How to Make Webinars More Interactive

Your webinar strategy is going to help you generate leads, build brand awareness, and platform your brand as an industry thought leader. The best part? Your attendees are already interested in what you offer, and you're only a step away from converting them.

But sometimes, webinars fall flat. They fail to engage audiences leaving both the webinar host and attendee feeling unfulfilled.

To avoid that happening to you, we spoke with Pauline Mura, Partnership Marketing Manager at Livestorm. By the end of this article, you'll have all the tools and strategies to host interactive webinars to build relationships and increase conversions.

10 Interactive webinar activities to impress your audience

While the best webinar hosts can think on their feet, it doesn't hurt to have a solid plan for engaging your audience. After all, you can't just rely on your winning personality alone!

Here's our selection of the top activities to make your ​​webinar more interactive:

1. Choose your tools wisely
2. Always start with an icebreaker
3. Encourage your audience to chat
4. Emojify your webinar engagement
5. Make it visually stunning
6. Experiment with breakout rooms
7. Make time for a Q&A session
8. Announce giveaways
9. Share downloadable resources
10. Wrap up with a CTA

1. Choose your tools wisely

The right tools can make all the difference between a captivating presentation and a snoozefest. Livestorm, Zoom, and Google Meet are all great options but make sure you do your research and choose a tool that suits your requirements.

Think about:

• Audience size and scalability
• Integration with existing tools and platforms
• Ease of use for both the host and the attendees
• Interactive features like polls, chat, and Q&A
• Customization options for branding and design
• Screen sharing capabilities for your webinar presentations
• Security and privacy measures
• Analytics and reporting capabilities
• Technical support and resources available

Most importantly, you need a tool that engages your audience throughout the webinar lifecycle. For example, Livestorm lets you create customizable email invitations, registration forms, and landing pages to boost webinar attendance. It comes with both built-in engagement features and integrations with apps like Visme, Mural, and Slido to complement your live webinar and create more interactive sessions. And, you can use its reporting tools and webinar dashboard to track metrics like attendance rates, engagement rates, and conversion rates.

Pro tip: When choosing a tool for online events, think about the webinar format, audience size, network security, and the experience you want to offer your attendees.

2. Always start with an icebreaker

Pauline Mura, Partnership Marketing Manager at Livestorm, recommends starting with an audience icebreaker. She says, "I try to lead in with audience questions like where do you guys tune in from, or is there anything specific you want to hear? It's easy to get them to answer these questions through polls."

This way, you get valuable insights into who your audience is and what they’re looking for. And armed with that knowledge, you can take the conversation around what they want to learn. Whether or not you choose icebreakers that relate to your topic, make sure they're light-hearted and fun.

3. Encourage your audience to chat

Webinars are all about two-way conversations. Most webinar platforms like Livestorm offer live chat features, so your audience can leave comments and share ideas without interrupting the presentation. You can even assign a moderator to monitor the chat and dedicate time to craft valuable responses.

Pauline uses Livestorm's moderator chat feature to privately chat with speakers and other moderators. She says, "It's handy to have that moderator chat, especially when you have a lot of speakers in a panel discussion, because you can ping them, send notes, and guide the discussion."

4. Emojify your webinar engagement

It’s a webinar best practice to use polls, Q&As, or live chats to engage with your audience. On top of that, you can use emoji reactions to gauge how your audience feels about the discussion.

For example, if you're hosting a panel discussion on Livestorm, you can encourage attendees to share 'thumbs up' or 'celebration' emojis if they agree with the points discussed. Or, if you're hosting a webinar on a new software release, your audience can share 'heart eyes' emojis for the features they love.

5. Make it visually stunning

When it comes to engaging your audience, content delivery is king. Use design tools like Visme to create presentation slides — think dynamic images, embedded videos, or infographics. Use whiteboards like Miro and Mural to create interactive mind maps and workflows.

You can also reinforce your brand’s identity and custom-design event rooms with Livestorm. Adding your brand colors, logo, and imagery gives a unique vibe to your event and connects your audience to you and your brand.

Pro tip: Pick the perfect backdrop for your webinar with Livestorm’s virtual background library or upload an image of your own.

6. Experiment with breakout rooms

By dividing attendees into smaller groups, you can create a more intimate environment. It facilitates networking, brainstorming, open discussions, and other experimental ideas. For example, you could use breakout rooms during a product launch webinar so attendees can brainstorm potential use cases or share their feedback on the product's features.

