Tips to Run Interactive Webinars in 2024 (+ Bonus Tip)

Lead magnet or snoozefest? With webinars, it can go either way.

And as marketers, we aim for the latter.

To do that, it’s time to ditch lectures and PowerPoint slides in favor of interaction, participation, and value.

If your webinars aren’t bringing in attendees or you’re just not seeing enough engagement, then this article is for you.

We’ll show you how to make your webinar interactive with these expert tips!

How to Make Webinars Interactive: 6 Tips That Work

Tip #1: Select a Compelling Topic

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Similar to the hook of a good article, your webinar topic is what reels attendees in.

And to conduct a successful webinar, nailing the right topic is key. Your topic choice should address two critical questions:

1. Why is this webinar relevant to the attendees?

2. What insights will participants walk away with?

For inspiration, consider a leaf from our own playbook, when we recently conducted a webinar on our “demo-led” SEO strategy.

In Q1, we faced a challenge: increasing signups for our PLG product with an optimized onboarding experience. Despite good conversion rates, PLG revenue growth was slower than expected due to low website traffic.

Our Solution? We made the most of interactive demos by transforming them into an SEO engine, publishing ~100 demo pages targeting high-ranking keywords. After initial success, we scaled to over 1,500 pages.

Results:

• 6x increase in website traffic (25k to 150k in 3 months)
• 90% of demo-led SEO pages ranked in the Top 20
• 20% landed in the Top 3

The webinar "How to Crack Demo-Led SEO" took a deep dive into this growth experiment. In the post-helpful content update era, this was extremely relevant, informative, and helpful to the entire SEO community and to those interested in replicating our success with their own creative twist.

Here’s the TLDR on selecting your webinar topic: 

• Address your audience's key challenges
• Offer unique insights or solutions
• Ensure the content is timely and relevant
• Provide clear, actionable takeaways

Ideally, a well-chosen topic sets the stage for an interactive and engaging webinar from the start.

Also read: How does Demo-led SEO compare to regular blogs?

Tip #2: Implement Engaging Pre-Webinar Activities

Engagement with your webinar shouldn’t just start on D-day.

Ideally, participants should be able to engage in pre-webinar activities such as:

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• Surveys to gauge attendee interests and tailor content
• Social media teasers with previews of what to expect
• Pre-reading materials or short videos to set the context
• Interactive polls to initiate discussions early

These pre-event interactions boost attendance rates and prime your audience for active participation during the webinar.

For instance, take Clearscope's content teardown webinars. 

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These ‘content teardowns’ work this way: Participants can share a website that they work on or want to analyze content for, and the expert panel does that. Along with registration, participants must fill out a form that lets them submit the article or blog for which they want a content review.

This generates buzz and significantly drives attendee rates. It’s like getting a free content audit and information for attendees and a great way to generate leads for the brand. Essentially, a win-win.

Suggested read: 20 Lead Magnet Ideas that actually work

Tip #3: Use Interactive Demos

Nothing says interactive more than having your attendees “interact” with the topic.

Take product demo webinars, for instance. Rather than have a 20-slide presentation explaining a new product feature or update, why not have attendees browse through it themselves as you explain?

Again, taking a leaf from our playbook, Storylane recently launched DemoHub, a new feature that lets users create a library of demos to send prospects. 

And while it wasn’t a webinar per se, we included a QR Code in our product demo video for attendees to scan and go through the interactive demo of the product.

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Basically, attendees could get instant access and check the product in real-time. 

This was a bonus point for engagement and receiving real-time feedback. 

And while not every topic lends itself to product demonstrations, try to make your topic interactive or use content that your audience can engage with. 

Also read: The Product launch playbook that drove 700+ signups

Tip #4: Encourage Continuous Attendee Interaction

The key to truly interactive webinars lies in consistent engagement throughout the session. 

Give instructions for interactions and have participants complete them. These can be done for intervals of 2-3 minutes.

