How to Grow Your Email List With Webinars

Webinars might be one of the best ways to grow your email list — especially now that your average net-browsing consumer is bombarded by requests for their email address from every piece of content they come across. 

Marketers are thirsty for those addresses, and consumers are becoming more weary about sharing them. You need to offer more than just blog updates or a PDF to get a good email address – something worthy of an invitation into someone’s inbox. 

And webinars can be the perfect solution!

You might be wondering – Isn’t it the other way around? Email is higher up the funnel, so growing your list gets you more registrations and sales…right? 

That’s the problem with a “linear” funnel! You don’t have to stack your marketing channels from top to bottom. Assets like email and webinars can mutually support each other all up and down the stages of the buyer’s journey.

In this blog, I highlight how webinars can transform your approach to email list building, offering practical tips and proven strategies to leverage this dynamic format. 

#1  Offer Value Through Webinars

Your webinar is a lead generator. 

Can it include an offer? Sure. But the bulk of it had better be a gift to your attendees. Give them a real lesson, a way to address their problem. Give them a “win.” 

Don’t trick them into a surprise sales pitch. Teach, don’t sell.

We’ve got lots of resources on how to choose your webinar topic, but here’s the short version: figure out what your target audience’s pain point is and craft a lesson that helps them overcome some aspect of it. 

Offer to empower people and deliver on that promise!

#2 Automate Your Webinars 

Automating your webinars is a strategic move that can significantly extend your reach and impact. By creating lessons that attendees can engage with at their own convenience, you tap into a broader audience base that live events may not always accommodate. 

This approach capitalizes on the potential attendee’s impulse to learn immediately, harnessing their interest when it’s most potent.

That means more registrations and, consequently, more email contacts.

Here are some benefits of automated webinars to boost your email list:

• Accessibility: Automated webinars remove the constraints of time zones and busy schedules, making your content accessible to a global audience 24/7. This convenience can lead to higher registration numbers as potential attendees can choose a viewing time that suits them best.

• Instant Engagement: When someone discovers your content and is interested, they can register and watch your lesson immediately. This immediacy captures the audience’s interest at its peak, leading to more engaged viewers and, subsequently, more email sign-ups.

• Extended Reach: Automated webinars don’t require your live presence. They can run indefinitely, constantly working to attract new audience members and convert them into email subscribers. This can lead to a steady stream of new leads over time, without additional effort on your part.

Looking to learn more about automating your webinars?

Sign up for the 30-day Automated Webinar Challenge to get passive leads and sales round the clock. 

#3 Promote Your Webinar Effectively

Leverage your existing highest-traffic content to promote your webinar. 

Whatever your best asset is, be it a strong blog, a popular YouTube channel, or a hefty social media following, an opportunity to sign up for a webinar is the best way to move some of those folks down the funnel.

Here are some ways to include webinar registration tools in your content- 

• Put a banner across the top of your homepage that links to your webinar landing page.
• Create pop-ups promoting your webinars.
• Write blog posts related to the content of your webinar and link to the landing page in the text. Embed a registration form at the bottom of the posts.
• Add CTA (Calls to Action) to all your off-site content, like YouTube videos and social media posts. 
• Consider using paid Facebook ads to drive more traffic to the registration page. 

#4 Partner Up 

Find a company to partner up with, one with similar or greater brand recognition. Make sure it’s not a competitor but someone who makes a relevant adjacent product. For example, a fitness coach can find a nutritionist, and a business coach can find a web designer.

Just make sure that whoever you partner with has good brand alignment and is someone your audience can benefit from. 

Here’s how these partnerships can help you build an email list with webinars- 

• Guest posts on their website. Write something that will really help their audience, and include an invitation to a free workshop where they can learn even more from you.
• Go on their podcast. Podcast hosts are notoriously guest-thirsty. Promote your webinar on the podcast — just make sure the URL you give is simple and memorable (since it’s not a link).
• Offer a free webinar for their audience. Give a great lesson directly to your new partner’s crowd. Your partner will be adding value for their audience, which makes them look great. 

Also Read: CoHost Webinars: How to Crush It, Together

#5 Encourage Post-Webinar Sign-Ups

While your webinar itself serves as a prime platform for showcasing your expertise, the real magic happens when you effectively encourage attendees to join your email community for more insights, updates, and offerings. 

Here’s how you can make that conversion process as seamless and compelling as possible:

Offer Irresistible Post-Webinar Incentives:

• Promise attendees access to exclusive content only available for email subscribers. This could be an in-depth guide, a supplementary video series, or an ebook.
• Entice attendees with special discounts or offers on your products or services. This not only adds value but also creates a sense of urgency.
• Let attendees know that email subscribers will get priority access or exclusive invitations to future webinars.

Craft an Effective Follow-Up Strategy:

The follow-up email is your golden ticket to converting attendees into subscribers. It should be sent within 24 hours post-webinar to keep the momentum going. Here’s what it should include-

• A thank you note expressing gratitude for their attendance.
• A link to the recording of the webinar for those who wish to revisit it or might have missed parts of it.
• A clear call to action inviting them to subscribe to your email list, highlighting the benefits (exclusive content, offers, future webinars) of doing so.

Create a Seamless Conversion Experience:

• The process to subscribe should be straightforward. Consider embedding a subscription form directly within the follow-up email or providing a direct link to a simple sign-up page.
• Include testimonials or case studies from existing subscribers or past webinar attendees who benefited from your email content. This builds trust and demonstrates value.

Also Read:  Before & After: Webinar Lead Generation & Follow Up

#6 Analyze & Optimize

Determining the success of your webinar and its impact on email list growth involves looking at a variety of metrics, such as: 

• Registration Numbers: How many people signed up for your webinar?
• Attendance Rate: What percentage of registrants actually attended the webinar?
• Conversion Rate: Of the attendees, how many took the desired action (e.g., signed up for your email list)?
• Engagement Metrics: Measures of attendee engagement during the webinar, such as poll participation, chat activity, and question submissions.

Utilizing a powerful webinar tool like WebinarNinja can streamline this process, offering tools and features designed to capture, analyze, and leverage data for optimization. 

You can also collect feedback through post-webinar surveys or questionnaires. Key areas to focus on include:

• Content Relevance and Quality: Did attendees find the information provided valuable and relevant to their needs?
• Presentation Style: Was the presentation engaging and easy to follow?
• Webinar Length and Timing: Was the webinar considered too long, too short, or just right? Was the timing convenient for most attendees?
• Technical Issues: Were there any technical problems that detracted from the webinar experience?

By analyzing this feedback, you can make informed decisions about how to adjust your webinar strategy for better engagement and higher conversion rates. Whether it’s tweaking your content, experimenting with different webinar lengths, or improving the technical delivery, each change is an opportunity to enhance the effectiveness of your webinars.

How to Make Webinars Work For Email List Growth

The right webinar — an informative, helpful lesson or workshop aimed less at selling products and more at giving value — can be a giant lead magnet. Unlike other kinds of email-capturing content, webinars promise much more value, and the contacts you get are primed for real engagement, nurturing, and eventual sales conversion.

With the tips listed above, you’ll not only expand your email list with webinars but also build a community of engaged followers ready to advocate for your brand.

Remember, the key to success lies in analyzing your efforts and optimizing for better performance. Tools like WebinarNinja can play a pivotal role in this process, offering the analytics and feedback mechanisms necessary to refine your webinars and make each one more effective than the last.