webinar outline - Hubilo webinar platform www.hubilo.com

How to Create a Solid Webinar Outline

Unlock the power of webinars with a step-by-step guide to crafting compelling outlines. Learn to engage your audience, strategically present offers, and create memorable webinar experiences.
Hubilo
,
August 16, 2023

Webinars have emerged as a highly effective and cost-efficient advertising tool for companies. They offer numerous benefits, from enhancing brand awareness to fostering a loyal and engaged audience. Over 73% of B2B marketers and sales leaders consider webinars among the best techniques to generate high-quality leads. Conducting webinars is generally time-saving and economical, but it's essential to approach them with adequate preparation. 

Whether you are live streaming or recording webinars for on-demand viewing, creating engaging and valuable content for your audience to follow is crucial. Achieving this requires speakers to understand what to say and when to say it clearly. It is where a well-crafted webinar outline comes into play, providing a structured framework that streamlines the creation process without relying on a script. An effective webinar outline serves multiple purposes. It enhances the overall quality of your webinar, ensuring that information is organized and conveyed effectively. It also helps prepare speakers and guests by providing a roadmap of the event and key talking points. Creating a thorough webinar outline sets the stage for a successful and impactful webinar experience. But how do you make them, what advantages do they offer, and why is an outline crucial for a successful webinar? Maximize the impact of your webinars and create engaging experiences for your audience by understanding the ins and outs of creating a webinar outline. Let's delve into the details! 

What is a webinar outline?

A webinar outline is a pre-designed framework that is a foundation for webinar presentations' content, flow, and critical points. It serves as a roadmap for the webinar's progression, guiding the speaker and ensuring that the presentation is organized, coherent, and engaging for the audience. The outline typically includes the main topics to be covered, the order in which they will be discussed, key talking points, supporting examples or visuals, and any interactive elements or audience engagement strategies. 

Creating a well-defined webinar outline helps the presenter deliver a clear and compelling message, keeps the audience engaged, and ultimately achieves the desired goals of the webinar, whether it's educating, promoting, or selling a product or service. Utilizing a webinar outline ensures consistency in style and formatting throughout your presentation. It saves time and allows you to focus on other aspects, such as the Q&A section or the audience.

write a webinar outline

Why create a webinar strategy

Hosting a webinar is a highly effective method for converting your audience into paying customers by guiding them through your sales funnel. You must strategically craft the webinar's content and business presentation to succeed. It involves creating a well-defined and coherent webinar outline that steers your viewers toward making a purchase.

Download our free Ultimate Webinar Planning Checklist!

Webinar outline essentials

Give a steady flow of information

When planning your webinar outline, incorporate valuable information regularly throughout the webinar to provide attendees with a sense of gaining valuable knowledge. They will stop watching and close the window if they lose that feeling. Writing a webinar strategy and outline guarantees continuous value delivery to your audience throughout the presentation. It increases the likelihood of their sustained webinar engagement until the conclusion when they can hear your offer.

Outline your offer strategically

In addition to providing a strategic planning opportunity, a webinar outline allows you to carefully consider the timing and approach for presenting your offer. When selling something through a webinar, it is crucial to approach your sales pitch thoughtfully. If you begin with an overly aggressive sales approach, you risk losing your audience. The key to maintaining their interest is to present your offer in a manner that adds value for them.

Why you need a webinar outline

A webinar outline is an essential tool for ensuring the success of your webinar by providing structure, coherence, and impact. Let's explore the key reasons why having a webinar outline is crucial:

Provide guidance

A webinar outline prevents confusion and ensures your webinar flows logically for your target audience. It guides speakers through a predetermined structure, enabling them to share information that makes sense, addresses audience needs, and emphasizes the webinar's purpose. Even if your speakers are experts, an unstructured discussion can be challenging.

Keeps speaker's confidence

A webinar outline keeps speakers confident and prepared for each webinar segment. It serves as a reference, helping speakers stay on track and remember important information, even in unexpected situations or when facing public speaking jitters.

Improved webinar flow

Unlike a webinar script that can stifle natural discussion, an outline allows for a more fluid and engaging webinar flow. It provides a framework that directs the conversation from one point to another while remaining open to unplanned insights from you and your guest speakers. The webinar outline helps systematically explain the steps to achieve your audience's desired outcome.

Visualizing the big picture

An outline helps your team and partners visualize the webinar's structure and content. It assists speakers in crafting their presentations, enabling them to visualize the webinar slides they need to include, the topics to cover, and the key points to emphasize. It helps ensure alignment and consistency among all contributors.

How to create a webinar outline in 13 steps

Creating a webinar outline is essential in organizing and structuring your webinar effectively. A webinar outline provides a clear roadmap for the content, ensuring you cover all the necessary information and deliver a cohesive and engaging webinar presentation. Explore the critical steps in crafting a webinar outline that captures your audience's attention and provides valuable insights. Let's dive in!

1. Craft a captivating webinar title.

While the title doesn't need to convey everything, it should be attention-grabbing and captivating. Create a webinar title that grabs attention and piques curiosity. Avoid lengthy titles, as recipients quickly skim through them on social media platforms. Shorter titles are more effective and likely to be read and noticed.

