We’ve all joined webinars before — some good, some bad. When they’re good, webinars can be a slam-dunk marketing tool that engages an audience while subtly showcasing a product, service or expertise.
When they’re bad, they can leave audiences bored and disengaged — or worse, turned off from your organization.
A webinar’s success lies mostly in its content, and learning how to write a webinar script that connects with audiences is a critical first step. Plus, as we start to rely more on virtual conferences and events, mastering the art of a webinar script is a great skill to have in your back pocket.
How to write a webinar script that engages audiences
As with any good piece of content marketing, your webinar script should start with understanding your audience and objectives. Before you put pen to paper (or fingers to your keyboard), answer these questions:
Who is the key demographic you’re targeting for this webinar?
Where is the audience in your customer journey?
What are your audience’s pain points? What problem will this webinar solve?
What is your goal for this webinar (what KPIs will you use to measure success)?
These questions can keep you on track and make sure you’re creating a presentation tailored to your audience’s interests.
Also, remember that successful content marketing is light on jargon. It doesn’t matter if you’re speaking to the C-suite or an entry-level specialist — plain language helps make sure your message is clear.
Now that you have the basics, here are 10 other important tips to keep in mind when writing a webinar script.
1. Work with the presenter(s) on a script format
Script formats can come in many different styles. In some cases, you may need to write out the script word-for-word. Sometimes a bullet list will suffice.
Your best bet is to check in with the presenter or the webinar project manager to see what their preference is. The presenter may want everything spelled out for them, or they may be okay with a basic outline with room for elaboration. When in doubt, you can use a combination of styles and use bullet points to emphasize main themes.
In either situation, make sure you keep sentences simple and straightforward. Long, complex paragraphs are even harder on listeners than readers, and you’ll likely lose the audience’s attention.
2. Be mindful of time
Knowing how long the webinar will be is essential to the script development. A 30-minute webinar script will look different from an hour-long webinar script. For example, a half-hour presentation may stick to high-level themes and leave the in-depth details to follow-up emails and blog posts.
You also need to know how much time will be dedicated to Q&A. For example, a 60-minute webinar may only need a 45-minute script (with 15 minutes for questions).
Not sure how long your webinar should be? Try testing different lengths to see which one appeals most to your audience. For instance, TED talks are limited to 18 minutes, based on research about adult attention spans. Other research, however, shows that webinar audiences stay engaged — the average webinar attendee viewing time is 57 minutes, according to an analysis from GoToMeeting.
3. Set expectations with an outline and ground rules
Keep your audience engaged by telling them what they can expect from the webinar. Provide an outline to cover the different parts of your presentation and what the key learnings will be.
When you set the stage for the presentation, make sure you also clarify when audience members can ask questions and how they can participate. Don’t forget to include details about polling tools and chat room features.
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