Want to know how to increase webinar attendance to YOUR webinars? Well, I recently maxed out my webinar seats on GoToWebinar and had one of my inner circle members ask me, “How did you do it?” Therefore, I thought this topic would be a great training for my podcast. Enjoy!
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In This Episode, You’ll Learn:
Why having people on your webinar LIVE is so important.
The #1 way I’ve promoted Author Audience Academy in the last year.
6 reasons I maxed out my webinar seats (and my seats on the live webinar)
And more!
Enjoy the podcast! It’s my hope that these episodes are bringing you one step closer to reaching more people with your message.
What others are saying about Author Audience:
Click here to leave an iTunes review and subscribe to the show. Not sure how to post a review on iTunes? Read my step-by-step tutorial and find out all the details about the special gift I have for my podcast reviewers here.
Godly Gain Segment:
Each week, I share a Godly Gain segment for entrepreneurs who want to keep Christ at the center of their business.
Today’s scripture: “If someone asks about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.” – I Peter 3:15b-16 (NLT)
Thanks for listening!
You ROCK! I appreciate everyone of my podcast listeners. If you have a specific question for me, submit it here: www.shelleyhitz.com/ask
“Even the weakest light can hold back the darkness.” – Unknown
It’s time to let your light SHINE!
Can’t listen right now? Read the transcript below:
Today I’m rolling out the red carpet and inviting you to join me as I share a behind the scenes look into one of my recent webinar promotions. I talked about it in the private Facebook group for AuthorAudienceAcademy.com, and one of my inner circle members asked me, “how did you fill all your seats? How did you get so many people to register for your webinar?” I thought this would be a great topic for a podcast, so here we go. I’m going to give you the details, and I’m going to tell you why I think I filled all my seats.
Now I believe you have a God given message to share with the world. The question is, are you ready to shine?
It’s time for this week’s Center Stage Spotlight Training, this is where I share training and strategies to help you grow your business or ministry through writing and publishing books, marketing online, and creating products and services to sell on the back end. This episode is going to be about marketing online and selling your products through webinars. Webinars are powerful, and I’m going to talk more about that in today’s episode.
Today’s podcast, episode 38 titled, How to Increase Webinar Attendance, 6 Reasons I Maxed out My Seats. I know this is going to bring you one step closer to getting your message to more people, so be prepared to shine!
I believe in coaching, I not only have people that invest in coaching with me as an author coach, but I also invest in coaching for myself. I have a business coach right now that I’m working with, and she told me, “Shelley, I think you still have a lot of people on your email list that would be interested in Author Audience Academy if you simply come at it from a different angle.” So, there’s a lot that I teach in Author Audience Academy, and what I’ve been doing is each month doing a new webinar topic for my entire list and inviting them to join Author Audience Academy.
My first webinar that I did, implementing her suggestion, was all about writing productivity. It really surprised me actually. I recently started using Go to Webinar again for webinars, and my account currently gets maxed out at 250 registrations, and there can be 100 people live on the call. I’ll probably update it at some point, but that’s just where I’m at right now.
I had more than 250 people wanting to register, people actually emailed me saying, “I can’t register, it says maxed out.” Then I had over 100 people trying to get on live. It really, actually, surprised me. But, it was a really good reminder to me that there are a few things that can really be helpful to fill your webinars.
I have six different things that I believe helped me in this particular promotion that I want to share with you. I went back and looked, what did I do? What was it that really caused people to be interested? One of my inner circle members asked me, “what did you do?” So I went back and looked and I want to share these things with you.
The first thing I did was I offered a bonus. This bonus is not just for those who sign up for Author Audience Academy, it was a bonus that you got just for showing up live. That is a huge thing that I recommend if you’re doing webinars on a regular basis, you should offer some sort of bonus for those that are showing up live. I’ve done this for a while, I have my webinar that I do on a regular basis, 3 Proven Book Writing Formulas, you can find it at shelleyhitz.com/formulas and see when my next one will be. I give a bonus at the end for if you stay, so I’ve been doing that for a while. This time I did it a little bit differently. I offered two bonuses. It did take me time, I had to take time to create these bonuses, but I really, truly believe it was part of my success in this promotion. So, it was worth it. I can use these bonuses in many other ways later on.
