Webinars are one of the few marketing tools PR teams have that still hold an audience’s attention for more than five minutes. According to a study from BrightTALK, 91% of B2B professionals say webinars are their preferred type of content.
If you have a relevant topic and sharp on-air talent, the next step is getting attendees to show up. But how?
It’s hard to get people to carve time out of their busy days to attend something that doesn’t immediately help cross anything off their to-do lists.
Many teams rely on the typical promotion tactics: a few emails, a couple social media posts, and a banner on the website. All necessary, perhaps, but no longer sufficient in such a crowded market. To actually earn attention, PR teams and marketers need to rethink how they spark curiosity. By leveraging additional channels, you can engage a wider audience and attract more attendees.
Why a cross-promotion approach matters
There is no single channel that reaches every member of your audience. Those following your company on LinkedIn are probably not visiting your website for updates, and those that only check email will probably miss your social media campaign. Your promotion needs to be seen relevantly in multiple moments with tailored content across channels to best capture attention and registrations.
With a clear description of what attendees will takeaway and visibility between owned, earned, and paid media, you can multiply the value of each. Here’s how our clients make every channel count:
Owned media: Start with what you control
Use your go-to channels to share your clear, concise messaging around your webinar.
- Website: Go beyond a homepage banner. In addition to creating a dedicated event landing page, consider promoting your webinar on relevant product pages or in blog sidebars.
- Email: Target your emails based on interest or behavior. Send segmented follow-ups that highlight different value props for different audiences.
- Blog: Draft a short 200-300 word preview post to explain why this webinar matters now at this point in time. Share what your attendees will gain from attending.
- Social media: Frame your posts around what the webinar will help solve or key learnings your attendees will gain.
Earned media: Get visibility beyond your audience
Tap your network to spread the word and amplify the event.
- Media outreach: When your webinar aligns with current industry trends, offer journalists early access or a quote from the speaker to boost relevance and interest.
- Local event boards: If your topic targets a specific geographic market, list your webinar on local platforms like Patch, Eventbrite, or even create a Facebook event.
- Partner promotion: Involve customers or partners featured in the webinar by asking them to help promote it. Provide a ready-to-use promo pack with visuals and copy tailored for their channels.
Paid media: Small spend, smart targeting
You don’t need a big budget to make a big impact.
- LinkedIn Sponsored Posts: Use short videos or quote graphics to promote the speaker. Emphasize that your company can lead a conversation on the topic.
- Google Ads: Instead of focusing on search terms tied to your webinar title, bid on search terms tied to the problem your webinar addresses.
- Retargeting: Serve reminder ads to anyone who’s visited your site in the last 30 days. Nudge your existing audience to register to attend.
Don’t forget to use tracking links to monitor how your audience is interacting with your promotion rollout. After the webinar, build upon the momentum and continue the conversation with post-webinar content such as short video clips for your social media channels or quote graphics for your paid campaigns.
With a strong promotion strategy and a clear message, you’ll attract the right people.
Planning your next webinar? We’re here for you.
—Carli ✨