Also available on:

"Most webinars feel like corporate hostage situations—you're trapped with no escape, desperately looking for that 'leave now' button," says Matt Murdoch, VP of Marketing at Franklin Covey and author of "The Webinar Manifesto."

In B2B marketing today, webinars have grown from occasional tools to essential conversion machines. They connect awareness with revenue impact, serving as key touchpoints for buyers. Yet despite how common they've become, most marketers are still getting webinars painfully wrong.

The numbers don't lie: while webinar sign-ups continue to climb—engagement and conversion rates often disappoint. The gap between a webinar that drives millions in pipeline and one that wastes calendar space isn't just about content—it's about completely rethinking how we approach these events.

If you're still treating webinars like glorified PowerPoint presentations, it's time for a reset. What makes truly effective webinars different from time-wasters? How can you transform your virtual events from boring information dumps into dynamic, revenue-generating experiences? Drawing on insights from Matt Murdoch, who's been ahead of the curve for over a decade, we'll explore how to revolutionize your webinars.

The Evolution of Webinars

When webinars first showed up, they were basically "PowerPoint marathons"—long, boring presentations with almost no engagement that left viewers wondering why they'd wasted an hour of their day.

Today, things look very different. Presentations are more visual, hosts use multiple video feeds and branded graphics, and the overall quality often feels more like a professional broadcast than a corporate meeting.

The trend is moving toward shorter, more energetic formats. People's attention spans aren't what they used to be, and content needs to grab them quickly and keep them interested throughout.

Technology has made webinars accessible to everyone. Where they once required technical producers and specialized equipment, now anyone with a laptop can host one. This means only the truly excellent webinars stand out from the crowd.

Common Webinar Planning Mistakes

Great webinars begin with smart planning, but this is exactly where most marketers stumble. Here are the key pitfalls to avoid:

The "If We Build It, They Will Come" Mistake

Many marketers assume that simply scheduling a webinar means people will show up. This rarely happens. You need strategic promotion across all your channels to drive attendance. Without aggressive marketing, even the best webinar content goes unwatched.

The Sales Pitch Disguised as Content

Nothing irritates attendees more than signing up for what promised to be valuable information, only to sit through an hour-long sales pitch. This destroys credibility fast. The best webinars prioritize genuine value over immediate sales messaging. Build trust first, and the sales will follow naturally.

Skipping the Testing Phase

Too many marketers rush through content creation and skip crucial testing. Murdoch suggests treating your webinar like a real product that requires beta testing and feedback loops. Would you launch a new product without testing it first? Apply the same standards to your webinars.

As Paxton Gray of 97th Floor puts it, ask yourself: "Is your webinar good enough that people would almost pay for it?" While that's a high bar, aiming for that level of value is what separates exceptional webinars from forgettable ones.

The Three Pillars of Engaging Webinars

According to Murdoch, truly successful webinars consistently feature three essential components:

1. Valuable Content That Resonates

Your content must immediately connect with what your audience needs. It should feel urgent, valuable, and directly applicable to their work or lives. Generic information won't cut it—you need insights they can't easily find elsewhere.

2. Engaging Delivery

Knowing your material isn't enough—you need to deliver it with energy and clarity. If your presentation style is flat or boring, people will multitask (best case) or leave (worst case). You don't need to be a professional entertainer, but you do need to bring energy, tell stories, and present in a way that keeps people's attention.

3. Active Audience Participation

This is where most webinars fail completely. Passive listening doesn't work in virtual settings. Use polls, Q&A, chat features, and even live dialogue to transform listeners into active participants. This is where real learning happens—when people engage with the material rather than just hearing it.

The Virtual Accountability Framework

One of Murdoch's most valuable insights addresses the fundamental challenge of virtual events: in physical rooms, we're naturally accountable to each other. We can see if someone is checking their phone or zoning out. In virtual settings, that accountability vanishes.

To solve this problem, Murdoch developed a three-part "virtual accountability" framework:

Verbal Accountability

Set expectations upfront by telling attendees you'll be calling on people by name and asking for input. This prevents the "movie theater mentality" where people assume they can just watch passively.

One of Murdoch's favorite techniques is the "Hang 10" rule: when you ask a question, wait a full 10 seconds of silence for answers. It will feel uncomfortable at first, but the pause gives people time to think and greatly increases participation.

Visual Accountability

People don't remember bullet points—they remember stories and images. Replace text-heavy slides with bold, memorable visuals. Tell stories instead of presenting data points. And make sure your slides look professional and current—outdated graphics signal that your content might be outdated too.

Kinesthetic Accountability

Newton's first law applies to webinar attendees: objects at rest stay at rest. To keep people engaged, create movement—both mentally and physically.

Give attendees short tasks or problems to solve. Use interactive tools like polls and whiteboards liberally—aim for some form of interaction every five minutes. Murdoch even suggests having participants stand up, find an object in another room, and return to discuss it—something that would never happen in typical webinars but creates memorable engagement.

Driving Attendance & Maximizing Conversion

Creating a great webinar is only half the battle—you also need people to attend. Here's how to fill those virtual seats:

Craft Titles That Speak to Pain Points

Instead of generic descriptive titles like "A Comprehensive Review of Fiscal Q3 Metrics," try something that addresses specific pain points: "The Top Three Metrics Secretly Costing Your Marketing Budget Millions." Your title should make people feel they can't afford to miss what you're sharing.

Promote Aggressively Across Channels

Use every channel at your disposal—email, social media, partner networks, and more. Send multiple reminders right up until the event starts, since registration doesn't guarantee attendance.

The Critical Insight: Registration Is the Moment of Need

Here's where Murdoch's approach differs dramatically from common practice: when someone registers for your webinar, that's their moment of need. They're saying, "I have a problem, and I think you might have the solution."

Don't wait until after the webinar to follow up. Have your sales team contact them immediately. As Murdoch explains, "Three things can happen if you wait: they'll forget about it, they'll get pulled into another meeting, or worst case, they'll find their solution through another vendor."

Live vs. On-Demand Strategies

Rather than choosing between live and on-demand formats, use both strategically. Live webinars provide interactive energy and urgency that's hard to replicate, while on-demand extends your content's lifespan and meets viewers' desire for convenience.

For maximum impact, host live webinars and then create condensed on-demand versions (typically 20 minutes instead of 45). Just remember that live attendance may signal stronger buying intent than on-demand viewing.

The Future of Webinars

As virtual events continue to evolve, several trends are emerging:

Snackable Content

Attention spans continue to shrink—as one of Murdoch's colleagues put it, "If your webinar lasts longer than my coffee, you've lost me." There's growing demand for micro-webinars that deliver value quickly.

That said, longer formats aren't dead. Murdoch recently ran successful 90-minute webinars by using the engagement principles outlined above. The key is design, not duration.

AI-Powered Enhancements

New technologies are transforming what's possible in webinars: automated Q&A, intelligent chatbots, real-time analytics, and more. These tools can make webinars more responsive and personalized while reducing the technical burden on hosts.

The "Netflix Effect"

On-demand content continues to reshape audience expectations. Just as streaming services trained viewers to expect content when and how they want it, B2B audiences increasingly expect similar flexibility with professional content.

Putting It All Together

The most effective webinars aren't presentations—they're carefully crafted experiences that engage audiences and move them toward conversion. By avoiding common planning mistakes, building in the three types of accountability, and treating registration as the moment of need, you can transform your webinars from boring obligations into powerful revenue drivers.

The days of PowerPoint marathons are over. It's time to create webinars people actually want to attend—and that deliver real business results.