So I offered two bonuses, one in the middle of the webinar, and one at the very end. You want to save your juiciest, best bonus for the end. That was my reason 1, I created bonuses, they’re PDF bonuses so it didn’t cost me anything to send them to people. I gave them a link on the slide and I tried to create a bonus that would be somewhat related to the topic. Now, these bonuses do not have to be difficult to create. You can actually even use PLR (Private Label Rights) materials to create those, you can create checklists, you can create something that doesn’t have to take you a ton of time, or repurpose something you already have. It doesn’t have to be difficult, but it is powerful when you have a bonus.
The second thing that I did, and the second reason that I think I maxed out, is I created a 3-D book cover image to go along with those bonuses. There is something powerful. We are motivated, and we are impacted by images, by graphics. social media, that’s one of the things that really makes an impact, the images on social media. I have to admit, I was kind of like, “oh, it’s extra work!” I didn’t want to do it, but I really think it helped.
So what I did was, within AuthorAudienceAcademy.com I provide all kinds of ecover templates for you. Now, it’s not always appropriate to use those templates for your book unless you change them or make them really different, but for something like this, a bonus that you’re offering on a webinar, or a free opt-in on your website, templates are like gold. I opened one of the PowerPoint templates, actually I used two of the PowerPoint templates that I have in Author Audience Academy, and I edited them in a few minutes. It really didn’t take me that long to edit those templates with the titles and that sort of thing. I saved them, and then I created 3D images.
I use EcoverAuthority, and you can check it out at shelleyhitz.com/ecoverauthority. I use that to create my 3D images. Then I created a graphic that had both of those images in it. EcoverAuthority is actually a package feature where you can put both of them in it and save it. I created these images, and then I included the images in my emails. So powerful. I honestly believe that this one step could have doubled my registrations. I don’t know, I didn’t do this particular promotion without these images, but it really makes a difference.
If you want to see everything that I did, and all of the emails I sent, you can get them in the show notes today and it shows you the actual images I created and everything. You can get those at AuthorAudience.com/38. I recommend that you download the show notes for today so that you get all of that, and you see exactly what I did and how I did it. I don’t give you permission to use those emails, but you can see what I did and model after that, and use these six key components for your next webinar.
The third thing that I did, and the third reason that I think I maxed out my webinar seats, is that I included social proof. This is the first time that I did this in my email, and I think it really helps. It’s like, “oh, this isn’t just her saying it, this is other people.” This was about productivity, writing productivity, so I had many testimonials from my writing challenge. So, I included a few, then I had one just general testimony. This is what I included, I said:
Look, this is what you need if you want to take your writing to the next level, and it’s not just me saying so, Jennifer Bunderle says, “a real game changer. Learning and practicing _______ [Fill in the blank].”
So I left a little bit of curiosity in there too, and in parentheses I said,
“(the third strategy you’ll learn in the webinar was probably the most profound for me because that timed focus has provided me with the exact structure that I so needed.) Mel Edwards calls me the best publication coach she has found, and Jean Wise says, “I have written more in one week than I have the entire month before.”
Powerful isn’t it? Just listening to that is like, “oh wow! This is really cool! This actually works! This gets results, I’m interested.” Do you see the difference than just saying, “come and join me in my live webinar, this is what you’re going to learn.” When you add that social proof it’s really powerful.
So the fourth thing that I added into my webinar emails is scarcity. This was true scarcity. I’m the person that wants to do everything and operate my business ethically. I don’t ever want to lie, even a gray lie. I cannot do it. I knew that scarcity was powerful, but previously with the webinar software I was using it just wasn’t true. So, I just couldn’t do it.
