How to run a Zoom Webinar
Zoom is a powerful online meeting software, that has grown rapidly in popularity over the last couple of years.
Because of this, Zoom is now a popular place to host & run webinars.
I've been using Zoom to host webinars for the last 2 years & I wanted to share with you my experience & advice for how I run webinars using Zoom.
Hosting a webinar with Zoom.
Why Host your Webinars on Zoom?
Zoom is perfect for hosting webinars, because everyone knows how to use it!
I highly recommend using Zoom for your webinars if you're hosting a small audience.
Ideally not much larger than 30 people. Zoom has limitations with large scale crowd control, it's predominately used for small scale meetings.
I find Zoom works best for webinars of about 15-20 people.
Keep your Zoom webinars small, because the software isn’t designed for large webinars.
Steps for Hosting a Webinar on Zoom
Preparation is key for your Zoom webinar, so make sure everything is setup correctly & that you’ve practised how to use Zoom.
1. Schedule your Zoom Webinar
You want to create a new scheduled Zoom meeting.
2. Select your Webinar Settings
You want to make sure that you select the appropiate Zoom settings for your webinar.
These are the settings I use & recommend.
The great things about these settings are, you can control when you let people into the webinar.
You can adjust these settings depending on your requirements.
3. Practise using Zoom
Make sure you get lots of practise using Zoom. It’s important you know how to:
Let people into the Zoom webinar
Screen share
Mute & unmute people
Monitoring if people drop out of the webinar
Although it sounds silly to practise these things, they actually become quite hard to do when you’re focusing on giving a presentation.
Summary on Running a Zoom Webinar
If you’re serious about running webinars on Zoom, I recommend you invest in a paid Zoom plan.
They’re actually really good value & you’ll be sure to make your money back in no time.
I filmed a tutorial about how to run a Zoom meeting here.
Quick Tips for Zoom Webinars
Have your “chat” window open during your webinar. This way, when you’re talking people can type questions into the chat.
People often feel more comfortable doing this than, speaking up in the presentation.Have your “participants” window open during the webinar.
There is a chance during your webinar, that some participants will drop out. You will need to admit them back in - having this window open will make this easier.
Practise your Zoom technical skills. Get used to sharing your screen, typing in the group chat, adding people, muting people & all these other tools.
Presenting your webinar is almost the easy part, get used to using these Zoom skills.
How to get Participants for your Zoom Webinar
If you’re thinking about hosting a Zoom webinar, then you most likely will need to find participants for your webinar.
Facebook Events
One great free place to share your webinar, is on Facebook.
Take advantage of Facebook Events to promote your webinar. Facebook will actually share your event for free, because it’s always looking to promote new content.
Use Facebook events to promote your Zoom Webinar.
Facebook Ads
If using the free Facebook Events didn’t work - you can invest some money in Facebook Ads.
They’re a great way of reaching people & convincing them to sign up for your webinar.
I filmed a great video tutorial on Facebook Ads for beginners.