Many online meeting platforms like Zoom offer breakout rooms, but with Livestorm, you can create as many breakout rooms as you need and add up to 16 simultaneous speakers. You can even assign a facilitator or note-taker to each room.

7. Make time for a Q&A session

"At the end, I always keep 15 minutes for the Q&A session," says Pauline. The webinar platform you choose should offer a simple way for your audience to ask questions. If you're using Livestorm, the question upvoting feature lets you see the questions your attendees want answered the most.

Pauline adds, "I'll start with the most upvoted questions and always click on the 'answering live' button, so the question pops up in the middle of the screen. The audience can see the question while I ask the speakers to answer." That way, you can ensure no one leaves the webinar without getting the information they came for.

Pro tip: Set up Livestorm's automated transcription app to help attendees who are hard of hearing or aren’t confident English speakers and prefer to read the conversation as it happens.

8. Announce giveaways

Who doesn't love free stuff? Let your attendees know how to participate in the giveaway at the beginning of the webinar and when winners will be announced. This way, you can encourage them to stick around until the end.

For example, you can ask them to interact with your brand's social media accounts, participate in polls, or answer questions. And in exchange, you can offer extended product trials, price discounts, and freebies like branded merch or e-books and whitepapers.

Pro tip: Add an extra layer of excitement by drawing winners during certain sections of your webinar or when your guest speakers take a break.

9. Share downloadable resources

People come to webinars to learn something, so the more educational value you can provide, the better. Whether it's an e-book, PowerPoint, or case study, offer a resource that complements the webinar content and can be accessed long after the event.

For example, if you're hosting a virtual event on customer relations, give your attendees a template for crafting emails they can implement. This way, you provide valuable takeaways, establish your brand as a thought leader, and potentially gain new leads for your business.

Pro tip: Use Livestorm’s Handouts plugin to share files straight from the event room.

10. Wrap up with a call to action

The best webinars are like well-crafted sales pitches — they're persuasive, engaging, and leave you wanting more. That's why your webinar should have a strong call to action. It’s a tangible next step that'll help increase conversions and generate more leads.

You can direct them to:

• Subscribe or join your mailing list
• Review products or services
• Follow you on social media
• Schedule a demo

Pro tip: You can add a clickable CTA directly from your event room with Livestorm and customize your desired text, CTA button, and the button URL.

Engage, Entertain, Educate!

Webinars are a powerful way to engage with your audience, deliver valuable content, and increase leads.

Here's a quick recap on how to make your webinar more interactive and memorable:

• Start with a bang. Hook your audience with icebreakers.
• Use breakout rooms. Let your attendees brainstorm or network.
• Spice up your presentation. Use dynamic illustrations and whiteboards.
• Boost participation. Use polls, surveys, and Q&A sessions.
• Brand your event room. Because it’s all about the vibes.
• Share downloadable resources. Give your attendees something to take home.
• End with CTAs. Because if you don't ask, you don't receive.

When hosting a webinar, you need a video engagement platform packed with interactive features. With Livestorm, you can keep your webinar attendees engaged from start to finish, drive leads to your business, and increase conversions.

Frequently asked questions about making webinars more interactive

How can I make my webinar more exciting?

You can make your webinars more exciting by adding interactive elements such as polls, quizzes, breakout rooms, whiteboards, and Q&A sessions. You can also use visuals such as videos, animations, and images in your presentation slides to keep your audience engaged.

What are the dos and don’ts of a webinar?

The dos and don’ts of a webinar are:

Dos:

• Prepare and practice your presentation before the webinar.
• Have a clear agenda and stick to it.
• Engage with your audience through interactive features such as polls, Q&A, and chat.
• Use high-quality audio and video equipment.
• Promote your webinar in advance to boost attendance.
• Provide valuable and informative content for your audience.
• Follow up with your attendees after the webinar.

Don’ts:

• Don't have a disorganized or cluttered presentation.
• Don't go off-topic or ramble during the presentation.
• Don't ignore your audience's questions or comments.
• Don't use low-quality equipment or an internet connection.
• Don't start the webinar late or run over the allotted time.
• Don't make your sales pitch too pushy
• Don't forget to have a backup plan in case of technical difficulties.

How do I make my hosting interactive?

You can make your hosting interactive by:

• Incorporating icebreakers to get the conversation rolling
• Encouraging attendees to participate in polls and Q&A sessions
• Adding visual elements, such as slides or illustrations, to keep your presentation interesting
• Providing downloadable resources for attendees to take home
• Including a call-to-action at the end of your webinar.