Here are some effective webinar engagement activities:

Guest cameos

Even just having someone else speak can jolt people's attention. Make sure they're prepped and know exactly the point you want them to make

Polls

Polls are an efficient way to "take the temperature" of the group in an organized way, reflect it back to them, and respond to it. This works at any size, but you would have to pre-write the poll and have it ready to go

Transitions

Essentially any transition from one "mode" to another lights up people's change-detection neurons & jolts them into attention. The challenge is to have numerous transitions while maintaining the momentum of the call, minimizing time/energy leakages, & having it all make sense.

Worksheets

Provide fill-in-the-blank worksheets or templates that attendees can complete during the webinar. This keeps them actively engaged with the content and provides a valuable takeaway.

Demo

Share your screen and demonstrate a technique, action, tool, or tip live. You can even share QR codes on the webinar for attendees to scan and link to an interactive demo for them to experience at their own pace. 

Storytelling

Mix in relevant case studies and live demonstrations to illustrate your points. Varied content keeps your audience attentive and engaged throughout the session.

Tip #5: Utilize the Chat Feature

When used effectively, the chat feature can help generate leads during your webinar. 

Begin your webinar by asking an easy question in the chat, such as where attendees are joining from. This simple act will break the ice and familiarize participants with the chat function. 

Throughout the webinar, engage your audience with these simple prompts: 

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• Ask thought-provoking questions
• Encourage attendees to share experiences
• Read out and respond to interesting comments
• Aim for chat interaction every 4-5 minutes

Have your team on standby, continuing engagement and answering prospect questions within the chat. 

That way, you can also gauge the engagement levels and follow up with highly engaged leads after the webinar. 

Tip #6: Choose Interactive Webinar Platforms

Why juggle a million integrations when a single platform can do the job?

With so many interactive webinar platforms out there, it’s best to look for ones that offer: 

• Robust polling capabilities
• Interactive quiz functions
• Breakout room options

Additionally, the platform should be:

• Easy to use: The platform should be easy to use for both you and your attendees.
• Scalable: The platform should be able to accommodate your expected number of attendees.
• Offer required features: The platform should offer the features that you need, such as live chat, recording, and analytics.
• Cost-effective: The platform should be affordable for your budget.

Consider platforms like Butter for a seamless, interactive experience. To maintain engagement, remember to vary your interaction methods every 7-15 minutes.

Lastly, be sure to test it before your webinar to ensure everything is working properly. 

Tip #7: Use Social Media

Social media is everywhere, and if you can't beat it, we say join it!

You can use social media for:

• Pre-event promotion, live engagement or posting during the event
• You can create event hashtags and share sneak peeks of content.
• This creates buzz around the promotion and continues the conversation post-webinar on social platforms. 

For instance, here’s a post by Chima Mmeje, promoting a Moz Webinar on Linkedin hours before the event. This approach extends the life of your webinar content and promotes ongoing engagement with your audience. 

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You can also consider creating a LinkedIn group or a Slack channel for webinar attendees to continue discussions, networking, and join future sessions. 

Bonus Tip: Maximize Post-Webinar Engagement

Webinars, although in a recorded format, can work as a content machine for your brand post-event. 

The key is to repurpose it effectively. Here’s how to do it:

• Share follow-up materials such as session recordings and additional resources via email.
• Convert the webinar into an on-demand one and make it accessible on your website for visitors or past attendees. 
• Create a dedicated Slack or LinkedIn community forum for continued discussion. This can be a valuable source of insights and future webinar topics.
• Repurpose your webinar content across various formats (blog posts, infographics, short video clips). This way, you optimize it and improve brand visibility, making your content discoverable across different customer touchpoints.

A creative take could also be creating a series of micro-learning content pieces from your webinar. These bite-sized chunks of information can be easily consumed and shared, extending the reach of your original content.

This increases your online visibility and establishes your brand as a thought leader in your industry.

Wrapping up

By implementing these six strategies and the bonus tip, you can transform your webinars from standard PowerPoint slides to engaging, interactive experiences.

Ultimately, it's about providing tangible value for your attendees, both in terms of the webinar experience and the takeaway. 

As you prepare for your next webinar, consider how you can incorporate these strategies to create a more dynamic and impactful event.