Webinar Checklist: 5 Must-Have's For Massive Webinar Success

Have you ever wondered why some webinars are wildly successful, while others fall flat? Or why some webinars enjoy thousands of attendees while others are attended by 20 people, tops?

The truth is that successful webinars follow a proven checklist that virtually guarantees their success.

This checklist contains 5 crucial elements that must be included in your webinar presentation in order for it to be successful.

If you're looking to increase attendance, engage your audience, and convert leads into paying customers with a webinar, make sure your next presentation includes these 5 things:

1. The answer to a relevant question/problem. A webinar that talks about something your audience might be interested in, or that solves a problem that may have someday, is sure to fall flat. Recently a client came to me for webinar help. He had created and hosted a webinar called 'How to start a podcast. The webinar was unsuccessful in that attendance was low and the presentation resulted in zero conversions. The problem was his audience was comprised of new online business owners looking for ways to make money fast. On the webinar, podcasting was positioned as a long-term moneymaker. He didn't solve the audience's most pressing problem, and therefore lost their business. Make sure the topic of your webinar solves a problem that your audience needs to solve right now, not 6 months from now.
2. A sense of excitement and urgency. Webinars are, by their very nature, more exciting than other forms of content marketing. They give you the opportunity to connect with your customers live, interact with them in real time, and deliver the content they've been searching for. All great webinars get the audience revved up and excited to be there, then continue the excitement with a presentation that engages and educates the attendee in a meaningful, memorable way. In short, great webinars are anything but boring.
3. Increased audience engagement. One of the greatest things about webinars is that they allow you to directly engage with your audience in real time. Unlike a bog post or video, webinars allow you to have a conversation with your audience about what matters most to them. Great webinars welcome attendees right off the bat, keep them engaged with questions throughout the presentation, and answer those questions live at the end. Remember, a webinar is not so much a presentation as a conversation.
4. The delivery of a promise. All great webinars promise to make the audience's life better somehow: by revealing insider secrets, teaching new skills, educating about new techniques, or giving access to industry experts. Whatever promises you make when marketing your webinar, be sure to deliver on those promises and then some. Exceed attendees' expectations to earn their trust and keep them coming back for more.
5. Clearly presented, actionable next steps. The most effective webinars tell people what to do next. They include a clear Call to Action (CTA) at the end of the webinar that helps attendees synthesize and apply what they've just learned. They also reward their audiences with discounts and special offers given to webinar attendees only.

Great webinars don't happen by accident. Even if you're new to webinars, you can create an effective, memorable presentation by including these 5 simple things. When creating your webinar, be sure it:

Provides the answer to a relevant, urgent problem your customer is having right now

• Creates a sense of excitement and fun
• Engages the audience throughout the presentation
• Delivers on the promises you made in your marketing
• Presents clear next steps and a CTA