Webinar titles are a lot like blog post titles – they have to catch your eye, yet provide enough context to make you click.
Titles can't be too short or too long. And because webinars are meant to inform or educate viewers, it's best to let people know what they'll get from handing over an hour of their time.
With 42% of marketers planning to host or join a webinar this year, there's no better time to work these online events into your marketing strategy. That's because webinars are one of the most effective ways to engage with your audience. In 2020, a whopping 91% of webinar marketers said their events were a success.
While webinars may not be as sexy as social media campaigns or the latest members-only app, they're key to marketing in an increasingly remote world. Some companies have no plans to return to the office. Others have begun to adopt a hybrid model that combines remote and office work.
Webinars are great for both models because updating knowledge and learning can be done remotely without losing productivity.
The downside: competition. Businesses replacing live events with virtual meetings and conferences are saturating the market. The digital hosting platform ON24 reported a 167% increase in webinar activities from April 219 to April 2020.
Coming up with an amazing webinar title is an important step in standing out, attracting leads, and engaging customers. So let's walk through the steps to create catchy titles.
Your title is the first thing people see, so it needs to grab their attention. It's your chance to draw in your target audience and turn people from passive viewers into engaged leads. Here's a breakdown of each to inform your webinar titles.
1. Relevant Keywords
Keywords are terms you enter into search engines like Google to find information (i.e., how to cook pasta).
For webinar titles, aim to incorporate keywords that are relevant to your content and target audience. If you run a food blog and your webinar is about how to make classic Italian dishes, it may make sense to work “cook pasta” or “delicious pasta recipes” into your title.
Start by researching keywords if you're unsure what terms your audience looks for. Having this list on hand will help inform your content strategy, improve SEO, and make it easier for people to find the webinar.
2. Descriptive Copy
A HubSpot survey found that people sign up for webinars to learn about a hobby or passion, to be entertained, and to understand something about their career or industry. Your attendees want to know what they can get out of your event. Share the goods with a succinct, descriptive title.
Truthfully, there's no perfect title length. Some claim the best headlines are six to eight words, six to 13 words, or more than 14 words. The point is, research varies. Instead of worrying over one word, make your webinar titles informative, interesting, and ideal for your preferred channel.
- For organic and paid search, make sure your title falls in the 50-60 character range so it shows the entire headline in results.
- For email promotions, consider what subject lines work best for your brand. Somewhere around 50-60 characters are optimal for a good mobile experience.
- For social media, play around with fun, emotional, and engaging titles. CoSchedule recommends the following title character counts for popular platforms.
3. A challenge, problem, or goal
Research shows the most engaging webinar format is a presentation that teaches people how to do something specific. The key: specificity.
Look to your company's value proposition to figure out what topics you should cover. Where do you provide the most value? What are you an expert on? How can you help your sales team convert potential buyers? If you're great at bringing in prospects for small businesses, you could host a webinar like “Actionable Lead Generation Tips for Startups and Entrepreneurs.”
Once you know what you're good at, work it into your webinar title. Addressing a specific goal or problem will also make it easier to choose the format, content, and speakers.
4. On-brand messaging
As a writer and brand consultant, I always preach the importance of maintaining cohesive brand messaging throughout every marketing touchpoint.
That's because research shows a consistent brand presentation can boost revenue by as much as 23%, and nearly 74% of people become loyal to brands through content. If your webinar messaging is off-brand, people can get mixed messages about what your company stands for and your values.
Check out how these webinar titles stay true to the brand's voice.
- An Educator’s Guide to Teaching over Zoom (Zoom)
- Managing the Trickiest Parts of a Family Business (Harvard Business Review)
- Product Go-To-Market Tips from Google Cloud Product Leader (Product School)
- Newsroom: 100 days of Biden's presidency (The Guardian)
- Career Path Design | The Future of Work & How to Prepare (General Assembly)
- Everyday Instagram Hacks for any Business (HubSpot)
Now that you know what makes a good webinar title, try creating 3-5 solid working titles on your own. From there, workshop with other people on your team or get feedback from your customers to see which one resonates the most. If you're still searching for inspiration, check out some of the best titles I could find below.
Catchy Webinar Titles
It's tough for companies to convince people to pop in their contact information and sit down with their screen for an hour. But these catchy webinar titles capture attention (and likely attendees) at first glance.
- Breaking into Tech at any Age or Career Stage (WorkWell)
- Skill Up with IBM: Get the job you want (Open P-TECH)
- Ensuring a thriving ocean economy for everyone (Stockholm Resilience Centre)
- Making the Product Strategy Effective by Spotify Sr PM (Product School)
- The Art of Public Speaking: Increase Your Confidence and Build Your Skills (Podium Perfect)
- Making Innovation an Everyday Habit in Your Organization (Harvard Business Review)
- How to Turn Your Customers Into Your Best Marketing Channel (General Assembly)
- M&A Bootcamp: The Ultimate Guide to Mergers & Acquisitions for Start-Ups (Nasdaq Entrepreneurial Center)
- 2021 Battle of the Pitch Decks (VIATEC)
- How to Become a 10x PM Without Burning Out (Becca Camp Executive & Career Coaching)
- Six Strategies for Moving the Needle on Gender Equity (Harvard Business Review)
- Hitchcock’s Composer and the Sound of Suspense (Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Libraries)
- The Fundamentals of Power Networking (Small Business Expo)
- Amaryllis to ZZ: Unearthing the Science of Houseplant Care (MIT Museum)
- How to Turn Your Ph.D. into a Netflix Series (The Center for Science and Society)
- Trash Cocktails for Conservation: Virtual Sustainable Mixology Class (Lincoln Park Zoo)
- The Bear Necessities with Nat Geo Explorer Dr. Rae Wynn-Grant (Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies)
An eye-catching webinar title pulls people in for the next important step: signing up. Once you have a list of attendees, use the contact information they shared to send updates and instructions for joining the webinar.
After the event, nurture people down your conversion funnel by inviting them to learn more about your company, sign up for a future webinar, or join your email list. You've reeled them in with a catchy title – just remember to plan a great webinar and get them excited to learn more.
