Why Most Webinars Fail – And How to Get Yours Right

Webinars are one of the most powerful tools to sell your products, build relationships, and deliver massive value. But here's the problem: most webinars fail.

I’ve seen it, I’ve lived it, and years ago, I didn’t believe webinars even worked.

But when done right, a webinar can generate incredible results. I’m talking about tens of thousands of dollars in a matter of hours.

Let me show you what makes most webinars fail and how you can structure yours to succeed.

The Day I Didn’t Believe in Webinars

Way back in the day – around 2000 – I heard about a woman whose whole brand was “sell your brain food”. She claimed that she did a webinar and made $60,000 in sales.

And I thought, “There’s no way. That’s impossible.“

At the time, I had already done my first six-figure launch. I was successful. But the idea that someone could do a webinar for a few hours and make $60,000? My brain couldn’t wrap around it.

Fast forward a few years: I did my first webinar in 2003.

Since then, I’ve done hundreds of webinars. And here’s the truth…

Webinars work – when you structure them the right way.

Let me break down the key pieces that determine whether your webinar will fail or succeed.

The Key Elements of a Webinar That Sells

Think of a webinar as a critical piece of your marketing funnel. It’s where you guide your audience from curiosity to commitment – moving them seamlessly through awareness, interest, and ultimately to action.

Most webinars fail because they miss these essential steps. Here’s what you need to get right:

1. Getting People to Show Up Live

It’s getting harder and harder to get people to show up for live webinars.

Back at the beginning of COVID when lockdowns kept us home, people were showing up for everything online. These days? Not so much.

• You need a strong hook to get people interested.
• You need to deliver real value and set expectations for what they’ll get.
• And finally, you need to give them a compelling reason to show up live.

If you can’t get people in the room, your webinar is already dead in the water.

2. Hooking Your Audience Early

Once people show up, the first few moments of your webinar are critical.

This is where you bring people into your world, set the stage, and get them hooked.

If you lose them in the first 5 minutes, they won’t stick around for the rest.

• Start with a strong hook that grabs their attention.
• Make them curious to keep watching.
• Promise them a transformation or result they can’t ignore.

3. Teaching the Right Way

Most people think the teaching part of a webinar is all about giving away tons of content.

But how you structure your teaching matters.

• Your teaching needs to naturally lead into your offer.
• Don’t overload your audience with irrelevant information.
• Keep it clear, concise, and focused.

Too much teaching can overwhelm your audience. And if they’re overwhelmed, they won’t take action.

4. Making the Offer (Without Feeling Salesy)

This is the part most people dread… making the offer.

If you’re worried about coming across as pushy or salesy, here’s the good news:

If you structure your webinar the right way, the offer feels natural.

• The teaching sets up the offer.
• The transition into the offer feels seamless.
• You give people a clear reason to act now.

You don’t need to be a “magic salesperson” or have some flashy gimmick. If your webinar is structured correctly, the offer will almost sell itself.

The Hidden Power of Webinar Follow-Up

Here’s something most people don’t realize:

A huge percentage of webinar sales happen after the webinar.

If you don’t have a follow-up plan, you’re leaving money on the table.

Send follow-up emails with a replay link. Remind people of the offer. Give them a final nudge to take action. The follow-up is just as important as the webinar itself.

The Simple Webinar Tweaks That Made a Big Difference

I’ve done hundreds of webinars over the years, and I’ve learned a lot. But here’s the beauty of what I do: I get to learn from my students, too.

One of the brilliant members in my high-end mastermind shared some powerful insights about webinars.

He came into our mastermind group and taught for 60 minutes. (Trust me, that’s rare in my room. It’s tough to hold attention beyond 20 minutes… but he blew everyone away.)

I took a couple of his ideas and immediately applied them to my own launch.

Here are two tweaks that made a massive impact:

1. Turning Off the Chat

At the launch, there was no public chat roll during my webinars.

Here’s why:

• Public chats can be distracting for both you and your audience.
• Sure, it’s fun to see fans cheering you on. But it’s also easy to lose focus.
• Instead, my team and I could still see the comments, but they weren’t public.

The result? A cleaner, more focused webinar.

No one complained. A few people were confused at first, but the overall experience was better. And our results were off the charts.

2. Ending the Webinar the Right Way

How you end your webinar matters just as much as how you start it.

I restructured the way I wrapped up my webinars. I focused on:

• Making a clean, confident transition into the offer. 
• Giving a clear reason to act now before the webinar ended.

What to Do Next

Webinars can be a game-changer for your business. But only if you do them right.

Remember:

1. Get people to show up.
2. Hook them early.
3. Teach the right way.
4. Make the offer seamlessly.
5. Follow up after the webinar.

It’s not about flashy tricks or being a master salesperson. It’s about getting the structure right.

Take these lessons, apply them to your next webinar, and watch what happens. The results might just blow you away.

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