How to Create High Converting Webinars, Build Your List & Sell More

Webinars. You might love them, or hate them (if you do, this post is obviously not for you). However, you might just be intrigued about the whole idea of doing webinars. You have attended a few so you know that a webinar is so much more than a teleseminar because of the screen presentation options. You can do a personal speaker-style video, you can share your screen and walk your audience through a tutorial, or you can do a power point or keynote presentation.

Webinars can be recorded or they can be live. They can have different objectives. You have sooo many questions. Some are tech related, some are focused on the actual presentation. Maybe you don’t know how to actually get people to attend your webinars in the first place, you fear that nobody is going to show up and you will look like a fool.

You are interested but also a tad scared to be really honest. You want to give them a try but don’t know where to begin. Hence, this post. Let’s jump in.

Why Create Webinars?

Webinars bring a great deal of benefits to you.

• They are really good for building your authority, raising your credibility, and elevating brand recognition.
• Other than live or meeting face to face, they are the best tools by far for connecting with your audience.
• You attract traffic to your website.
• They can be used to do a product launch.
• You can use a webinar to create a MVP – minimum viable product to test it.
• It can form your digital product.
• They can be used in a membership site.
• You can use them for group coaching.
• Because they combine video and audio, they are also good for product demonstrations.

That being said, there two main reasons for using webinars.

Read more: How do webinars work? A beginner’s guide to webinar marketing.

#1 Build your super targeted list

You can use webinars just for building your list. Nothing generates more qualified leads than webinars. They are super hot. You can offer webinar replays as a freebie offer. People will have to give you their email address to access the webinar. You could also do a series of webinars and send the links to the recordings via your autoresponder.

Live webinars are another great option for list building. You create a landing page for your webinar and promote it on social media, on your own blog, and doing some guest posting to build a buzz around it. Feel free to tell people in advance that this is a value-packed, free training with so sales pitch at the end, if you truly don’t have an offer for them.

The promotion leading up to the webinar is really important. The fact that it is going to be at a certain date and a time turns it into an event. People will mark that time in the calendars because they are excited about attending live and being able to see and hear you and also be able to ask you questions and get the answers on the spot. People know that there are many others attending live and that is a very powerful thing.

#2 Sell your product or service

Webinars are great for selling your product or services and they make you a bunch of money very quickly. If you know how to structure your webinar right, you can convert many people while they are still on the webinar. You get an immediate boost in sales. You can make a special offer at the end and give an extra incentive for people to buy.

The issue for most people tends to be how to keep people till the end of the webinar. People tend to take too long to get to the point. If you show them upfront what you have planned for them and what you will be delivering, really make it worth their time, then they are more likely to stay. Don’t shy away from selling.

Let’s look at how to create a webinar that converts. Many people create a sign-up for their first webinar and then complain that not many people sign up or nobody shows up live.

If you are new to webinars, and you don’t have a stellar reputation yet, know that your webinars won’t attract thousands of people straightaway. It is perfectly fine for twenty people to show up live on the call. Think of it as your practice run.

But also continue to improve your webinars and landing pages so that you are getting more people every time. Here are some tips for you to highly increase your chances of getting more seats filled.

Consider your audience

Who are you creating this webinar for? Really define your audience. Who is the person you are speaking to? What problem are you solving?

The better you understand your audience, the better are your chances of really striking a chord with this demographic. Your messaging will really resonate with them and they will be compelled to sign up and show up.

Create an irresistible title

This is where most people go wrong. They will say something like – I am doing a class on healthy eating at so and so time, please attend and then wonder why nobody shows up.

There are two things wrong with this: one, the topic is too broad. Second, there is no immediate outcome for your attendees. This is not specific enough, not catchy.  You need a hook. Something that is so irresistible to your ideal audience that they cannot not register for the webinar. You can hold a webinar on ‘How to plan your weekly gluten-free meals on a budget in 45 minutes or less’ and that’s a different story altogether.

