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The pandemic has shut down live conferences for the better part of two years, so B2B marketers have leaned hard on virtual events. And as the number of webinars has risen, so too have people's expectations.

Meeting those expectations is a challenge because there are so many ways—big and small—to mess up.

Based on the 100+ webinars I've given and the hundreds more I've attended, here are my tips for improving the webinar experience.

1. Focus on viewing experience, not slide count

What's the difference between a half-hour webinar with 10 slides and that same half-hour webinar with 30 slides?

Timewise, nothing. But that 30-slide deck is typically going to be better, because having less content on each slide makes those slides easier to follow and understand.

A telltale sign that you need to break up a slide is that it has multiple columns of text or multiple examples on it.

2. Design slides for smaller screens and modals

People viewing your webinar using desktop monitors in full-screen mode is the best-case scenario. But what about people watching on their phones? What about screenshots that people share on social? What about clips you share on social? What about people watching the webinar recording on the embedded video on your blog?

To create an easy viewing experience for those audiences, I generally use font sizes between 30 and 50 points. As a result, I can rarely fit more than 40 words on a slide, which reinforces good slide design.

3. Keep attendees focused on what you're saying

If you give webinar attendees the opportunity to read ahead of the point you're making, they'll do it—and stop listening to what you're saying.

So, use your slide count and animation to pace out your content. As much as possible, you want the content people are seeing to be in sync with the topic that you're talking about at that moment.

4. Don't touch that mouse

Moving your mouse cursor around can be distracting. Instead of using your mouse, use your keyboard's arrow keys to advance your slides.

Also, be aware that attendees can often see your mouse cursor move around while you're navigating the chat and other parts of the control panel. Because of that, it's always wise for a co-host who's not controlling the slides to be responsible for watching the chat and responding to questions.

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Eight Lessons Learned From Giving 100+ Webinars

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

image of Chad S. White

Chad S. White is the head of research for Oracle Digital Experience Agency and author of four editions of Email Marketing Rules, as well as nearly 4,000 posts and articles about digital and email marketing.

LinkedIn: Chad S. White

Mastodon: @chadswhite

Twitter/X: @chadswhite