needed. The worst scenario for a Q&A is a presenter that is unable to provide clarity and expertise beyond what they’ve already delivered. So do your research, think of likely questions, and come prepared with answers.

 

If you receive far too many questions to answer in 20 minutes, consider releasing answers after the event. That might mean compiling some of the questions missed, especially if there are similarities, and publishing an article after the event. The article should answer the questions and provide further resources for people to engage with.

 

That’s how we dealt with a surplus of questions on our webinar on grant funding. After the event, we released an article that answered additional questions.

 

 

Invite webinar feedback at the end

 

Once the session is over, ask the audience for feedback. You can use Typeform or other platforms that help you create forms – it’s all relatively easy and free-of-charge.

 

Your questions will want to gauge the success of the topic, the success of the speaker, overall satisfaction, and anything specific that you want to learn. At Charity Digital, for example, we ask the following questions – along with any specific additional questions we might have: 

• On a scale of 1–5, how satisfied were you with the overall webinar? 
• On a scale of 1–5, to what extent was the content relevant to your charity? 
• Did the webinar inspire you to develop your digital skills? 
• On a scale of 1–5, how would you rate the delivery and viewing experience of the webinar? 
• On a scale of 1–10, how likely are you to recommend this webinar to a friend or colleague? 
• Do you have any other feedback you would like to share? 

Always ensure you give a final space for further comments, as that will allow you to gauge a more general viewpoint, which you can use to improve your webinar in the future.

 

 

Record and promote after the webinar

 

The final step is simple. Ensure you record the webinar and release the recording on YouTube or other applicable platforms. At Charity Digital, we wait two weeks after the event to release the recording, which helps us retain an audience on the day and improves interaction.

 

In terms of promotion, you can use the same methods that we explored earlier. Perhaps embed the YouTube link to your webinar in an article and send an email asking for people to watch. Or share the link on your socials, giving viewers a second chance to engage.

 

And, finally, take a look at the data analytics, the feedback, and the broad success of the webinar and use those stats to define future webinars. What can you improve? Did you include enough interactivity? Are there certain topics that have a greater appetite?

 

Then repeat the process, making small improvements until you perfect your webinar.