How to Set Up a Webinar Your Audience Will Love

Edna B. Shearer
May 10, 2022·8 min read

Learn how to set up a webinar, what types your business should be using, and webinar best practices.

Webinars are the easiest way to learn new skills, and learning how to set up a webinar is a great way for a business to offer value to their customers and prospects. You can use webinars for anything from walking prospects through a new product feature, to hosting a panel discussion with industry experts.

In today’s world, most businesses have moved to a remote or hybrid model and the majority of communication with customers is done via the internet. The digital transformation of the last year brought accessibility to the forefront and customers now expect virtual opportunities for product and industry-related education. With webinars, you can reach a much wider audience than when businesses were confined to meetings in brick and mortar offices and at in-person events.

Learning how to set up a webinar is an essential tactic for your marketing strategy. It’s a way to offer effective learning tools while generating leads and virtual networking with prospects.

As a rule, webinars are hosted live, but to get the most from them, don’t forget to hit record and turn them into evergreen content and future lead generating machines.

  1. Contents
  2. 1. What is a Webinar?
  3. 2. The Benefits of Webinars for Business
  4. 2.1 Webinars Are Easily Accessible and Low-Cost to Produce
  5. 2.2 Webinars Generate Leads
  6. 2.3 Webinars Offer High Value to Attendees
  7. 2.4 Webinars Are Effective Learning Tools
  8. 2.5 Webinars Rank among the Most Useful Content Formats
  9. 2.6 Webinars Can Be a Very Interactive Video Format
  10. 2.7 Webinars Have a Long Lifespan
  11. 3. 5 Types of Webinars You Need to Diversify Your Webinar Program
  12. 3.1 Panel Webinars
  13. 3.2 Educational Webinars
  14. 3.3 Presentation Webinars (a.k.a. Keynotes)
  15. 3.4 Product Webinars
  16. 3.5 On-Demand Webinars
  17. 4. How to Make a Webinar
  18. 4.1 Have a Clear Goal in Mind
  19. 4.2 Choose the Right Speaker(s)
  20. 4.3 Get it in the Calendar
  21. 4.4 Spread the Word
  22. 4.5 Choose a Webinar Software
  23. 4.6 Get a Moderator
  24. 4.7 Do a Tech Rehearsal
  25. 4.8 Make the Recording Available On-Demand
  26. 5. Webinar Best Practices
  27. 5.1 Build Excitement with Webinar Teasers
  28. 5.2 Chop Up Your Webinars
  29. 5.3 Create a Webinar Video Hub
  30. 5.4 Score Those Webinar Leads
  31. 5.5 Stay in Touch with Webinar Attendees
  32. 6. Where to Use Webinars
  33. 7. Examples of Webinars That Get it Right
  34. 7.1 Trello Webinars
  35. 7.2 HubSpot Webinars
  36. 7.3 IMPACT Webinars
  37. 7.4 Vidyard Webinars

What is a Webinar?

Webinars are convenient virtual learning tools available to anyone with an internet connection. Like real-world seminars, webinars are educational in purpose. They can take the form of a prepared lecture, panel interview, or live Q&A session, and can be live-streamed and available on-demand.

Watch and Learn

Watch Video Producer, Mat King, explain what webinars are and how to set up a webinar. Along with Blake Smith, Vidyard’s Creative Director, he breaks down a real webinar to highlight what makes a good one.

The Benefits of Webinars for Business

Webinars are one of the most popular types of video for businesses. There are many reasons why webinars are important for your business, but one of the biggest is the value they provide not only to you but also to your customers. Other benefits include:

1. Webinars Are Easily Accessible and Low-Cost to Produce

There’s a good reason why 53% of companies have already invested in webinars. Without paying for a physical venue (and everything that comes with it), most webinars are easy to produce and easy to attend. If I can attend in my PJs, it’s a pretty easy ask.

2. Webinars Generate Leads

With many companies making the move to virtual or online events, more and more are counting webinars as one of the best ways to generate leads. They’re quickly becoming one of the most popular forms of marketing content. Don’t miss out, learn how to set up a webinar and reach a wider audience.

3. Webinars Offer High Value to Attendees

Who doesn’t want to learn something new from the comfort of their own home or office? Speakers can also attend from anywhere in the world, making it easier for you to secure top industry professionals and thought leaders, no matter where your company is located.

4. Webinars Are Effective Learning Tools

The brain processes visual information 60,000x faster than text. Live-streaming allows you to use slides, video, and even screen sharing to make your point. Live Q&As make for meaningful interactions and a deeper learning experience than asynchronous tutorials—or even live events where audience members might be too shy to speak up!

5. Webinars Rank among the Most Useful Content Formats

Webinars and videos were ranked as the most effective content delivery channel by 26% of sales and marketing professionals, second only to websites and landing pages.

6. Webinars Can Be a Very Interactive Video Format

Q&As, surveys, chat, and polls are just a few of the most popular ways to engage live webinar attendants.

7. Webinars Have a Long Lifespan

Record this valuable material and serve it up on-demand as evergreen content.

checklist graphic

Get the Webinars Checklist checklist graphic Ready to make a webinar for your business? This list covers all the things you need to know to get it right. Get the List