There are some amazingly comprehensive articles and posts about how to build out and take advantage of the current “Webinar Craze” – like this one: https://learn.g2.com/what-is-a-webinar – by Daniella Alscher – which is particularly well set out.
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This short post focuses on the very important consideration behind the question, “To Webinar or Not To Webinar?”
That question is:
Why do I need to go LIVE?
My first ever taste of LIVE talk radio was when I was 23 years old – I had won a competition to be mentored by a prominent business leader for six months. The prize also included studio time with the hosts of the talk show team who had advertised the competition. It was a nerve wracking experience as I walked into a studio so heavily sound treated that my ears popped because of the difference in air pressure. The conversation that followed was a sweaty blurr, but I seemed to hit some okay notes as the team in studio and in the production booth complimented my “natural abilities”.
Fast forward four years and I again found myself in a studio, hosting a LIVE business talk show. My co-host and I would go on to host this show for four years and eleven months. Hundreds of shows and many amazing guests later, and I can only describe it as a whirlwind of insights, laughter, and learning.
Why do I bring this up?
If I could do it all again, I wouldn’t have gone LIVE.
LIVE has one major benefit over anything recorded: The opportunity to interact with one’s community of viewers and listeners, in real time.
As I consider the quality of the content we produced, I am proud of our work. Do I think we could have produced something nicer, cleaner, more engaging if we had chosen to record and do some post production editing? Absolutely, yes!
LIVE Digital Broadcasting
Webinars fall into the category of LIVE Digital Broadcasts, and anything LIVE needs a level of planning and execution that most organisations don’t expect or consider. This, more often than not, results in a subpar experience for those we are offering this content to.
A bad viewing or listening experience results in the near-immediate loss of credibility – whether conscious or subconscious – and that content has no hope of being talked about or shared.
So here are some questions (to help you with your decision and to end off):
- What value am I delivering with my webinar? (NB – Selling / offering a product isn’t value-based content production!)
- How early in the webinar are listeners and viewers able to ask questions or engage with the content?
- What specific action(s) are you hoping to drive with your webinar?
- Is there a better, more effective way (think of the desired actions) you are able to share this content?
It bears repeating: LIVE has one major benefit over anything recorded – The opportunity to interact with one’s community of listeners, in real time.
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