It’s an adage that applies to many things – webinar script openings included. Safe to say, the best way to keep your audience engaged is to have a killer webinar presentation opening.
Whether you are new in the field or a professional who has seemed to run out of webinar introduction scripts, this guide will help you out.
In this post, you’ll learn the following:
- The importance of having a webinar script
- How to write a webinar script template for opening and closing remarks
- Tips for creating effective webinar scripts
Why Do You Need to Write a Webinar Opening Script?
It’s no secret that even the greatest public speakers use webinar scripts. A solid webinar script will guide the speaker in hosting the webinar from start to finish.
Take the case of the late Apple founder Steve Jobs. Even if he knows that the people will listen to virtually whatever he says, he still follows a well-crafted opening script.
So, what do we take from this? The importance of planning, of course!
Even if you know the webinar agenda and its key points like the back of your hand, it’s best to prepare solid webinar introductions beforehand. Improvisation while presenting can lead to mistakes that will reflect poorly on the whole presentation. To make matters worse, this may prod the webinar attendees to leave early on in the live event.
But aside from these, writing webinar scripts offers a few advantages, such as:
- A webinar introduction script allows you to cover all the bases so you don’t miss something.
- An effective webinar script will serve as a guide that will help you create a more organized output.
- A well-written webinar script can prove invaluable when you are preparing your slide deck for your webinar content.
Writing a Webinar Script That Works: A Simple Guide
Are you having a hard time getting the most out of your webinars?
Nobody likes a boring presentation. Interesting webinar script openings will help you engage and retain your audience. Whether it’s an intro, a short spiel, or a great opening scene, we’ve compiled these things you can do in order to write an effective webinar introduction script sample.
So before you start typing up those words for your next webinar — think about these tips:
1. It Starts with a Greeting – and Some Gratitude
Whether you host a live or automated webinar, you just don’t dive right in. It’s like going into the middle of the movie without knowing what led to the story arc.
That said, the best webinar starts with a good greeting. After all, this will be a key deciding factor on whether they’ll stay for the presentation or not.
Here’s a short cheat sheet for writing your introduction for your webinar script.
- This webinar script will set the tone for your presentation; you need to sound welcoming, preferably using a conversational tone.
- You should also run a quick “thank you” right at the beginning rather than saying it just at the end.
Remember, your target audience decided to forego some things to view your automated or live webinar. It will help if you aim to catch the audience’s attention and acknowledge their efforts in doing so.
How do you convey a friendly tone with some gratitude? Well, you could try to follow this template when you write a webinar script:
“Hello, everybody! Welcome to this webinar, ‘Creating Successful Webinar Funnels.’ Thank you for spending some time with us today.”
2. Give Them a General Idea of the Entire Presentation
If you don’t like going to a webinar marketing program unprepared, you must assume that your audience members don’t want this. You want to encourage attendees and let them have a clear idea of what you have in store for them when they join your online event. This is something you should include in your webinar opening scene.
If you’re going to have an “Ask a Question” portion, a Q&A activity, or a brief feedback session, you have to inform your audience right away. If you don’t, there’s a great chance that no one will participate in your activities, and you’ll lose audience engagement. They’ll be caught off-guard, after all.
Also, let them know if you’re recording the entire webinar presentation or providing a copy of your webinar slides. This will enable them to focus more instead of just scribbling or taking down notes of your lecture.
Here’s a good example of a webinar script template:
“If you have any questions or clarifications about my talk, feel free to type them in the box below. I shall get back to them right after my webinar presentation. If by any chance you miss some important points, worry not, as we will give you a copy of the webinar script right after.”
3. Encourage Social Media Sharing
We’ve all been there. You scroll through Facebook, and then you see a friend’s post that you know will be good. Maybe it’s funny, thought-provoking, or just something really interesting — but no matter what kind of post it is, we can’t help but share it with the world.
It seems like this process happens without even thinking about it: we click on “share” and then watch as our friends’ faces pop up with notifications saying thank you for sharing their content and inviting more people to engage in the conversation. But have you ever stopped to think about why exactly we choose to share certain posts?
About 50% of the global population makes use of social media. So, apart from the Q&A portion, another way to keep your spectators engaged is to encourage them to share their thoughts on social media.
Let them know which channels you will use throughout the webinar. Don’t forget to let them know about your hashtag as well.
Try to add this sample webinar script to the one above:
“You can also reach us via Twitter through my handle @AnnieSmith111. Don’t forget to use the hashtag #webinarfunnel.”
4. Launch a Survey In the Middle of the Webinar
Interacting with your audience is the best way to keep them glued to your webinar content. Don’t forget to ask them a question, and make sure to launch a survey afterward.
Here’s a good webinar moderator script sample:
“Hi, guys! I just want to make sure that you’re hearing me clearly and well. Send your answers below and let me know if there’s anything we could do for you.”
