Evergreen webinars can be a game-changer for your business.

They allow you to reach a broader audience without the constant demand for live presentations.

But how do you ensure your evergreen webinars are effective and genuine?

Let’s explore this further.

Overview

It can be quite exhausting to host live webinars repeatedly.

That’s where evergreen webinars come in. These pre-recorded sessions can run on autopilot, saving you time and energy while still keeping your audience engaged.

However, it’s crucial to maintain authenticity to keep your audience engaged and trusting.

Why consider an evergreen webinar?

Hosting webinars regularly is essential for driving substantial profits. That’s why over 60% of marketers use a webinar to promote their content.

Yet, conducting weekly or even bi-weekly webinars can be draining, as they demand a significant amount of time for preparation and post-webinar analysis.

This significant time investment can be better spent on other high-priority tasks in your business.

Best practices

Now, let’s explore some best practices to maximize the impact of your evergreen webinars.

#1. Perfect and then automate

Simply scripting your webinar and reading it out is not the way to go. Instead, you can follow this process:

• Start with live webinars: First, you need to conduct live webinars. You can use these live sessions to refine your content and delivery. Aim to conduct at least 10-20 live webinars before automating.
• Review and improve: Record each session, review them, and critically assess what worked well and what didn’t. This will help you identify successful strategies and areas for improvement.
• Move to automation: Once your conversion rates are consistent and satisfactory, you can convert a successful live webinar into an evergreen format. This preparation ensures that your automated webinar is impactful and maintains its effectiveness.

#2. Edit webinar

Before turning your webinar into an evergreen piece, it’s essential to edit your course video strategically.

Simply uploading a raw recording may not be engaging enough, and over-editing can make it appear unnatural.

By reviewing the retention graph, you can identify repetitive or dull sections and make discreet cuts.

💡 Use techniques like morph cuts in Premiere Pro to ensure the edits are seamless and not obvious to viewers. In addition, you can improve audio quality by running your webinar’s audio through mastering tools like Adobe Podcast.

Great audio quality can significantly impact viewer engagement.

Finally, you can compress the video file to optimize it for streaming, ensuring smooth playback even for viewers with low-bandwidth internet.

#3. Structure the webinar

To keep your audience engaged, structure your webinar with a clear and compelling flow:

1. Introduction (15 mins): Start with a strong introduction that grabs attention and sets the stage.
2. Content (30 mins): Provide valuable and informative content.
3. Pitch (30 mins): Transition smoothly into your pitch, highlighting the benefits and value.
4. Q&A: Include a session to address common questions and concerns.

It’s essential to ensure that your product pitch occurs within the first 45-minute mark as research shows that people’s attention span generally lasts for up to 45 minutes.

#4. Include interactive elements

To ensure a successful webinar, it’s crucial to make it engaging.

You can include interactive elements to create a dynamic and vibrant webinar experience.

Here are some tips:

• Polls: Use polls to engage your audience and gather feedback.
• Display chat messages: Show chat messages live on the screen. This adds a layer of authenticity and interaction.
• Enable chat: Allow viewers to see each other’s messages, enhancing the feeling of a live event.

By integrating these elements, you can make the webinar more engaging and significantly improve viewer retention and satisfaction.

#5. Include engagement prompts

To increase interaction, it’s crucial to include engagement prompts throughout your webinar.

These prompts encourage viewers to participate and feel more involved.

You can use phrases like:

• “If you can hear me, type ‘all good’ in the chat.”
• “Got it? Type ‘got it’ in the chat.”
• “Are you with me? Type ‘you are with me’ in the chat.”

These prompts encourage audience interaction and help maintain their attention throughout the webinar.

#6. Have someone to reply to chat messages

Even if your webinar is automated, having someone live to manage chat messages can significantly enhance the experience.

A virtual assistant can monitor the chat and respond to questions in real time. This added layer of interactivity makes the webinar feel more genuine and improves audience engagement.

Personalize

You can make your evergreen webinars more relatable and engaging by adding a personal touch.

Address your viewers directly, use their names if possible, and refer to specific situations or questions they might have.

This personalization will make the webinar feel more tailored and relevant, increasing its impact.

Best evergreen webinar tools

The two best tools for hosting automated webinars that I can recommend are WebinarJam and EverWebinar.

With WebinarJam, you can effortlessly convert any successful live webinar into an automated webinar with just one click.

It also allows you to capture the comments and offers additional features.

I particularly appreciate its ability to handle any audience size. It can manage a sudden influx of traffic, which many of you may have witnessed during the COVID lockdowns.

On the other hand, EverWebinar is specifically designed for evergreen automated webinars. It’s ideal if you host webinars multiple times throughout the week.

As I mentioned earlier, I don’t recommend you host webinars multiple times a day.

When people sign up for the webinar and notice that they have an upcoming webinar in the next 15 minutes or so, it becomes evident that it’s not a live webinar but just a pre-recorded one, reducing engagement.

💡 So, I recommend WebinarJam for most people because of its interactive webinar features, ability to capture live comments and seamless conversion of live webinars to automated ones.

However, not all niches are the same, so you need to test which webinar platform works best for you.

👉 Pro tip: If you are using Zoom, you can play a pre-recorded video file by making use of Zoom’s video sharing feature. If handled well, it offers the best live experience.

Conclusion

Running an evergreen webinar without appearing deceitful is all about maintaining authenticity and engagement.

By perfecting your live webinars before automating, editing strategically, and including interactive elements, you can create a seamless and engaging experience for your audience.

Tools like WebinarJam and EverWebinar can help streamline this process, ensuring your webinars remain effective and trustworthy.

Remember, the key is to make your pre-recorded webinars feel live and dynamic to keep your audience engaged and achieve the best results for your business.