W
ebinars are the norm of the day. Successful webinars always leave your audience feeling elated after attending it.
However, when not done right, the webinar leaves your attendees feeling bitter, overcharged, and some of them may steer clear of attending future webinars as well. This ultimately results in lower sales and lead generation numbers and a sense of huge disappointment in the hearts of organizers.
Many-a-times, presenters of webinars get carried away and spend more time talking about themselves and their achievements rather than the topic that attendees signed up for. Was your presenter tom-tomming about himself, or was he unprepared?
We have come across instances where a presenter pays little heed to preparation and content before a webinar. Such webinars get terrible feedback from the audience and can stain your brand image.
If you are wondering how to do a webinar sans these above-mentioned glitches, you have come to the right place. In this post, we will detail how to plan the webinar structure with appropriate content.
Webinar content structure
1. Goal definition
The primary and crucial step for the success of any webinar is defining its goal. Detail the goal that you have set for this webinar. Here you can also define what the knowledge level of people you are addressing is.
For example, if your webinar is going to talk about a tech product, identify if your audience will be first-time users or with some product experience. That will help you in streamlining the webinar and tailor it to the needs of the audience.
2. Selecting the topic and title
Once you have your goal and audience chalked out, the next step would be to decide on the subject. A pro-tip here would be to avoid choosing a topic that is vast or generic. If you do so, you would be lost as to what information you should give your attendees. Narrow down the topic and keep it specific.
For example, if your webinar is about the environment rather than having a topic like “environmental problems around us”, narrow it down to “actionable ways to stop urban pollution”. Use catchy phrases and keywords that will attract the attention of your prospective attendees. There are many resources available online which can help you create a catchy title.
3. Decide the best format for the topic
The next step in having the perfect structure to your webinar is to decide the format. Not all topics need to have the traditional presentation and slides approach. It could also be an interview, Q&A or a panel discussion. Depending on the topic and audience, decide the format of your webinar.
4. Design the structure
Whatever be the format of your webinar, design its structure or road map. If it’s a presentation, decide on the slides and sequence. For interviews and panel discussions, have your questions ready. Similarly, for Q&A sessions have your set of questions ready. Like all other events, the structure and plan need to be in place so that the webinar is a success.
Plans are nothing; planning is everything
– Albert Einstein
Plans are nothing; planning is everything - Albert Einstein.
5. Create the slides
If you are going with the traditional webinar mode of presentation, prepare your slides. Creating a powerful presentation with compelling images will always hold the attention of the audience. One tip would be to create more slides than what you think is needed.
The attention span of the audience is generally very low. Hence do not dwell for very long on one slide. About a minute for each slide is said to be the ideal time. Also, avoid a text-heavy presentation because this again does not hold the interest of the audience for long and use images and text in the right proportion.
6. Write a script
You have just created an outstanding presentation for your webinar. Is that enough? No! Very often presenters think they can speak extempore. Do not make that mistake. You need a script.
Write a script that details all that you want to say. Remember the script should be in tandem with your presentation. A script ensures that you speak about everything important and relevant. We would recommend that apart from data, you also include stories, quotes, anecdotes or case studies. Give your presentation a human touch.
7. Do a dry-run
Last but not the least is the dry run of your webinar. This mock version should be like the actual webinar. It should include the technical aspects and the actual presentation and content. Doing a mock webinar helps you identify the grey areas and make corrections wherever needed.
Another advantage of having a dry run is you would have practised the script enough times. So, for your actual event, you can replace the lengthy scripts with bullet points which will act as a guide.
(Read: Best practices to getting your webinar speaker ready)
Wrapping up
Hosting and creating stellar webinar content structure is not unachievable. All it requires is planning and preparation. The above steps have comprehensively explained the same. Put them into action, and you will not only present an outstanding webinar but will also have a satisfied audience who will ask for more!
You are doing really nice work , keep doing and sharing.Ukraine Education
Hey! Thank you SO much. We’re happy to know that our work is helping our readers out. 🙂