Remember, some of your audience may be a little apprehensive, so it’s up to you to initiate the dialog. At the same time, this participative intro will help you address any technical problems, especially if you’re hosting a live webinar.
If you want to avoid this kind of hiccup, then you should consider pre-recording an automated webinar.
5. Make Them Stay throughout the Session
Even if the audience went to the webinar with you, there is no assurance that they will stay up to the end. Whether it’s a perfect two-minute webinar or an hour-long one, you should give a compelling reason to make your audience stay.
Let’s go over a few tips on how to do it.
- Webinar presenters need to give a good background of their credentials. Give a rundown of your qualifications, and state the reasons why they should stay until the end.
- The same applies if you’re the moderator – you want to give a good buildup for your guest speaker.
- Informing your audience about your webinar’s agenda will also help convince them to stay. Remember, they signed up because they wanted to learn something that could address their problems.
- As such, make sure to stick to your webinar topic, or else you may see your spectators logging off one by one.
Here’s an example webinar script template you could try:
“Hi! I’m Annie Smith. I have been a marketing specialist for Google for ten years. If you have a hard time recruiting registrants, then you’ll definitely benefit from my tips on creating an effective webinar funnel. At the same time, I’ll give you some pointers on creating an interesting webinar script for your audience.”
6. Keep It Short and Sweet
While you should include many essential things in your webinar script template, you should keep them short and sweet.
Generally speaking, your introduction should last anywhere from 5 to 10 minutes. You don’t want to write a webinar script opening so dragging that it will make the audience leave right out of boredom.
At the same time, giving a 20-minute intro for a 60-minute webinar will deprive the audience of the time they need to ask a few questions.
The time element is also one of the primary reasons why you should have a webinar introduction script. Going spontaneous is not necessarily good, as you may end up rambling. This could take a good chunk of your webinar time, which could impact your audience’s length of the Q&A session.
7. Remain Friendly
While webinar scripts are necessary, the tone you convey is just as vital. You’d want to sound friendly, not like the professor you’ve been dreading in Econ 101. This is especially the case if your webinar presentation is a bit technical or complicated. Keeping a friendly tone despite how complicated a topic is makes information more understandable to your audience.
The webinar is an excellent way to reach out to your customers and prospects. It’s a great tool for educating them about new products and services or updating them on business developments. But what if you’re not good at public speaking?
Thankfully, there are easy ways to remain friendly while broadcasting your message! Here are some tips that will help you maintain a light-hearted tone during your next webinar.
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Smile
Smiling comes naturally when you feel happy, and it can make others feel more comfortable as well.
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Use Humor
Think of something funny that happened during the day and share it with the audience.
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Ask Questions
Ask qualifying questions. It will make people feel that you’re interested in what they’re feeling and that they have a voice. You can use the raise hand feature on the platform or the chat window where you can type your question.
A friendly tone can make your audience feel welcome, which will surely motivate them to stay for the rest of the webinar.
Just a reminder, make sure to pace yourself, too – you’d want the audience to catch everything you said. This will earn you some brownie points and an opportunity to host a webinar again!
Closing Webinar Scripts That Work
Like any movie, the webinar’s buildup (introduction) should lead to a good ending (conclusion).
So apart from writing an enticing webinar opening script, you should seal the deal with a strong closing webinar script. After all, 42% of attendees convert after watching a good webinar marketing presentation.
As with articles, you need to have a strong call to action at the end of your webinar. You could include links or URLs for signups to make it easier for your audience. Don’t forget to answer questions you might have left unaddressed during the webinar.
Here’s a sample webinar script template:
“Thank you for attending this webinar. Sorry if I was not able to answer all the questions, but rest assured that I will email you guys with the answers. Again, if you wish to learn more about creating an effective webinar funnel, make sure to click on the link below.”
Tips for a Good Webinar Script
While having the perfect webinar script is valuable, other subtle preparations can make your automated webinars phenomenally successful.
Practice Makes Perfect
You may be a seasoned presentation speaker, but this doesn’t mean you are immune to errors or technical problems. The best way to ensure that your webinar runs smoothly is to do a practice run on your webinar software or platform.
Include all the elements you are going to use in the presentation –technicalities included. This will give you ample time to troubleshoot issues that may affect your webinar structure.
Pick the Right Time
You can get the highest number of audience or participants (22%) by hosting your webinar at 11 AM PST. The next best slots are 10 AM PST (19%), 9 AM PST (13%), 12 noon PST (10%), and 8 am PST (9%).
Start Writing!
Now that you know the basics of making webinar script openings, it’s time to start writing! With the right planning and practice, hosting a webinar and running an online business will become a breeze for you. Remember, always use clear and concise language in writing your script opening.
Have a killer and engaging webinar opening presentation that will keep your audience hooked from the first word to the last. If you’re a moderator, make sure to give guest speakers a good build-up. So think about what makes people sit up and listen.
If you need help figuring out how best to deliver your message through automated or live webinars, reach out to us.