2. Introduce the webinar topic and outline learning objectives.

Begin by providing a concise synopsis that serves as an introduction to the central theme of the webinar topic. Think of it as a way to give the audience a sneak peek into what the webinar will cover. Communicate what participants can expect to learn from attending. This section can also be presented as a table of contents, allowing participants to quickly understand the topics addressed during the session.

webinar topics and content

3. Emphasize the relevance of the webinar topic.

Convey to the listeners the importance of the chosen webinar topics and the rationale behind selecting them for the webinar. Be concise yet compelling, as the audience is eager to get to the core content. Provide specific and concrete reasons highlighting these topics' significance, addressing the audience's expectations for essential information.

4. Provide a comprehensive overview of the webinar.

This section provides comprehensive information about the webinar, including all the details for potential attendees to register. Share specific details such as the date, time, and registration information. This information is essential as it directly influences their decision to attend or skip the event. Ensure to include crucial webinar details for users to make an informed decision about their participation.

Introduction and kickoff

The introduction serves two primary purposes: presenting and emphasizing the speakers' authority and launching the webinar. A productive kickoff establishes timelines and benefits and, ideally, sets expectations. Key points include:

  • Identifying the speakers and their credentials.
  • Outlining the topics to be covered.
  • Highlighting the benefits of attending the webinar.
  • Emphasizing the value of staying until the end.
  • Describing the conclusion of the webinar to incentivize attendees to remain engaged.
  • Providing technical instructions, such as platform usage (chat, mute, comments, downloadable content, etc.).
  • Introducing the Q&A session, specifying its duration and the types of questions to be addressed.

Keep the kickoff concise. A strong start encourages viewers to stay involved, actively participate in the chat, and prepare questions for the Q&A segment at the conclusion. Ultimately, it helps them extract maximum value from the webinar.

Addressing the problem

Your audience grapples with a problem, so introduce or acknowledge it upfront. You can approach this in various ways, from a simple introduction to interviewing about the issue. Divide these problems into three sub-stages: the problem itself, its underlying cause, and the effect. While all three stages may only sometimes be necessary, consider including them as needed.

Introduce your solution

Your problem may have one or more solutions. You can choose to focus on one or highlight a few. For most brands, the solution is their own. You must clearly understand why your solution stands out and possess supporting data.

Address objections

Whether your audience has objections or concerns or is uncertain about implementation, it's vital to dedicate time to resolving these issues. Most audiences will express criticisms, which can vary based on the product, cost, and user base. Your data can effectively address objections related to cost, return on investment, quality, features, or other aspects. The objective is to identify and address the viewers' concerns logically and objectively.

5. Highlight bonuses and giveaways.

Offer additional incentives to entice and reward attendees. This point serves as a gentle webinar invitation and motivation for those still undecided about participating in the event. It also acts as a special incentive for those who have already decided to attend the online event. By offering bonuses or giveaways, participants are encouraged to not only join themselves but also invite their friends to join in on the experience. It's a way to enhance webinar engagement and make the event even more rewarding for attendees.

webinar giveaways

6. Summarize the main points covered.

Towards the end of the webinar, provide a concise summary that recaps the key takeaways. It serves as a space to gather important information and highlights the most crucial and intriguing aspects discussed during the session. Participants can easily remember and reinforce what they have learned from watching the webinar by summarizing the main takeaways.

7. Establish presentation guidelines

Defining presentation guidelines is crucial to ensure clarity and awareness among all attendees and speakers. By establishing these guidelines, presenters become aware of their allocated presentation time and can plan their content more efficiently. 60-minute webinars attract more attendees than 30-minute webinars. Sharing this information with speakers helps them plan and utilize their time efficiently. Additionally, viewers benefit by clearly understanding the webinar schedule, allowing them to navigate and engage effectively.

8. Facilitate questions through a chat box.

By leveraging appropriate software, you can enhance the audience experience by incorporating intuitive features like an on-screen chat box. It allows viewers to ask questions swiftly and effortlessly without disrupting other participants during the meeting. Using the right webinar equipment and tools ensures a seamless and interactive experience, enabling attendees to engage actively and receive prompt responses to their queries.

9. Initiate the Q&A

A 10- to 20-minute Q&A session is an ideal conclusion for most webinars. 81% of marketers use Q&A as an engagement tool during webinars. It offers direct engagement with the audience, fosters relationships, and resolves any remaining queries. A strategic approach involves preparing frequently asked questions or drawing from previous webinars and videos if immediate interaction is limited.

QnA session for webinar engagement

10. Conclude with a call to action

As your webinar wraps up, provide attendees with an appreciative gesture in the form of a call to action (CTA). This CTA should align with their desired outcome and be tailored to their position in your sales funnel.

11. Incorporate a countdown timer.

Incorporating presentation guidelines allows for the inclusion of a countdown timer that is visible to the attendees. This timer provides real-time information on the remaining duration of individual presentations or the entire meeting. It helps participants gauge the remaining time for individual presentations or webinars, keeping them informed and engaged. This feature adds structure and helps ensure the webinar stays on schedule.

