How to Host a Pre-Recorded Webinar That Feels Live

I'm going to show you how to set up evergreen webinars that run on autopilot to generate leads and sales without constant manual effort. This approach allows you to record once and schedule your content to play at regular intervals, making it ideal for course launches, product demos, and client onboarding.

The key is transparency. I recommend being upfront about using pre-recorded content rather than trying to make it appear live. The benefits of pre-recording include the ability to edit out mistakes, accommodate different time zones, and create a polished presentation while maintaining an authentic webinar feel.

Key Takeaways

• Record your webinar once and schedule it to run automatically at set times to generate leads without ongoing manual work
• Edit your pre-recorded content to remove mistakes and dead spots while keeping an authentic webinar feel rather than an overly polished video
• Test your content with live webinars first to refine what converts before transitioning to automated evergreen sessions

Advantages of Evergreen Webinars

Lead Generation on Autopilot

You can record one webinar and have it on repeat as an evergreen webinar every week or every month as a lead magnet. This allows you to get more leads and sales without lifting a finger.

I still capture emails and details of people who are registering to watch the pre-recorded webinar through the registration form. You can collect more than just email, first name, and last name by adding custom fields to collect additional information.

The setup lets you schedule webinars for specific days and times of your choosing. If you want it to go every week or every month, you just schedule it out multiple times and use the same webinar as a pre-recorded session.

Key registration features include:

• Custom registration forms with additional fields
• Email notifications at multiple intervals
• Audience attendance tracking
• Average time in session and duration metrics

Hands-Off Content Delivery

You don't have to go live every time you need to onboard. You just go live once and set and forget. This is a hands-off automation that works for course launches, product demos, evergreen webinars, or client onboarding.

When setting up the webinar, you won't need to invite guest speakers by email because it's pre-recorded. This is the hands-off element of the process.

The beauty about pre-recording is you can edit out any mistakes, schedule it across time zones, and set and forget. You can correct anything in the edit, add stuff in, or delete it so it flows smoothly.

I wouldn't over edit it too much because you want it to look and feel kind of like a webinar and not a highly polished video. If there are any glaring mistakes, I would edit those out. If there are any dead spots, I would minimize those to enhance the user experience.

Consistent Audience Engagement

You can schedule the webinar for multiple times and dates throughout your calendar using the same pre-recorded content. The platform allows you to set specific days and times, with options to make webinars 30 minutes or an hour depending on the length of your pre-recording.

Email notifications help maintain engagement with your audience. I would select notifications to go out at least a day before, an hour before, and as a follow-up after the event even if they didn't actually watch the pre-recorded webinar.

Once people register, they receive confirmation that they've registered to the event on the specific date and time. They can either click to join the session if it's scheduled at that day and time, or they can add it to their calendar so they can return at that scheduled time.

You can see audience attendance rates and track engagement metrics through the platform. The whole point of an online training or an online webinar, even a pre-recorded webinar, is to position something as an offer or as the next logical step for them.

Essential Preparations for Webinar Recording

Choosing the Right Equipment and Platform

I use Riverside as my platform for hosting, editing, recording, and scheduling pre-recorded webinars all in one place. The platform records locally on my device and on any co-host's device, then uploads everything to the cloud in 4K quality. This means I get the highest audio and video resolution possible.

The local recording feature is particularly important because it ensures I don't lose quality due to internet connection issues. Once the recording is complete, everything syncs to the cloud automatically.

I can use the same platform for the entire workflow from recording to scheduling. This eliminates the need to switch between multiple tools.

Structuring Your Presentation

I start by preparing my content just as I would for a live webinar. In my case, I used Google Slides for a presentation I delivered for the Riverside community about AI search and ranking on Google without ads.

When structuring the content, I focus on positioning an offer or next logical step for my audience. This is the main purpose of any online training or webinar.

Key structuring approach:

• Present the material as I would in a live session
• Include screen sharing when demonstrating concepts
• Maintain the natural flow of a webinar presentation
• Keep the content focused on leading to an offer or next step

I don't over-edit the recording because I want it to maintain that webinar look and feel, not appear as a highly polished video. However, I do edit out glaring mistakes and minimize dead spots to enhance the user experience.

Ensuring Authentic Delivery

I must be transparent and authentic when delivering a pre-recorded webinar. I tell my audience that this is a pre-recorded webinar rather than trying to fake it as live.

The last thing I want to do is erode trust with my subscribers, audience, or potential customers. Trust is the new currency in this day and age where information is abundant.

My recommendation for authenticity:

1. Run some live webinars first
2. Get audience interaction during live sessions
3. See what lands, what converts, and what makes sense
4. Only then convert to pre-recorded format

I even mention in the recording itself that it's pre-recorded. This transparency prevents me from getting caught out and maintains trust with my audience.

The beauty of pre-recording is that I can edit out mistakes, schedule for different time zones, and set it to run automatically. But I achieve this without sacrificing authenticity by being upfront about the format from the start.