Webinars have become an important tool for marketers, educators, and entrepreneurs who want to connect with a larger audience and share valuable insights without needing constant live interaction. While live webinars have been the go to usually, the rise of evergreen webinars is seen to be more of a popular option as they offer a more efficient, automated solution.
In this guide, we’ll explore everything you need to know about evergreen webinars—what they are, their benefits, and how to create one.
Let's dive in!
What is an Evergreen Webinar?
An evergreen webinar is a webinar that is timeless and is available on-demand, regardless of when it was made. Unlike live webinars, which require the speaker to be available to answer questions and engage with the audience live, evergreen webinars run on autopilot.
Why Are They Called "Evergreen"?
The term "evergreen" refers to the fact that these webinars can be used continuously over time. Named after the evergreen tree (which keeps it leaves all year around), an evergreen webinar remains "fresh" for extended periods of time. The content itself remains valuable and relevant which helps to generate leads or brand awareness on autopilot.
Benefits of Hosting an Evergreen Webinar
There are many benefits of hosting a webinar — especially an evergreen one. From being on-demand and continuously attracting new leads with minimal effort, to cost-effectiveness – these are just few of the key advantages. This results in them being an attractive option for businesses or content creators.
Here are some key benefits:
Scalability
Evergreen webinars allow you to reach an unlimited number of participants, no matter where they are located or when they are available to join. Whether you're speaking to a small group or a large global audience, the webinar can handle it without requiring additional resources or planning.
This means you can grow your audience with less effort, without having to worry about capacity or logistic related matters.
Time Efficiency
One of the biggest time-savers with evergreen webinars is that you only need to create content once. Just once.
Rather than hosting multiple live sessions or constantly having to create new material, you can record one high-quality webinar and use it over and over again.
This gives you more free time and helps you focus on other important tasks.
Consistent Content Delivery
With evergreen webinars, you’re able to deliver the same high-quality content every time, which helps ensure consistency across all viewers. Each viewer gets the same experience, which helps strengthen your branding, message, and the overall reputation of your brand.
No matter when someone watches, they’ll always receive the same webinar.
Polls at Contrast
Increased Conversion Potential
Since evergreen webinars are available 24/7, they work even when you're not actively engaged. They can keep generating leads and driving sales around the clock.
With automated follow-ups emails and planned placed calls-to-action, evergreen webinars can help nurture leads and convert them into customers continuously.
Cost Efficiency
Once your evergreen webinar is recorded and set up, there are minimal ongoing costs. You don’t need to spend money on hosting live events anymore which makes it an affordable option for long-term marketing.
In short, evergreen webinars offer a lot of great benefits: they let you reach more people, save time, and keep things running smoothly without much effort. They help you deliver consistent content, generate leads and sales around the clock, and are cost-effective for long-term growth. With evergreen webinars, you can grow and engage your audience – all with minimal ongoing work.
Live Webinars vs. Evergreen Webinars
What is the difference between live and evergreen webinars? In reality, they do have their fair share of similar benefits, but they do operate quite differently.
Here’s a comparison of the two:
Interaction
Live Webinars
These allow for real-time interaction, making them ideal for building relationships. You can engage directly with your audience, answer poll questions, and provide immediate feedback. This makes the experience feel more personal and helps create a connection with the audience.
Evergreen Webinar
Since evergreen webinars are pre-recorded, interaction is more limited. While some automated features like Q&A or chat are included, they can't replicate the real-time back-and-forth of a live session. This results in the audience engagement being more passive.
Flexibility
Live Webinars
One downside of live webinars is that attendees need to attend at a specific time which could be problem to some if they can't make it, especially if participants are from a different time zone or have a busy schedule.
Evergreen Webinars
On the other hand... evergreen webinars are available on demand, which allows the audience to watch them at any time, making this option more flexible for their schedules. This flexibility makes it easier to reach a wider audience, including those who may not be available for a live event.
Preparation & Effort
Live Webinars
Hosting a live webinar requires a lot of preparation, from planning the outline of the webinar to promoting the event in order to ensure everything runs smoothly – it can be a lot. There is also the factor of performing live, which can be stressful to some as they need to practice their lines or content.
Evergreen Webinars
Unlike live webinars, evergreen webinars are pre-recorded and designed to remain relevant forever. This means that the content is not tied to a specific time or event, making it more flexible for potential attendees.
Audience Reach
Live Webinars
Audience reach can be limited by time zones and scheduling conflicts. If someone can’t attend a live event, they might miss out entirely or have to wait for the next one. This can create a sense of urgency or FOMO, but it also limits the potential reach.
Evergreen Webinars
Since evergreen webinars can be accessed at any time, they have the advantage of being able to reach a larger global audience. Viewers from different time zones can watch whenever it’s convenient for them, increasing the chances of attracting a larger and more diverse audience.
Conversion Rates
Live Webinars
Live events typically boast higher conversion rates because of the urgency created by the real-time format, the personal connection with the host, and the emotional engagement of being part of a live experience. People often feel more willing to engage when they’re part of an active, real-time event.
Evergreen Webinars
While evergreen webinars don’t offer the same level of live interaction, they can still achieve strong conversions. By placing calls-to-action and delivering high-quality content, they can still be very effective in driving leads and sales. However, they might not have the same immediate impact that live webinars do.
Choosing between live and evergreen webinars comes down to your goals and needs, as well the level of interaction you want with your audience. Live webinars provide a more personal, engaging experience but require more effort and scheduling accuracy. Evergreen webinars, on the other hand, offer convenience and flexibility, allowing you to reach a wider audience with less ongoing effort. Each format has its strengths, and the right choice depends on your needs, your audience, and the type of experience you want to create.
