When the COVID-19 pandemic closed down trade shows and other gatherings for months, companies started scrambling for new ways to share their product innovations and other news with would-be trade show attendees. “Hey, let’s do a webinar!” became a familiar battle cry in conference rooms and Zoom meetings alike. Before you switch on that webcam or start that slide presentation, give your webinar a better chance for success by answering the following four questions.

• Why are you hosting a webinar? Webinars require time and resources. Before you allocate either, you should be able to state your main objective (beyond generating leads and increasing sales, of course). For example, maybe you want to highlight new features in an existing product or introduce an entirely new product line. If you don’t have a clear reason for hosting a webinar, it’s probably not reasonable to host one.
• How will your webinar be valuable to your audience? It’s not enough to have a reason to host a webinar; your webinar should encourage your audience to take action – and that doesn’t happen unless you provide value. Whether it’s a product demo or a discussion with a policy or technology expert, deliver content that will make your audience want to engage with your company after the presentation.
• Is your message focused? If you need more than five fingers to count your key takeaways, it’s not. Don’t pack your webinar (or the corresponding slides) with too much information. Here’s a better strategy: Tell your audience what they will learn and emphasize those key takeaways. And unless your company background information is integral to your message, keep it short or eliminate it.
• Are you and your technology ready? There is nothing wrong with a dry run. Or two. Make sure your slides are easy to read, as some attendees may be viewing them on a small tablet or cell phone. Unless your material requires a script, consider using an off-camera outline to stay on track. You may also need to invest in a dedicated microphone and webcam to make sure you look and sound your best. Finally, be sure you are comfortable with the user interface of the service that will host your webinar, so you don’t waste the first few minutes of your presentation adjusting your settings.