The Pros and Cons of Different Types of Webinars

The Internet is exploding with webinars these days. In almost every industry, you'll find webinars being offered. Knowing the different types of webinars out there will help you face them head on when you encounter them. If you want to host your own webinar, it will be helpful to know all the different types of webinars you can choose from.

Webinars are one way in which we consume information. It's not the only thing out there. There are blog posts, podcasts, infographics, links within social media to other articles, videos, white papers, transcripts, and more. Webinars can be categorized in four basic ways, but the combination possibilities are many.

1. long or short webinars
2. paid or free webinars
3. informational or sales webinars
4. live or recorded webinars
5. interactive or boring (just kidding, but nobody wants to listen to a boring presentation)

Different Types of Webinars

The Long vs. Short Webinar

The Long Webinar

This type of webinar is typically an hour or longer. There is generally a vast amount of information to convey, or a specific list of steps to cover. People who attend longer webinars are obviously
interested in the topic being presented. Pros? You get to dive deep. Cons? It takes up more time.

The Short Webinar

Short webinars are usually less than an hour, maybe 20 to 45 minutes. The information taught in a shorter webinar is usually something easy to consume or implement. Sometimes these are bonus lessons taught with a specific purpose. Pros? You can save a little time. Cons? You get just enough information to wet your appetite for the subject at hand.

The Paid vs. Free Webinar

The Paid Webinar

I don't know the percentage of paid vs free webinars being offered on the web, but I'd venture to say that the majority are free. The cost to watch a paid webinar can range from $5 to $95, with the lower costs usually being shorter and the higher options lasting much longer. Paid webinars do not offer sales pitches as part of the presentation, which can be a pro for some people. The con is that you have to pay to get the information and sometimes you're just not sure if you trust the source. Of course, if the source is trustworthy, then you'll pay for it, right?

The Free Webinar

Many webinars, whether short or long, are free. People love to learn and people love to give advice and help others on their journey. The purpose is to give value. It's also okay for the presenter to have human vulnerabilities, whereas paid ones might be more polished. Free webinars can also be either purely informational or offer a sales pitch, as seen below. The pro is that you don't have to pay. The con is that it might not be as good.

The Informational vs. Sales Webinar

The Informational Webinar

This type of webinar often falls under the paid webinar category, but not always. Shorter ones are usually free. Information presented in a webinar is to help the viewers and attendees overcome a challenge, achieve a specific result, or educate the process on how something works. Pros? No sales pitch. Cons? No way to take the information learned further and get even more results, which means you'll have to scour the net to find the answers you'll need.

The Sales Webinar

The sales webinar is also informational and aims to solve a problem, but does it in a very specific way and offers additional help via a sales pitch near the end of the presentation. It is a very good marketing tool to help entrepreneurs build their business while serving their customers' needs. The con is that people tend to not appreciate what an offer could mean in helping them get results. The good thing, though, is that if you don't like the offer, you don't have to buy, and you can hop off the call.

The Live vs. Recorded Webinar

The Live Webinar

Live webinars are delivered without being recorded ahead of time. You may encounter technical difficulties, glitches, and bloopers. The good thing about a webinar being live is that it has the potential to draw in more viewers because they don't want to miss out. The bad thing is that many people may not be available for that particular time, so there may be less viewers. So it's fear of missing out vs. availability for times offered.

The Recorded Webinar

Sometimes, live webinars are recorded to use later and provide more value. And sometimes they aren't. The recorded webinar can reach more people who couldn't attend the live one, but those who attend live usually get more out of it.

In any case, knowing the different types of webinars will help you be a more educated and savvy information consumer on the Internet. Go forth and enjoy your knowledge consumption, whatever its form!

Keep on keepin' on...