Types of Evergreen Webinars
The most effective evergreen webinars use webinar ideas that remain relevant. Choosing a subject that is overly trendy can affect the longevity of your evergreen webinar funnel. Any topic that is based on current news, statistics, trends, or reports are unsuitable since their relevance is fleeting and is likely to stop trending. Evergreen webinars are the best when they include content that maintains its value over time.
Here are some common types:
The Educational Webinar
These kind of webinars are focused on teaching your audience a specific topic, this type provides insightful and valuable information, tips, or best practices. It’s perfect for building trust and positioning yourself as an expert in your field.
Example: A digital marketing expert teaching viewers how to run effective social media campaigns.
The Product Demo Webinar
Product demo webinars are all about showcasing a product or service. It highlights key features, benefits, and real-world use cases to help convince potential customers of its value.
Example: A software company demonstrating how their tool can streamline business operations.
The Case Study Webinar
By sharing real-life success stories, case study webinars build credibility and show proof of your product or service's effectiveness, as well it's reputation.
Example: A webinar explaining how a marketing tool helped one of their customers increase its revenue by 30%.
The Lead Generation Webinar
Designed to capture leads, this type often offers a free resource (like a discount or downloadable content) in exchange for attendees' contact information.
Example: A webinar offering a free SEO audit or consultation to registrants.
Other good examples of evergreen webinar types:
- How to
- Tutorials
- Q&A
- Subject matter expert advice
How to Create a Successful Evergreen Webinar with Contrast
Luckily, there's no need for specialized software to transform your webinars into evergreen content. Leading webinar platforms, such as Contrast, come equipped with capabilities to create evergreen webinars.
How does it work? Essentially, evergreen webinars are pre-recorded webinars that are turned into on-demand webinars by the hosts or organizers. These recordings could be either past live webinar sessions or media files uploaded by the host onto the webinar platform.
As for audience access, participants are first required to sign up on a registration page. Upon providing some personal details, they are either directed straight to the webinar page or receive a link to access it. As evergreen webinars are available on-demand, they can be viewed at any convenience. Most features (Q&A and polls) are accessible to viewers, though the chat function is typically disabled due to the absence of live moderation in evergreen webinars.
Evergreen webinars allow you to keep generating leads even after the webinar as registration and watch data are stored and can be integrated with common tools in marketing stacks (like HubSpot).
Run Your Evergreen Webinars on Contrast
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Start for free9 Best Practices for Making an Impact with Evergreen Webinars
Evergreen webinars are a great way to share valuable content with your audience at anytime. To make sure your webinar stands out and gets results, it’s important to create an engaging experience.
Here are some of the best practices to help you improve your webinar:
Create High-Quality Content
When planning any webinar, it's important to have a webinar outline to ensure that your content is organized and concise. Make sure that your webinar is clear, structured, and directly relevant to your audience’s needs or pain points.
Personalize the Experience
Where possible, personalize your webinar. Use participant names in emails and add messaging that makes viewers feel like the content is specifically made for them. A tailored experience makes viewers feel more connected and valued.
Optimize for Mobile
There is a possibility that many viewers will access your webinar from their mobile devices. Ensure the content is easy to view on smaller screens, with a mobile-friendly layout in order to reach a broader audience.
Add a Strong Call-to-Action
Each webinar should have a clear, actionable next step for viewers. Whether it’s booking a demo, signing up for a newsletter, or downloading a resource, a strong call-to-action guides your audience and increases conversions. You can also redirect audience members at the end of the webinar.
Use Testimonials and Case Studies
Social proof is powerful. Share success stories, testimonials, or case studies to build trust and credibility with your audience. Real-life examples show how your product or service has made a difference and helps demonstrate the value of what you're offering or selling.
Leverage Email Reminders
Send timely email reminders to registrants, both before and after the webinar, to boost attendance. Pre-event reminders help keep the webinar on top of their mind, while post-event reminders or follow-up emails help encourage engagement with additional resources or offers.
Offer a Limited-Time Bonus
Creating urgency or FOMO can increase conversions. Offering limited-time bonuses or content for those who watch the webinar within a certain time frame encourages action and makes viewers feel like they need to act fast.
Keep it Concise
While it’s important to cover the key points, don’t overwhelm your viewers with too much information. Keep the webinar focused and concise to maintain interest and prevent disengagement. A clear, to-the-point webinar will keep your audience’s attention and help them retain the information.
Test and Optimize
Continuously monitor the performance of your evergreen webinar. Use webinar analytics to track how well it's performing and identify areas for improvement.
In order to create an engaging evergreen webinar, focus on delivering high-quality content and engaging viewers with interactive elements such as Q&A or polls. Personalize the experience, ensure it’s mobile-friendly, and include clear calls-to-action to boost conversions. Use testimonials, offer limited-time bonuses, and keep the content to the point – don't wast time. Finally, test and optimize your webinar regularly to maintain its effectiveness and drive results.
Q&A session at Contrast
Conclusion
Evergreen webinars are great way to reach a large and diverse audience, provide consistent value, and help grow your overall business. Once set up with minimal effort, they can be a powerful tool for long-term success in webinar marketing. By understanding the benefits, types, and best practices, you can create an evergreen webinar that not only educates but also converts viewers into customers.
Platforms like Contrast make it easier than ever to create and host evergreen webinars. With good planning, great content, and smart promotion, you can set yourself up for lasting success.
Run Your Evergreen Webinars on Contrast
Start for free with up to 30 registrants. No credit card needed.
Start for free