Because now I’m using Go to Webinar it’s really true, I’m limited to 250 registrations and 100 seats at this time. Like I said, I’ll probably update at some time, but that’s true scarcity when doing a webinar. So, I put that in there, I put the scarcity in both my first and my second email. I said, “One word of warning, it seems very likely that this webinar will be overbooked. My advice, register now and show up 15 minutes early.”
That was one form of scarcity that I put in there, I think there was another part earlier on. Oh, yes, “I only have 100 seats available, and it’s already looking like we’re going to be overcapacity with over 9,000 people getting this invite.” That’s true, all of that is true, because that’s about the size of my email list 9,000, and I really only have 100 live seats on the webinar. That’s powerful.
Now, I don’t recommend you putting that in there if it’s not true. If you’re using a Google Hangouts, like I was previously, where you can have an unlimited amount of people, then don’t say scarcity to just say scarcity. But, if you truly have a limit on the number of registrations or seats, use it, because it’s powerful.
So, I also used scarcity in the second email, it was the email that went out the day of the webinar. The subject was just, “Workbook for today’s Webinar.” I added the scarcity back into that second email. I said, “warning, we already have more people registered for this class than the 100 seat capacity allowed by our technology.” It was true. I already had over 100 people registered. I wouldn’t put that in my email if it wasn’t true, but it was true.
So I said, “If I were you I would show up 15 minutes early to make sure I could get into the virtual classroom.” There again, there’s that scarcity. I just want to be very, very, very clear with you. I don’t say these things unless they’re really true. So, I don’t recommend that you do it either, unless it’s true. If it is true for you, use it, because it is powerful.
Number five. I included in the second email a link to a workbook, and I included a 3D image of the workbook title page. Again, images, they’re powerful right? So, I put in there, “I promised you a world class workbook that would help you get the most out of this webinar and here it is.” Then I have the image. Again I used EcoverAuthority and I created a little 3D graphic, and again you can see exactly the type of graphic I used when you get the show notes at AuthorAudience.com/38. Then I included a link to the workbook.
This is really powerful because people see what you’re going to cover, and I recommend including some fill in the blanks, some things that they don’t know exactly what you’re going to cover. I included a ton of resources in this workbook writing affirmations, a writing calendar, and a bunch of other things that were just really useful. That’s another powerful thing to get people to show up. They download the workbook, they see it’s something they’re interested in, but they can’t fill in all the blanks until they’re on your webinar.
Finally, the sixth thing that I included in my second email, that I think helped max out my webinar seats, is an element of surprise. In the PS of the second email I said, “don’t be surprised if I have an extra fast action bonus to give you during today’s webinar for those who attend live. Don’t be surprised if one of my most embarrassing, and yet one of my favorite videos ever, makes an appearance during the webinar. Just saying.” That is all true. I did offer an extra fast action bonus. That extra fast action bonus is for anyone who joined Author Audience Academy during the live webinar. So I did have an extra live fast action bonus. I did have a video that was one of my most embarrassing, yet one of my most favorite, videos. Unfortunately due to some technical difficulties I wasn’t able to fully, fully, show that video, but it was all true. It added that element of surprise, like, “hmm, what’s going to happen, what is she going to share? What is it going to be?”
Let me do a quick recap of the six reasons I believe I maxed out my webinar seats for a recent webinar.
1) I included two bonuses for just arriving live, no strings attached, no credit card required, just come and learn and get these bonuses.
2) I also created 3D book cover images for those bonuses. Even if your bonus is just one or two pages you can still create an eye catching book cover image, and it doesn’t have to be difficult. You can use a template, you can use canva.com, you can use something like that. Then, consider using EcoverAuthority to make it a 3D image, I love, love, love the 3D images. You can check that out at shelleyhitz.com/ecoverauthority.
3) Social Proof. I added in some testimonials and some feedback I’ve gotten, and results from the training I was going to share.
4) Scarcity. It was true scarcity; I did have a limited number of seats on that webinar, so it was true scarcity.
5) I included a workbook image that was 3D in my email the day of the webinar.
6) An element of surprise.
