27 Ways to Promote Your Webinar

I’ve spent much of the last week focused on promoting a webinar and I’ve tested some new strategies.  As I was putting them into a list for later reference, I thought you might like the list, too.  So here it is.

(Oh, and did you sign up for my free webinar this weekend yet? *grin*)

1.  Pop over / pop up on your own website.

Change your ezine/freebie promo box to share your webinar instead (you’re still building your list).  I’ve changed my little pop in messenger box on the bottom right corner of this page to promote my webinar.

2.  YouTube videos.

Create a YouTube video on a topic that reaches the same audience that you want to reach for your webinar.  Upload it and include the opt-in URL in the description box as well as in overlays or text on the video itself.

Here’s an example: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RmgCeGWTSLM  (I added promo to this one as an afterthought. Smarter move would have been to actually include the call to action at the end of the video with me saying, “Hey for more on how to build awesome partnerships go to http://jvprofitformula.com)

3.  Blog about it.

Be sure to let your blog readers (including RSS subscribers) know about the webinar and invite them to join you.

4.  Blog about the topic.

You can also blog on related topics and share a link to the webinar.  I did this with “7 Ways Partnerships Have Worked for Me (And Can Work for You, Too!).

5.  Go comment on CommentLuv blogs.

After you’ve blogged about it or about the topic and linked to your webinar event page, then go on a commenting spree on CommentLuv enabled blogs.  This will add your last blog post link (the one about your webinar) to your comments.  Be sure to leave good comments — you’re not just spamming for links, ever.

6.  Email your list.

Let your email subscribers know about the upcoming webinar.  Depending on how close to the date you are, you may even want to mail out more than once.  I’ve found three mailings are significantly more effective than one.  Your subscribers are busy people and don’t open every email you send.

7.  Ask your friends to help spread the word.

Just send a few quick notes with a request for tweets and some help promoting.  If you’ve been building up your “karma points” by helping them out, they’ll be willing to help you.

8.  Recruit affiliates & give them promotional tools.

Even if it’s a free webinar, you can still invite your affiliates to promote it using their links to get people tagged and into your system.  Give them email copy, tweets, Facebook posts, images, etc. to make it super easy.

9.  Host an affiliate contest.

Want to really motivate your affiliates?  Run a contest.  Most clicks, opt-ins, etc. wins a cool prize.

10. Tweet it on Twitter.

Use a service like HootSuite or SocialOomph to schedule some tweets on Twitter.  Remember to make your tweets match what’s on your landing page so people know they’re in the right place when they click through.

11. Create a Facebook event.

Set up an event on Facebook under your fan page and invite your friends (but please invite only those you feel would be genuinely interested, not just every single person you’re connected with), or post about it on your page/profile and let people know that way.

You can also create an event on LinkedIn to share.

12. Share it on LinkedIn, Google+ and other social networks.

Beyond Facebook & Twitter, share your webinar on any other social networks that you’re active on and use to reach your ideal listeners.

13. Create images and “pin” them.

It’s easy to create simple “pinnable” images to share on Pinterest.  (Here’s a step by step guide.)

Here are some I created for a webinar: http://pinterest.com/michelleshaeffr/7-laws-of-profitable-partnerships

14. Invite registrants to share the word.

Add a “tweet this” and “share on Facebook” link/icon to your thank you page and invite each newly registered participants to share the event with their friends.

15.  List it on other sites.

For solopreneurs, you can explore options like Solo-E.com as a way to reach more people with your webinars.  You might also look at the many free and low-cost places to list your virtual events:

• PlanetTeleclass.com
• SeminarAnnouncer.com
• CCUlearning.com
• AllConferences.com
• Just Google for more places to list your event

16.  Consider a giveaway on the webinar.

Offer a giveaway where one random attendee who’s live on the call wins a nice prize.  I haven’t tried this yet, but it’s worked to get me to plan to attend live vs. planning to wait for a replay I may never listen to.

17.  Create and share a press release.

Use sites like PRlog.com to post a press release about your webinar.  Don’t forget to post the press release on your own site’s media page and get in touch with any media contacts on  your personal distribution list.

18.  Host a teleseminar/webinar on a related topic.

Might sound a bit odd, but you can also do webinars to promote your webinars.  Just choose a related topic so you’re drawing the right audience and at the end of your presentation offer people the opportunity to get info about your next webinar.

19.  Create a short, free video presentation.

Post it to YouTube, SlideShare (the slides version), Pinterest (here’s how to pin a video), etc. and promote your webinar at the end of it.

20.  Guest blog posts.

Brainstorm questions your ideal audience might have around the topic you’ve chosen for your webinar, then begin turning each of those questions in a blog post that you can share on other blogs in your industry/niche.

21.  Article marketing.

Write a few articles around your topic, include the webinar promo link in your resource box, and get them out there through article directories (or better yet, targeted websites that accept article submissions and reach the right people).

Tip: Think strategically about what will happen to the URL you’re promoting with after the event is over and consider that in how you write your resource box.

22.  Pay per click or other advertising.

Try Google Adsense, Facebook Ads, and other advertising options.

23.  Create a quiz.

With a service like these, you can design a quiz or assessment that evaluates how people are doing with the topic you’re teaching about in your webinar and guides them to your training as the next step to “score” better:

• http://www.quizsnack.com/
• http://www.popsurvey.com/

24. Promote it in your email signature.

Add a line to your email signature pointing people to your webinar sign up page (just remember to remove it after the event).  Every email you send, and any that get forwarded, will help get the word out.

I use WiseStamp to create a cool signature on my GMail emails.

25. Offer a free report.

Try pulling some of the content out of your webinar and turning it into a downloadable PDF file — step by step, checklists, top ten guides, etc. can be great to offer free and promote online.

Be sure to include a call to action on your PDF file: “If you liked this content, be sure to stop by http://yourwebsiteurl.com and get access to a free webinar training on X, Y, Z.”

26. Post about it in forums and on discussion lists.

If you’re active in forums and on discussions lists, make a note of which allow you to share promotions either as posts or in your signature and share your webinar with those forums and lists.

27. Speaking engagements.

If you plan enough in advance you can look for BlogTalkRadio.com shows, and other opportunities to speak.  At the end of your presentation or interview you can point people to the URL for your webinar.

Your turn!

What’s missing from my list?  Have you found other ways to get the word out about your webinars or teleseminars that work well for you?  Have you tried any of the ideas on this list, or found that they worked to get you to attend a webinar?  Inquiring minds would love to know so leave a comment!