12. Share links and references to webinar materials

Following each webinar, it is highly beneficial to make all the materials used during the session accessible to participants. Provide links to materials, references, and recordings of the webinar. Providing a webinar recording ensures that the audience has access to valuable content even after the event has concluded. This approach engages the audience and allows them to revisit and rewatch the webinar, enabling a deeper understanding and continuous learning experience.

13. Acknowledge and appreciate contributors.

In the final section of the webinar outline, it is essential to acknowledge and list all the co-authors who played a role in organizing and presenting the webinar. Express gratitude for their contributions, as their involvement played a crucial role in making the webinar successful. Take the opportunity to personally thank and recognize the contributors and individuals without whom the webinar would not have been possible. Their involvement is vital, and acknowledging their contributions adds a sense of appreciation and completeness to the webinar experience.

Read and Learn: How to Add Energy, Impact, and Results at Every Stage of Your Webinar

FAQs

1. Why Is Having a Detailed Webinar Outline Important for B2B Tech Companies?

Answer: For B2B Tech companies, the topics often discussed in webinars are usually intricate and can include technical jargon. A detailed outline ensures that the content flows logically and is easy to understand for the target audience. It also helps presenters stay on track, ensures key points are covered, and aids in creating supplementary materials like slides and handouts.

2. How Can I Identify the Key Objectives to Include in My Webinar Outline?

Answer: Identifying the key objectives for your webinar starts with understanding your audience's needs and pain points. For B2B tech companies, objectives may include educating the audience about a new technology, explaining the use-cases of a product, or demonstrating how to solve a specific business problem. These objectives should be clearly listed in the outline to guide the content and structure of the webinar.

3. What Elements Should Be Included in a B2B Tech Webinar Outline?

Answer: A standard B2B Tech webinar outline should include an introduction, the objectives of the webinar, the main content broken down into sections or modules, interactive elements like Q&A or polls, and a conclusion. You may also include time for a product demo if applicable, and always allocate time at the end for audience questions to encourage engagement.

4. Should I Include Time for Audience Interaction in My Outline?

Answer: Absolutely, audience interaction is crucial for the success of any webinar but especially for B2B tech webinars where the topics can be complex. Interactive elements like real-time polls, Q&A sessions, and live demos can not only make the webinar more engaging but also allow the presenter to gauge the audience's understanding and interest level.

5. How Flexible Should the Webinar Outline Be?

Answer: While it's essential to have a structured outline to ensure that all key points are covered, some flexibility should be built in. This is particularly true for B2B tech webinars, where audience questions may lead to valuable but unplanned discussions. Allow some buffer time in your outline for such diversions, but also be prepared to steer the conversation back to your planned topics to meet your objectives.

Get yourself ready and create your webinar outline 

While your webinar benefits from structure and an outline, it's equally important to remain adaptable and permit information to unfold organically and contextually. A webinar outline serves as a guide to present your information coherently and rationally while maintaining an effortlessly comprehensible conversational flow. Moreover, outlines assist your speakers in constructing more impactful messages, as they shape the arrangement of their data and critical points.

A well-constructed webinar outline ensures that your information is presented clearly and logically while allowing for a natural flow of conversation that is easy to follow. It guides your speakers, helping them deliver more impactful messages by organizing their data and highlighting key points effectively. Along with selecting the right tool to create webinar outlines, you should consider the design, configure basic settings, and establish an outline. Choose a reliable webinar software that provides all such features to make the webinar successful.

While having an outline for your webinar is essential to provide structure, it's equally important to remain flexible and allow the information to flow naturally and contextually. Sometimes, it may be necessary to diverge from the outline if it aligns with the audience's questions or if exciting and relevant topics arise during discussions or interviews. The key is to maintain a balance between structure and adaptability.

To assist you in creating a comprehensive webinar outline and executing successful webinars, consider using Hubilo. Hubilo provides advanced webinar features, including customizable templates, interactive engagement tools, and seamless integration options. With Hubilo, you can streamline creating and executing webinars while maximizing audience engagement. Request a demo today to explore how Hubilo can elevate your webinar experience and help you create engaging and impactful presentations.

Author
Hubilo

Hubilo is the webinar platform built for marketers that helps you 2X your pipeline. Founded in 2015, Hubilo's powerful engagement features, dedicated client experience team, and custom branding tools have helped create over 12K virtual events & webinars, creating hundreds of millions of minutes of high-engagement experiences and counting. Headquartered in Bengaluru and San Francisco, Hubilo's 200+ employees are dedicated to enabling webinars & virtual events that convert.

Stay connected with us.

Thank you! Your submission has been received!
Oops! Something went wrong while submitting the form.
Ready for the Next Level of Webinars?

Discover how Hubilo's Webinar+ can help you 2X your pipeline

Registration and attendance expansion
Addictive engagement features
Gen-AI Snackable Content Hub to make repurposing a breeze
Revenue Impact Dashboard
and more....
Get a personalized free demo today