I also think there was a component of it was just easy to sign up. I am also a Lead pages user. You can check them out at shelleyhitz.com/leadpages. I love Lead pages! It was one of the best investments I have made in my business. I have used it so much. What lead pages allows me to do is create a lead link. All I have to do is go into my account and create a special link and it will automatically register people for the webinar, and add them to a different list so I can follow up with them after the webinar in my email provider.
This made it really super easy. People were already on my list, why should I make them opt-in again for the webinar? It didn’t make sense. It’s an extra step, they have to add in their name and email again. So I made it super, super easy. I just gave them the link, the Lead link from Leadpages, and it automatically registered them. What I did was I was very honest with them, you don’t want to trick people into registering and not knowing. I just said, “click here to register. (No opt-in, you’ll automatically be registered when you click this link)” I think that was just another bonus reason that I filled my webinar seats, because I made it super easy for my current subscribers to sign up.
I also did a little bit of promotion on social media, but primarily I was trying to get my current subscribers to join me live and to be introduced to my signature program, AuthorAudienceAcademy.com. It worked. I was able to welcome three new members into Author Audience Academy, so exciting.
I encourage you to go through these seven ways, because I had an extra bonus way, these seven ways that you could fill your next webinar. If you can do all of these it’s going to be even more powerful. If you can’t do all of them, that’s fine. At least try to do as many as you can. Let me know what do you think helps you to fill your webinar seats? I’d love to hear. You can leave me a comment at AuthorAudience.com/38.
Lights, camera, action. Are you ready for this week’s take action tip? This is for those of you who already are conducting webinars to promote your products and services. Chose at least one thing from this list of seven that I gave you, six plus a bonus tip, pick one thing that you can implement for your next webinar. If there is more than one, choose the things that you are able to do and do as many as you can, because I believe it will impact your results.
Also, make sure to get all the show notes. I included the exact emails, and the exact images so you can see what I did and how I did it at AuthorAudience.com/38. Go ahead and download the show notes and those emails and images at AuthorAudience.com/38.
Before we end I want to give you a backstage pass in this week’s Godly Gain segment, which is all about keeping Christ at the center of all we do. I believe in the end it’s not about us, but it’s all about him. Today I talked about webinars and webinar promotion. Sometimes that can just really bog you down, thinking about doing all these marketing things, or trying to promote yourself, and sometimes it feels self promotional, but what I want you to think about is doing these things helps you to reach more people with your message.
I have a passion to help more people share the gospel through published book, through online platforms, through products, and so much more. The more people I can help through Author Audience Academy the more I can help them do what God has called them to do. It’s actually a disservice if I don’t do this, if I don’t offer. I got a ton of emails after this webinar just simply thanking me for the webinar, thanking me for the information, thanking me for the training, and letting me know that it made a huge impact for them. Even if they don’t join they get a ton of value, and I’m able to serve my tribe, serve my audience.
It got me thinking that as a Christ follower, as a Christian, there is an opportunity to share our faith with other people. Just like I had an opportunity to share the message of writing productivity in a recent webinar. We have that opportunity to share the gospel, and what is it that’s going to help us have the best results, what is going to help us reach the most people? Obviously it’s going to be being filled with the Holy Spirit. In John 15 it says that, when we abide in Christ and he abides in us we will bear much fruit, not we might, we will.
I want to share with you as the Godly Gain segment verse for today 1 Peter 3:15-16 “And if someone asks about your Christian hope, always be ready to explain it. But do this in a gentle and respectful way. Keep your conscience clear. Then if people speak against you, they will be ashamed when they see what a good life you live because you belong to Christ.”
If anyone asks you about your hope as a believer, always be ready to explain it. But do it how? In a gentle and respectful way. Just as we can offer people to come to a webinar in a way that just really draws them in and it draws them to want to click, and it draws them to want to sign up, to be there live. We can do the same thing when we’re sharing our faith. It’s being able to share it in a gentle and respectful way. I see so many angry posts on social media, people that are fighting with each other, they’re Christians and they’re spreading the gospel in a way that is not gentle and not respectful. Yet, we have such an amazing opportunity. So, I encourage you to continue to share your faith, but in a gentle and respectful way, in the way that the Holy Spirit leads you.