Ask yourself what outcome or result does your audience really want. Then promise them that and explain how you will deliver that on the webinar, this way you are sure to get them excited about it. They will be more compelled to register. Even if they don’t attend live, you still have their details and you can always send them the recording afterwards.

Choose a topic that is in demand and has been popular on your blog. Choose a topic where people ask you lots of questions and you have something super beneficial to offer. Make sure you make a strong promise and then deliver on that promise. Make sure it is goal-oriented. It should inspire your attendee to take action. It should be concrete, specific and something that can be put to action straightaway. People won’t sign up for knowledge but they will sign up for action-packed training, something that will help them get closer to solving a problem or achieving a goal.

Want to be sure that your webinar is a success? Then grab the Webinar Setup Checklist and make sure you’ve covered all the bases.

Create a killer landing page

• Create a very simple webinar registration page with a clear call to action.
• As I said earlier, work on your title as it is super important. Take the hype out and really spell the benefit. Get them excited before they even attend the webinar.
• Add some curiosity building elements to your headline. Tease them with what’s to come. Tease them with what they are going to get. People want to satisfy their hunger, their cravings, they want to find out the answers. This will make people want to turn up and find out.
• Add compelling bullet points that highlight the benefits of attending and also give them sneak peeks into what will happen but don’t give everything away. This will really help your conversion rates go up.
• Give them a link to sign up and double check it. (There are many options on the market such as GotoWebinar being the most popular one, Webinar Jam that works on Google Hangouts and plugins such as Easy Webinar plugin. Choose one that suits your requirements in terms of budget and number of attendees expected.)
• Create some urgency (when the webinar is on and if there will be any recordings) and scarcity (only so many lines available).
• Schedule webinars at a convenient time for most people. If you are attracting International audiences, it will be worth offering two different times and allowing people to choose. This way you will cater to the needs of most people. Be really clear about the time zones to minimize confusion.

Lewis Howes, an authority in the world of webinars recommends between 12 and 4 p.m. Eastern standard time on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays. He suggests to schedule webinars in the middle of the day when people are still working and not too close to the time when they have to leave.

• You also don’t want your webinars to be too long. If you want one for list building purposes, 30 minutes will work well for most people, but if you are planning to sell on your webinars, 60 minute is a good time for your main presentation, your pitch followed by Q/A which might exceed the actual time.

Promote your webinar the right way

• Demonstrate that you are an authority in your field so that people are really interested in attending your webinars. Write guest posts for the leading blogs to get in front of their audiences and also reap rewards by getting the indirect endorsement form the host blogger.
• Publish a post about your upcoming webinar on your blog and create a side banner for it.
• Send multiple emails to your list and ask people to sign up or forward them to their friends.
• Ask people to sign up on various social media platforms. Create a fun visual to go with your promotion.
• Design your social media updates to show that you have the answers to their problems that you will help solve on the webinar. Prove that your webinar has what people need.
• Build curiosity and give people a reason to register and discover something new.
• Consider running paid promotion such as a Facebook ads.
• If you have a high profile guest on your webinar, ask them to promote it to their audience.
• Make sure you add the social sharing buttons on the landing page and encourage people to share the link.
• Send multiple email reminders to people who have signed up.

