Webinar
WEB-ih-nar
An online presentation or workshop that educates prospects and generates leads. A mid-funnel workhorse when done right.
A webinar is a live or recorded online event: a presentation, a panel discussion, a product demo, or a workshop. In B2B marketing, webinars serve as a mid-funnel conversion tool. The prospect has some awareness and wants to learn more before committing to a sales conversation.
The best webinars teach something specific. 'How Company X reduced deployment failures by 85%' is specific. 'An Introduction to DevOps Best Practices' is generic. Specific webinars with real customer stories and concrete takeaways attract higher-quality attendees and convert better.
Webinar metrics: registration rate (from landing page visits), attendance rate (registrants who show up, typically 40-50%), engagement (Q&A participation, poll responses), and conversion (demo requests or trials after attending). A webinar that generates 200 registrants, 100 attendees, and 15 demo requests is performing well.
Examples
A high-converting webinar.
Topic: 'How Stripe's Platform Team Reduced Deployment Time by 90%.' Featuring Stripe's engineering director and the company's CTO. 500 registrations. 280 attendees. 45 demo requests. 8 opportunities created. The real customer story drove credibility.
A webinar that fails to convert.
Topic: 'The Future of DevOps.' Generic panel discussion with no product connection. 300 registrations. 150 attendees. 3 demo requests. The audience was interested in the topic but the content did not connect to the product. No bridge from education to evaluation.
Repurposing webinar content.
The live webinar becomes: an on-demand recording (captures leads for 6+ months), a blog post summarizing key points, 5 social media clips, a podcast episode, and an email nurture series. One hour of live content generates months of marketing material.
In practice
Read more on the blog
Frequently asked questions
What is a good webinar attendance rate?
40-50% of registrants attending live is healthy. Some attrition is normal. Promote the on-demand recording to capture the other 50-60%. Total views (live plus on-demand) should be 70-80% of registrations within 30 days.
How long should a webinar be?
30-45 minutes of content plus 15 minutes for Q&A. Total: 45-60 minutes. Anything over an hour loses attention. If you have more material, split it into a series. Shorter is almost always better for B2B audiences with limited time.
Related terms
The marketing function that creates awareness and interest in your product. Fills the top and middle of the funnel with qualified prospects.
The consideration stage where prospects evaluate solutions. Content that helps them understand whether your product fits their needs.
A series of automated communications that guide leads through the funnel over time. Building trust and intent until they are ready to buy.
Content that requires the visitor to provide contact information (usually an email) before they can access it.
Want the complete playbook?
Picks and Shovels is the definitive guide to developer marketing. Amazon #1 bestseller with practical strategies from 30 years of marketing to developers.