BONUS: Webinar Email Campaign Example
NOTE: You do NOT have the rights to copy or use this email copy.
These emails are provided as an example only. Thank you!
Email #1
SUBJECT: NEW Webinar: Write Faster Than Ever With These 5 Strategies
Writing productively in your sweet spot is more IMPORTANT than ever before.
It’s also harder to do than ever before. Especially with all the distractions that constantly bombard us every day.
That’s why I released my free writing challenge over the last few months. The challenge has been received with wild enthusiasm – and lots more questions.
The most frequent question: “Shelley, can you show me HOW to write like this on a regular basis?”
The answer is: “Yes.”
That’s why tomorrow (Thursday, February 25) I am hosting a free, online webinar called:
“ Write More, Write Better: 5 Key Writing Strategies to
Help You Become a Productive Writer“
Click here to register (no opt-in, you’ll automatically be registered when you click this link)
We have so much demand for this webinar.
I only have 1,00 seats available… and it’s ALREADY looking like we’re going to be over capacity with almost 9,000 people getting this invite.
Click here to register (no opt-in, you’ll automatically be registered when you click this link)
Will it be worth your time? You can bank on it!
During this presentation I promise to share:
5 writing strategies you can apply today to become a productive writer.
How to personalize each strategy to what works best for YOU.
How to use the tools I’ve provided to help you overcome the barriers that have been keeping you from making progress in your writing.
Plus a whole lot more…
Click here to register (no opt-in, you’ll automatically be registered when you click this link)
Plus, You Get These Two Free Gifts Just For Attending
You have my word this webinar is going to be packed full of useful tactics that can help you write more with less effort… and to make sure that happens for you, I’m giving these two free gifts to everyone who attends (no charge – no credit card required!).
First, you’ll get a new Special Report called ” Blogging A Book: 12 Transition Swipes for Blogging Your Next Book”. These are the 12 swipes you can and I give you full permission to “borrow” them for your own books!
You also get my new eBook, titled ” 20 Amazing Topic Ideas and 32 Book Title Swipe Files You Can Use When Writing Your Next Book”… these are “fill-in-the-blanks” style templates, and they are yours at no charge when you join us for the webinar.
Click here to register (no opt-in, you’ll automatically be registered when you click this link)
Look, this is what you need if you want to take your writing to the next level!
And it’s not just me sayin’ so…
Jennifer Bunderle says, “A real game-changer. Learning and practicing __________ (the 3rd strategy you’ll learn in the webinar) was probably the most profound for me because that timed focus has provided me with the exact structure that I so needed.”
Mel Edwards calls me, ” the best publication coach” she has found.
Jean Wise says, “I written more in one week than the entire month before.”
And I do know how to be a productive writer. I’ve personally written and published over 40 books since 2008 (and that only counts the books still in print today).
It would be my privilege to help you, too, on increasing your writing productivity (LINK TO WEBINAR). But one word of warning… it seems very likely this webinar will be overbooked.
My advice: register now, and show up 15 minutes early tomorrow (once the call reaches its capacity, you won’t be able to join).
Click here to register (no opt-in, you’ll automatically be registered when you click this link)
Blessings,
Shelley Hitz
—–
EMAIL # 2
SUBJECT: workbook for today’s webinar
Before you know it, just hours from now, it will be time for my webinar (“Write More, Write Better: 5 Key Writing Strategies to Help You Become a Productive Writer”).
It happens at 1pm Eastern today.
I promised you a world-class workbook that would help you get the most out of this webinar, and here it is…
Click the workbook or click here to download.
http://www.shelleyhitz.com/writemoreworkbook
I suggest you print that workbook out before the webinar, so you can easily capture the best of the tools, tricks, and writing tactics I share with you today. TIP: if you don’t want to use up your color ink cartridges, remember to print this in Black & White mode. (But the colors sure are pretty!)
Remember, we meet at 1 PM Eastern tonight (Thursday 2/25).
