I decided to do a Content Creation Series to answer the question “what goes inside of a [content type]?” I know content creators are always wondering if they’re giving way too much or too little, and I want to help clarify that. In this series I will cover:

• Blog posts
• eCourses
• Webinars
• Masterclasses

Today we’ll talk about planning a webinar. I thought it was so important for me to touch on webinars because webinars are the epitome of smart content.

[Tweet “Smart content should build your brand, your email list, and your income.”]

Webinars have so many benefits, but if you haven’t done one, just the idea of planning a webinar can seem scary. My webinar presentations usually go like this:

• “Welcome, everyone! Where are you from?”
• “You’re in the right place if…”
• “My goal for today is…”
• “My name is… And I started out by…” This is where you tell your story.
• “Now I am successful doing… And I’m going to show you exactly how over the next 35 minutes.” This is where you give a training that backs your expertise.

Not so bad, right?

Now, let’s look at the benefits.

How can webinars build your brand?

Building a brand is all about making a connection with your audience to get them to trust you. There’s no faster way to make a connection online than live video. It’s much quicker than a blog post, podcast, email, tweet, or any other form of communication. Live video is the digital version of speaking on a stage.

Hosting a webinar can help you build trust with your audience. When you share your story, they’ll trust who you are. And when you give an excellent training, they’ll trust your expertise.

How can webinars build your list?

Webinars are an excellent way to build your list because people will register in advance to get access to the live event. Many of my colleagues have had success increasing webinar sign-ups and growing their list by using Facebook ads, but I haven’t had the opportunity to try it. If you haven’t tested out ads yet, you can do what I do:

1. Create a landing page and send an email to your existing list with an invitation to register.
2. On the confirmation page, provide a share button so they can share on social media to their friends/followers.
3. On the confirmation email, include a “click to tweet” option where they can share it on Twitter. (I create these for free at ClickToTweet.com).
4. Share it on your own social media platforms multiple times leading up to the webinar.
5. Mention it on your blog and the sidebar of your website.

Anywhere you are online, people should know about your webinar. When I host a webinar, I make sure EVERYBODY knows.

Want a check list of all the stuff I do behind the scenes to prepare for a webinar? Grab the Smart Content Toolbox

How can webinars build your income?

There are three ways you can monetize your webinar:

1. You can charge for it. I technically consider this a masterclass, so I’ll go more into detail with hosting a masterclass in a different post.
2. You can charge for the replay. All replays of my webinars have an expiration. Even though they’re free, they are extremely valuable and I want my audience to catch the information live. You can charge for the replay as a signature “virtual workshop” OR you can put the replay in a “library” of paid resources.
3. You can pitch a product at the end. There’s an entire system on making an income from webinars that I won’t go into too much detail here (since the focus is content creation and not launching), but I definitely suggest looking into Webinar Rockstar by Mariah Coz who’s earned well over $500,000 from selling products via webinars. I got training from Mariah, and made over $2,000 on my first solo webinar.

Planning a webinar

Now that you know how webinars can help you build your brand, your list and your income, what’s keeping you from running a webinar? Let me give you some tips and ideas for planning a webinar.

Sample webinar topics

1. Free Training: 7 Steps To [Your Niche Topic]
2. Virtual Workshop: Getting Started With [Specific Goal or Tool]
3. Free Workshop: How To Become More Successful With [Specific Goal]
4. Live Training: 3 Essential Strategies To [Desired Result]
5. Free Webinar: The [Specific Audience] Guide To [Desired Result]

Sample time breakdown

Webinars should be around 90 minutes and not exceed 2 hours (unless you just have that kind of time).

Here’s the rundown of my webinars:

Welcome – 5 Minutes (Max)

• Shout people out
• Ask where they’re from
• Ask them what they’re hoping to learn

You’re In The Right Place If… – 2 Minutes

By The End Of This Webinar, You Should [Goal, goal, goal]… – 2 Minutes

Your Background Story – 15 Minutes (This seems like a long time, but it’s not)

• Give your overall mission statement
• How long ago you started
• The struggles you faced
• Why you decided to get into the business (why you want to help people like them)
• How much better your life is now
• One vital thing to your success was [exactly what you will teach them today]

The Actual Presentation – 30 Minutes

Pitch – 15 Minutes (This seems long, but it’s not)

• Recap what they learned
• Remind them why they showed up
• Share testimonials
• Show them the offering
• Walk them through the steps of purchasing
• Outline EVERYTHING that comes with their purchase (make people feel comfortable buying)

Q&A – 15-20 Minutes

Nervous about all the behind-the-scenes of planning a webinar? I’ve got you covered. Here’s the exact checklist I use when I create blog posts, challenges, email courses, webinars and masterclasses!