Running A Webinar 101: Outline, Platforms & More

Ooo, baby. I love it when my clients embark on new business endeavors for the first time. Especially ones that let them put their face in front of their offers, telling their clients “I’m here for you. I’m ready for you, and you’re gonna wanna get in on this.” 

A webinar is a great tool for so many reasons. Not only is it an opportunity to connect with your client base, but it also gives you a forum to answer frequently asked questions and better explain the value of the service you offer outside of your basic sales page. This is also a chance to stand and shine in your own expertise and offer your clients some grade-A valuable knowledge only you can provide! 

If you’re new to the webinar world – or if you can use some new tips and tricks! – then I’m here to break down some of the basics like honing in on your topic, choosing a platform that works for you, drafting a strong outline, and more.

Go wild. 

Your Topic

This usually comes back to whatever you’re offering or want to promote. Think of the people you’re serving – what are they doing wrong that *you* can help them correct? What challenges are they unnecessarily battling with that you can fix? Think of their frequently asked questions or the challenges that trip up your people over and over again. 

Still stuck?  I find it’s always helpful to ask yourself a question that your prospective client might be asking themselves, and then speak to that. As an example, for 90 Day Business Launch, I tried putting myself in my potential client’s shoes, imagining them wondering, “I want to start my own business, but I keep getting in my way. What really needs to happen so I can become an entrepreneur quickly and effectively?” I knew the answer to THAT question would make a great webinar, and How To Launch Your Dream Business in 2021 was born!

Picking a Platform

I used to host my webinars in a plain old Zoom room. (Ever heard of it? *cough COVID cough*)  Zoom offers free accounts for meetings up to 45 minutes - and their paid accounts with additional features are also reasonably priced, too. I also appreciate this platform because it allows me to manage who is talking and when, meaning I can put all of my guests on mute and then answer their questions on my own time using the chat feature. You’re also able to turn your video on and off as well as share your screen quickly and easily. Their webinar platform is also stellar, but more expensive and probably not needed at this point in your business.

Other platforms that are worth checking out include Google Hangouts, Crowdcast, going Live in a private Facebook group, or Live on YouTube. Now, I’ve decided to invest in WebinarNinja to get better webinar analytics - but it’s definitely not something you need when you’re just getting started.

The Flow: 

In my experience, an ideal webinar timeframe will last anywhere from 45 to 75 minutes. You want to make sure you give yourself enough time to hit all of your talking points and answer any questions. Any longer, people will begin logging off or checking out, and any shorter, they may not get the value they were hoping for. 

Here is how I recommend outlining your webinar: 

• INTRO:
  Here, you will want to include who you are, what you do, and what you’re talking about in today’s session. Additionally, you should offer up some basics about your webinar platform so they can learn their way around (like how they can ask questions in the chat feature etc.)! Next, give them a little story or background that is relevant to your topic, like what inspired you to make this offer or a relatable memory that connects you to your clients’ POVs. This provides clarity and color to the core value of the webinar and why you’re passionate about your business! Finally, before diving into your topic,
  tell them exactly what they will walk away with at the end. (Be specific!) This gives anyone in the wrong place an opportunity to jump ship and reassurance to those who came seeking out your webinar goods – and it will entice them to stay until the very end. 

• BODY:
  For the next 15-25 minutes, give them the meat of your topic, a.k.a. whatever essential information you came prepared to bestow upon them that relates back to the webinar title. Early tip: If you’re trying to cram in a lot of information, incorporating visuals such as graphics or a slide-show that you can talk through might be an effective way for your guests to absorb the information, (and give you a little extra-prepared bonus credit!)

• OFFER:
  Once you’ve covered your talking points, plainly state your offer that is related to this webinar. As with almost anything you do, you want to knock them over the head with the value of this particular product or service! Avoid getting in the weeds on logistics of how to work with you (they can go to your website for that!) Stick to the results they’ll get and how amazing they’re going to feel once they sign up! 5-10 minutes here is perfect.

• Q&A
  Before you call it a day, make sure you save room to answer questions that popped up throughout the webinar. Sometimes, attendees remain quiet, and it’s not uncommon if only a very few organic questions come through in real-time. As a safeguard, bring some questions yourself! Once the ball is rolling, you’ll probably see that your attendees feel safe or prompted to ask questions of their own. 

• OUTRO:
  Lastly, end with the moral of the story…the parting thought…the big takeaway. (Again, this is adding value to you and your business and tying up their thoughts for them in a neat little bow.) And, don’t forget to reiterate your offer! It’s extra helpful if you can put a link for your attendees to “sign up/buy/shop” in the chat directly. (“Click it, guys!”)

Tips & Tricks: 

• As a means to evoke action, offer your webinar guests a special discount or gift for being there, and for heaven’s sake give them a deadline to claim it. In my case, I usually give my webinar guests access to the webinar video recording for 48 hours. After that, the webinar recording and the special offer (like a discount on my program price) attached to it disappear!

• When possible, it’s better to utilize a platform that requires your webinar guests to submit their emails so you can retain their information for future marketing and let them know about other relevant opportunities they’ll adore, just like your webinar!

• One easy way to sprinkle in more value and add a little oomph to your presentation is to have a special guest arrive after you present your offer (right before the Q&A). This could be a former client for the service you’re promoting if you have one, or a former client in general who can speak to what it’s like to work with you! They really only need to appear for 5-10 minutes, but the payoff of having an outside source credit you and your work will last and last.

• As far as promoting your webinar goes, try to distribute the news at a steadily increasing rate as the date gets closer, beginning one week in advance. After that, you could do an announcement (on social media or via newsletter) the day before, followed up by one on the morning of and one 15 minutes before showtime. If you are able to record your webinar, send the link out with your special offer attached as soon as the recording is ready, reminding folks of any expirations or due dates.

• If you can, offer up a slide or image visual that clearly outlines the details of your offer while you’re presenting it. This will help your visual learners and give webinar attendees easy reference to the details without having to rewind or scrub your recording to find the place where you spoke about it!

As with most things in life, hosting webinars will become easier with practice. Hey, you might even love them! I know from experience that your ideal prospective clients will have a much easier time seeing you as an expert and connecting to you personally through a value-based webinar, so follow the steps above and when it’s time to hit Live, look into that camera and smile. You’re more than ready for your close-up!