17 Lessons from Running 5,000 Webinars
After running more than 5,000 webinars at WBNR, generating over $10 million, I've discovered that 95% of businesses still misuse webinars, costing them time, money, and potential clients. In this guide, I'm revealing the exact methods we used to consistently attract high-value clients, generate leads without ads, and turn webinars into your most valuable marketing asset.
1. Stop Relying Solely on Paid Ads
Paid ads were initially effective but quickly became unsustainable as costs skyrocketed, leading us to pivot. The turning point? Implementing a consistent weekly webinar schedule.
Action: Start running regular webinars without ad spend to build ongoing client relationships.
2. Build a System, Not a Single Webinar
One-time webinars limit your conversion opportunities. By consistently delivering webinars on varied topics, you build trust, nurture leads, and steadily increase conversions.
Action: Develop a structured, recurring webinar calendar (e.g., weekly or monthly) to engage and convert your audience repeatedly.
Take Action: Get a custom webinar system built for your business now.
3. Use Your Existing Content
Initially, creating weekly webinars seemed overwhelming. The reality? We already had the necessary content within our courses, blogs, podcasts, and events.
Action: Repurpose existing content strategically into engaging webinars, saving significant time and effort.
4. Multiply Your Webinar's Impact
Your webinar should serve as pillar content, powering your entire content strategy across blogs, podcasts, YouTube, emails, and social media.
Action: Structure your webinars intentionally so they can be repurposed into multiple formats post-event.
5. Master Your Follow-Up Strategy
Around 40% of webinar revenue occurs after the event, underscoring the need for effective follow-up sequences.
Action: Create automated follow-up emails, personal outreach via calls and messages, and retargeting ads to consistently convert webinar attendees.
6. Success is in the Details
Even minor adjustments—like webinar titles, follow-up messages, or call-to-action placement—can drastically improve your results.
Action: Regularly refine every webinar element for continuous improvement.
7. Choose Audience-Driven Topics
Choosing webinar topics based solely on personal preference leads to poor attendance and conversions.
Action: Regularly survey your audience to pinpoint their exact interests and challenges.
8. Create Irresistible Headlines
Effective headlines significantly boost registration rates. Employ the "Double Desire" formula to clearly communicate value.
Action: Use proven copywriting techniques to craft compelling headlines that attract attendees.
9. Transform Your Webinars into Evergreen Assets
One-time webinars limit your potential; evergreen webinar pages generate continuous leads long after the live event.
Action: Turn successful webinars into evergreen training pages that continuously capture leads.
10. Experiment with Creative Webinar Formats
Engage attendees with diverse webinar formats like group coaching, client showcases, and market outlook webinars.
Action: Schedule and test innovative formats regularly to maintain audience interest and boost attendance.
11. Build a Webinar Library
Creating a reusable catalog of successful webinars maximizes your long-term ROI.
Action: Organize your best-performing webinars into a library to rerun periodically, ensuring steady results.
12. Lower Customer Acquisition Costs (CAC)
Incorporating webinars into marketing significantly reduces CAC by nurturing existing leads into clients.
Action: Regularly integrate webinars into your marketing to decrease CAC effectively.
13. Personally Follow Up with Webinar Registrants
A simple phone call to registrants immediately after sign-up doubles attendance rates and increases qualified leads.
Action: Collect phone numbers during registration and make personal calls promptly after sign-ups.
Take Action: Get a custom webinar system built for your business now.
14. Choose Trusted Webinar Platforms
Familiar platforms like Zoom consistently outperform flashy alternatives due to trust and user familiarity.
Action: Opt for reliable, well-known platforms like Zoom to maximize attendee comfort and attendance.
15. Boost Attendance with Valuable Bonuses
Offering tangible bonuses, like checklists or guides, significantly increases registration and attendance rates.
Action: Provide clear, practical incentives for webinar attendance.
16. Leverage Educational Marketing
Leading companies consistently offer valuable free content to build trust and authority, driving higher conversions.
Action: Regularly publish educational content to demonstrate expertise and nurture trust with your audience.
17. Captivate and Maintain Audience Engagement
Effective webinars rely on real-time interaction. Engage audiences with polls, quizzes, and interactive elements.
Action: Use intentional engagement methods (polls, quizzes, interactive check-ins) to maintain high participation throughout your webinar.
Bonus Insight: Harness Word-of-Mouth
Remarkably, nearly half our webinar leads come from organic referrals, emphasizing the power of creating share-worthy content.
Action: Craft highly valuable webinars and explicitly encourage attendees to share your events with peers.
Long-Term Mindset for High-Ticket Sales
Most high-ticket sales occur months after initial exposure. Consistency is crucial for converting webinar attendees over time.
Action: Commit to regular, value-rich webinars understanding that high-value client conversions typically take several months.
Your Next Step
Implement these strategies consistently and watch your webinars transform into powerful client acquisition engines.
Ready to optimize your webinar strategy? Let us build a custom webinar strategy for your business. Apply here.