Deliver a stellar presentation

• Get online 10 -15 minutes early to set things up and test everything beforehand. Greet people who show up early.
• Leave a slide up with the title and the time you will start so people don’t ask you repeatedly if they are late. Always start on time (More on how to create a webinar presentation).
• Make sure everybody can hear you and see your presentation.
• Don’t forget to hit the record button. Get rid of all the distractions.
• Don’t start with a long, drawn out introduction. Don’t make the whole presentation about yourself or a sales pitch. Don’t be like those sleazy Internet marketers who spend 20 minutes talking about how they made millions in their business and name drop and basically the whole presentation is a disguised, prolonged sales pitch. Surprise them – get to the heart of the matter quickly. Otherwise you will lose them.
• If you intend to sell a product or service at the end, mention it briefly so you are totally upfront about it. You can say something like, if you want to go deeper than I have a special offer for you at the end.
• Follow the golden rule of communication. Tell them what you are going to teach them in this presentation. Teach it. Tell them what you taught them. This will get your attendees super clear on your webinar. Unless you are crystal clear on the goal, people will leave and your webinar will fail.
• Talk about their problem and frustrations. Let them know you understand.
• Promise them something new. Give them something they can put into action immediately, now so they can experience the result before they purchase and then ease into your product or service as the best solution for their problem.
• Give them tons of useful content that they can use even if they don’t buy anything at the end. Give them handouts and worksheets they can fill out while they listen to you.
• Add personal stories to the mix but keep it relevant. Make sure your stories add something to the presentation and have a point. This will deeply resonate with the right audience and encourage them to stick around to the end.
• Use visuals to make your presentation interesting. If you are using slides, include images and don’t cram them with text. You want to jot down the main points for reference but don’t want to put everything to distract people. You want them to be listening to you. Slides are just an aid – they should never take their attention off you.
• Add value and interact. Keep your attendees interested by asking questions, by keeping them engaged, by doing quizzes. Ask people to take a certain action and come back and report it.
• Call out people by their names and say which part of the world they are from. Create the feeling of a live event where hundreds of people are listening in.
• Ask people to share their insights using Twitter hashtags.
• Make sure you deliver your best. Don’t waste people’s time, it will affect your reputation.
• If you structured your webinar well, and presented everything clearly, your audience will be hungry to learn more. Do a concise wrap up and give them a clear call to action. If this is a free, list building webinar, point them to additional resources. If you want to sell on this webinar, it is time to make an offer.

Don’t be shy to sell

• Have an offer ready for the end but don’t go into it selling. Deliver content and conversation first. Spend some time explaining the benefits of your products and how it can help the people. Don’t be shy about it, you aren’t doing anything wrong here.
• People attend a live webinar and fully expect to be sold to. If they don’t want to buy, they probably won’t stick around for the pitch and that’s fine. They came for the training and they got it. You have helped them even if they haven’t bought anything from you – this time. For the others who are on the call – they are interested in what you have to say – and sell. So tell them.
• Showcase your expertise. Give them something insanely useful and then offer a product discount at the end for only those who buy now. It is a great incentive and a reward for people who stayed till the end to get a better deal.
• Build value. Don’t just talk about how excited you are and how good your offering is – tell them how it will work for them. Show how much time, or money they are going to save, or how they will get something they desperately desire. Drill deep into the benefits.
• Create urgency. Put a time limit on the discount offer or the free consultation you might be offering. Let people know they’ve got to take action now or miss out on this opportunity.
• Have a clear call to action. Give them the URL of the sales page. Tell them to go there now.
• Answer their objections in the Q/A session. Help people get off the fence by seeing if your offer is right for them.
• Keep in mind even if you don’t make a single sale, webinars go a long way in creating trust in your audience. So you might not get high conversions straightaway but keep at it.
• Follow up with the attendees if they don’t buy on the webinar. Ask them for feedback. Ask them what you can help them with in the future. Remind them that the offer is still available when possible. Don’t get them to sign up and then never contact them again – this is wasting all of your effort. Keep them in the loop.

If you do everything right, you should start to see your webinar seats fill up quickly. Nervous still? Here are some tips for you if you are a complete beginner:

• Start small, you probably won’t get a thousand people on your first webinar.
• Practice.
• Have confidence in your topic. If you really know your topic, you will feel confident no matter what.
• If you get more nervous with a script, don’t have one. Refer to your notes instead.
• Have a partner who might be more experienced or extroverted if you are shy.
• Have a guest who has the authority to get the ‘halo effect’ or borrow some of theirs.

Webinars, when done right, are the best tools for building your email list with super-hot leads as well as selling a lot of product in a short period of time.

Give it a try. You might fall in love with them.