If you lost your unique “Join Webinar” link just click here.
URL HERE
WARNING: we already have more people registered for this class than the 100 seat capacity allowed by our technology. So if I were you, I would show up at least 15 minutes early, to make sure I could get into the “virtual classroom”.
And you do want to be with us for the live class, because only by joining us live can you get the following two free bonuses…
I will give you the download links to these gifts during the webinar.
Success Strategy: I have found that the students who are the most successful, who get the biggest results, are the ones who show up for the class early, distraction-free, with their workbook printed out, and their minds & hearts wide open.
I believe in you. I believe in your dreams, and I believe it is a privilege to serve you at 1 PM today during our webinar.
Until then,
Shelley HItz
PS – Don’t be surprised if I have an “extra” fast-action bonus to give you during today’s webinar for those who attend LIVE. And don’t be surprised if one of my most embarrassing (and yet one of my favorite) videos ever makes an appearance during the webinar. Just sayin’.
—–
EMAIL #3
SUBJECT: webinar replay link [PRIVATE]
Real quick… here’s the private link to the replay of today’s webinar,
“Write More, Write Better: 5 Key Writing Strategies to Help You Become a Productive Writer.”
The replay video will be taken down Midnight Saturday (2/27).
To your writing success,
Shelley Hitz
—–
Email #4: One day after
SUBJECT: The secret to being a productive writer
The secret to being a productive writer is to know what works for YOU. Every writer is different. There is no ONE formula that works for everyone.
That’s why I suggest tracking your writing for a season.
However, realize that what works best for you may change during different seasons of your life.
Would you like some help writing, publishing, and launching your own book?
No guesswork.
Access to ME and a very active community of authors where we can help you brainstorm a book topic idea that readers ALREADY want to buy. Coming up with your keywords and categories. Feedback on your book titles and book covers.
And making sure that you ALWAYS know what to do next.
If so…
I’ve devoted my time to personally helping a small group of authors write, publish and launch their books in as little as 30 days.
Create and Launch Your Own Book (with my help) (HYPERLINK)
But first…who am I?
And why should you listen to me when it comes to writing, publishing, and launching your own books?
Good question.
I’ve personally been publishing books for the past 8 years.
But…
Those first few years were filled with typical publishing blunders.
(a.k.a. I made EVERY mistake in the book.)
And I’m not talking little things like choosing the wrong categories.
I’m talking BIG boo-boos like a missed edit in my table of contents that generated a bad review and caused our sales to tank.
That was one bad day.
And I even had the book professionally edited.
BIG lesson learned!
But…
Over the years I learned (the hard way) from one book launch after the next.
I’ve spent 8 years continuing to refine our system for publishing books and products that now generates a full-time income.
We literally have no other J.O.B. or reliable paycheck to fall back on.
This system is consistent AND dependable.
And through years of trial and error, we’ve now simplified our process down to 4-weeks – where you can write, publish, and launch your very own book in as little as 30 days.
You can learn the entire system here…
Author Audience Academy
And if you’d like a bit more hand-holding, I’m going to be working personally with a small group of students in my Inner Circle Mastermind.
And lead you step-by-step from “Book Idea” to “Book Sales”.
But more importantly… you’ll have a business that you can be proud of.
One that your spouse and your family are proud of.
And one that allows you to build your life around your passions and expertise.
If you want, you can go it alone.
But you’ll save years of trial and error working side-by-side with someone who has ALREADY developed a proven, step-by-step system.
Telling you exactly what to do on EACH step of the way.
www.authoraudienceacademy.com/
Blessings,
Shelley
P.S. You might be wondering…
Does this work for:
Bloggers?
Speakers?
Entrepreneurs?
Stay-at-home moms?
The answer is yes, yes, yes, yes, yes, and yes!
Don’t miss this exclusive training:
www.authoraudienceacademy.com/
Have Comments or Questions?
Share them in the comments below.
The post AA 38: How to Increase Webinar Attendance – 6 Reasons I Maxed Out My Webinar Seats appeared first on Shelley Hitz.