How to run a webinar

So you've come up with an idea for an incredible recurring webinar series or your boss came into the room and yelled "webinars!" and walked out. Now you're wondering, but how do I even run a webinar?

Before we dive into how to set up the webinar you'll want to make sure you have some details ironed out like

  • Where on your website you want to host the webinar?
  • Is this going to be a recurring webinar series?
  • How do I define success for this series?
  • What am I going to call this thing???

If you're having a hard time answering these questions you can check out some of our other videos like "Using Sequel to Create a Recurring Webinar Series" or check out our recurring webinar Game Changers for inspiration.

First you'll want to build your event in Sequel and embed it in your own website. You can find guides and resources to do that in our Help Center @ help.sequel.io

Now that you're event is set up let's talk about some of the roles in the access tab. Anyone who comes to your webinar will fall into one of three categories. Host, Presenter & Attendee.

  • Attendees have the ability to view the stream, react, ask questions, answer polls and chat. These are your webinar viewers.
  • Presenters can join the virtual stage, share their screen and playback video.
  • Hosts can do all the things presenters can do but they can also Go Live, control the stage and moderate the Chat+ module.

If you're on the growth plan or higher multiple hosts we recommended having multiple hosts split the responsibilities between production, controlling the stage, and moderation, controlling Chat+. You can cover both roles with one person but it's easier with two.  

In the Access Tab you can add the email addresses for all Hosts and Presenter so they'll have their permissions when they sign in.

Once you've set up all the roles it's a good idea to get some testing in. Decide which features you're planning to use and practice on your websites. If you're going to be the production host you'll want to practice things like Going Live, moving people on and off the stage, firing overlays and using the media playlist to playback video. For a moderator host, you'll want to practice Opening and Closing polls, moderating Q&A and familiarize yourself with Chat functions like deleting and pinning messages as well as blocking users from the chat. You'll also want to set a rehearsal time for all of your presenters to join the stage. This will give them a chance to get familiar with the environment and test their computer and internet set up. Presenters should be comfortable with screen sharing, the media playlist and the different chats. We recommend doing a dry run of your entire webinar at least once before the actual event!

Now it's the fun part: Running your webinar! You'll want your hosts and presenters to all sign in and join the Greenroom before the webinar begins. This is your last chance to answer questions or test features before you Go Live! Move yourself and any presenters who shouldn't be visible backstage before going live. If you're using the media playlist you can prepare your video now. Once you press go live you'll see the countdown start. You can verify that you're live with the audience view at the top of the Chat +.

The production hosts will have control of the stage so the audience sees the same view you're sharing. You'll also move Presenters backstage when they're finished speaking and on stage when they begin. The moderator host can approve questions in the Q&A tab and open polls when appropriate. When the webinar is finished the production host can stop streaming. If you're using the Networking Hub you can send your attendees there at the same time. Otherwise you can just end the stream. If you're offering this webinar as a video replay, you can set that right on the page!

And that's it. You've run your first successful webinar event! Now it's time to start working on the Sequel!

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