Ensuring Better Cybersecurity Webinar Attendance and Engagement
Henry Kogan
Webinars are a cornerstone for business engagement, but poor promotion and broadcasting techniques often lead to less desirable outcomes than planned. Low registration, attendance, and listen-time are the three most challenging metrics to get right.
While nobody can guarantee a successful webinar, we’d like to share a few techniques we use to reduce the likelihood of failure.
Find unique angles and positions in your agenda
A compelling promotion plan can make a difference, driving registrations and ensuring your message reaches the right audience. Consider controversial topics to spark interest—address hot-button issues in your industry and tease them in your outreach.
Craft teasers that highlight provocative questions or bold takes, sharing them via email, social media, and your website. This approach grabs attention and fuels curiosity, enticing viewers to join. A strong hook in your promotion sets the stage for a packed virtual room.
Choose guests with a built-in following
Cross-promotion amplifies your reach. We always recommend partnering with external guests—industry experts, influencers, or complementary brands—to double distribution through their networks.
The more guests, the broader your exposure, as they share the event with their followers. Collaborate on joint announcements, social posts, and email blasts to tap into diverse audiences, maximizing turnout and impact.
Don't restrict the broadcast to face-time
Even the best cybersecurity speakers rely on supporting materials to get their point across—only world-class performers can captivate without visual aids. Prepare slides, charts, or demos to reinforce key points at the right moments, keeping viewers engaged and concepts clear.
In a recent post, Producing Cybersecurity Videos in Hostile Environments, we talk about how hard it is to get subject matter experts committed to be on camera. It’s a useful read as you work with speakers to outline webinar talking points and agenda.
While fireside chats are a popular format, we often feel they are incredibly challenging without supporting materials. This doesn’t mean you need to overload your audience with text. A powerful headline or image is often enough.
Test timing and transitions in advance to ensure seamless delivery.
ISMG has webinar production memory muscle
Producing a webinar can be time-consuming and stressful. The good news is, our digital team plans and prepare hundreds of them a year and have dozens of more strategies under our belt.
If you’d like to learn more about smart promotion, strategic partnerships, and how to create solid presentation visuals, reach out to one of our campaign strategists on our digital team.