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Insights on events, technology, and the future of gathering
Quick answer: A webinar is a web-based seminar - an informative session cast online, usually lasting 30 minutes to an hour. One or more hosts present to a remote audience through a webinar platform, either live or pre-recorded, often with interactive features like chat, Q&A, and polls to keep attendees engaged.
A webinar is a web-based seminar cast online, usually in a lecture format
Types vary by delivery (live or pre-recorded) and purpose (training, sales, informative)
Most run 30 to 60 minutes and need little more than a platform, webcam, and microphone
Schedule around your audience, test your technology, and mix lecturing with interaction
Promote well in advance through email, social media, and your website
Webinars have been a useful tool for organizations, businesses, and thought leaders for years, but the COVID-19 pandemic transformed them from an occasional tool into a staple of the professional world. To help you get the most out of webinars and similar virtual events, let’s take a closer look at what webinars are, how they work, and how you can host one successfully.
As you might guess from the name, a webinar is a web-based seminar. It can take many forms and cover countless subject areas, but every webinar is an informative session cast online. Most follow a lecture format, with one or a few presenters speaking to an audience, though many also incorporate interactive questions or activities throughout.
Webinars can be categorized in a few ways - most often by how they are delivered and by the purpose they serve.
While all webinars are virtual events, there are multiple ways to deliver them. Most often, you’ll see webinars as live video events, with the hosts delivering the presentation in real time. Pre-recorded webinars are also common, though, especially for training purposes.
You can also break webinars down by the type of video they use. Most are either demonstration videos, with the host demonstrating a task or strategy, or presentation webinars that show slides while the host lectures. There are also “talking head” webinars that show the host as they speak, as well as animated webinars that animate the points the host is discussing.
Webinars are common across many industries, but most fall into a few categories based on the purpose they serve. Internal training webinars teach new staff members how to perform certain tasks. Sales webinars introduce the audience to your product or service. Informative webinars work like a masterclass, letting the host share tips, strategies, and best practices with the audience.
Webinars are rather simple: one or a few hosts provide a demonstration or lecture to an online audience. They can be any length, though most run between 30 minutes and one hour. Most webinars are live events scheduled for a specific time, though some are pre-recorded for later use.
Luckily, webinars don’t require a lot of specialized equipment. All you need is a webinar platform, a computer that can run the software, and a webcam and microphone if your computer doesn’t already have these built in. You might also want lighting equipment, like a ring light, to create more flattering and predictable lighting.
As with other types of virtual events, webinars need a dedicated platform that can cast the video over the internet to your audience. The platform you choose makes a critical difference. Not only does it need to be reliable and user-friendly, it also needs the features you want: hand-raising signals or a chat area to accommodate live questions, muting capabilities so the host can mute all attendees, recording capabilities, and screen sharing options.
To host a successful webinar that informs and engages your audience, keep these best practices in mind.
Particularly if you want your webinar to be interactive, make sure as many attendees as possible can tune in. Consider who your target audience is, how their days are generally structured, and when a convenient time might be.
No matter how fantastic your webinar’s content is, technical glitches can derail it quickly. To lower that risk, get familiar with your technology - including your webinar platform - in advance, so you can operate it smoothly on the big day.
To avoid losing your audience’s attention, try not to lecture for too long at a time. Instead, incorporate interactive questions or activities every five to ten minutes to keep your audience’s focus, and make sure to leave time for questions at the end - live Q&A is one of the features attendees appreciate most.
Your webinar will only serve its purpose if it’s seen, so promote it well in advance with these strategies.
Email marketing is an incredibly useful tool. Your webinar may be designed for a specific pool of people, like colleagues within your organization, or it could be open to the public - in which case you can spread the word to your mailing list. After registrants sign up, you can also send periodic emails about exciting features of the webinar to encourage them to invite others.
Social media platforms let you spread the word to a large number of people quickly and cost-effectively. Promote your webinar on all your organization’s social media channels, and consider paid ads to expand your reach further.
Your own website should promote your webinar with calls to action on various pages, and possibly a pop-up as well. Make it simple and clear for visitors to find more information about your webinar and to register.
Most webinars run between 30 minutes and one hour. That is long enough to cover a topic in depth while leaving time for questions at the end, without losing your audience’s attention.
No. Live webinars are the most common format, but pre-recorded webinars are widely used too - especially for internal training, where attendees can watch on their own schedule.
A webinar is a single web-based seminar session, usually in a lecture format. A virtual event is a broader online gathering that can include multiple sessions, networking, breakout rooms, and exhibitor spaces - webinars are often one part of a larger virtual event.
Look for reliability and ease of use first, then the features that fit your format: a chat area or hand-raising for live questions, muting controls for the host, recording capabilities, and screen sharing.
Your next webinar can be a powerful success, whether it’s meant to sell your product or share your expertise - and we can help. Canapii has powered 2,000+ events for 300,000+ attendees across 45+ countries since 2020. Reach out to us today to learn more about our platform for webinars and virtual events.