Automated / evergreen webinars

An automated webinar, also called an evergreen webinar, plays a recorded session at set times or whenever someone registers, while still feeling like an event. Attendees may see a countdown, have a chat box and use polls or offers at set moments in the recording. Some tools let a team member or the system answer questions afterwards. BigMarker, Demio, eWebinar, GoTo Webinar, Livestorm and Zoom Webinars are examples of tools that offer some version of it.

A live webinar needs a presenter, a date and a team, and its reach ends when the session does. An automated one lets you run the same session every day for months, so a webinar that works can keep producing leads without anyone repeating it. It also suits audiences in different time zones.

It works best for educational content that does not go out of date quickly, such as an introduction to your method or a product walkthrough. It is a poor fit when content changes weekly or when live interaction is the main attraction.

Do not present a recording as live if the tool pretends so in ways that mislead people, as that can damage trust.

• Can you schedule sessions on a recurring basis and offer "start in a few minutes" options.
• How do polls, offers and questions behave when no presenter is present.
• Can attendees ask questions, and who answers them and when.
• Are replays, reminders and follow-up emails included.