How to run an online webinar

How to run an online webinar

Online events and webinars are a great way to inform people about the Bill and get them involved in the campaign. If it’s your first time doing this, you might find yourself a bit at sea. So read on for some guidance on how to get started.

Choose a platform

Firstly, you should decide what platform to use. Zoom is a readily available option that people are comfortable using. However, if you intend for your webinar to last longer than 40 minutes, you will have to be a paid subscriber. There are alternatives, depending on your needs, that are provided by platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Google Hangouts. Some local CAN Bill campaign groups use Facebook Live, which makes it easier for them to promote to their social media pages.

Decide on a format

Next, set up the structure of your meeting and invite any panelists (this is also a good opportunity to cement current or potential allies). You could use the first half of the meeting to introduce yourselves and the campaign, leaving the second half for more interaction. To help, in the creation of the first half of your webinar we have made a short 10 min talk that acts as an introduction to the CAN Bill. You can download this, and adjust it to your audience as needed. For the second half, consider creating small groups through breakout rooms to organise specific campaigning tasks, or invite feedback and discussion. This format is about ensuring a balance between education and creating connections. Both of these will be critical for bringing people into your campaign.

Publicise your event

Once you have decided on your format and panelists, you can create a title and set a date and time for your webinar. Then you need to publicise it. Here are some social media graphics, which you can adapt for your purposes. As well as creating an event page on your social media, don’t forget to also create one on the CAN Bill website. You can do this either through your local campaign group’s webpage linked to the local alliances map, or by contacting the team at [email protected]. (If you’re not yet on the local alliances map, you can add yourselves by click on “sign up here” underneath the map.)

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