HOW TO WRITE A WEBINAR SCRIPT

A webinar script is a pre-written conversation that outlines what you intend to share and teach throughout your webinar. Your webinar script should at the very least include an introduction, an agenda of what you and your panelists intend to discuss, the precise topics that your panelists will address, and a closing call-to-action.

Webinar scripts can also include timing details (to ensure your guests don’t deviate from the agenda or take time away from another presenter), navigational instructions (such as when to share a screen, direct attendees to a specific website, or at what point certain panelists may join or drop off), and specific terms or discussion points to avoid.

Why should you write a webinar script?

Webinar scripts are useful since they help to keep your webinar interesting. It’s easy to lose your train of thought owing to nerves, excitement, or a question from the audience if you don’t plan ahead of time.

Writing a script for your webinar ahead of time also allows you to decide on your webinar’s goal. Think:

• What do you want your audience to take away from this?
• Who do you want to invite to speak to educate your audience?
• What are you hoping your audience will do during and after your webinar?

By answering these questions before your webinar (and before you compose the script), you will be able to modify your webinar script and angle its presenters and content to stay focused on these deliverables. You can also provide your webinar script to your speakers so they can have a sense of how the presentation will go.

Assume I was giving a webinar on content marketing. There are numerous subjects and anecdotes I could discuss, ranging from freelance writing to strategy development to SEO-vs. non-SEO-driven material.

If I sat down to compose my webinar content ahead of time, I’d be forced to confront how broad (and vague) the concept of “content marketing” is. Writing the script would require refining the objective and goal of my webinar, which would then inspire my guest panel and follow-up CTA.

Webinar scripts help you keep your webinar focused, confident, and audience oriented. Finally, webinar scripts can serve as inspiration for most of your webinar marketing, saving you a lot of time when it comes to producing emails, social media text, and promotional blog articles.

What Is the Best Way to Write a Webinar Script?

In this section, we’ll go through what you should think about when composing your script. we’ll also discuss when a script is necessary and when a script may be more restrictive than liberating.

To begin, open a new Google Doc or a new notebook. Make a list of why you want to do a webinar, what important points or takeaways you want to include, and any additional ideas you have. You may notice a pattern forming — what points you’ll open with, how you’ll back your takeaways up with panelists or research, and where there may be any gaps that can be filled with additional brainstorming. Consider this your “outline” for your webinar script.

(We recommend doing this in a Google Doc rather than a slide deck because a slide deck will require you to parse and order your thoughts before you’re ready, which can disrupt the brainstorming process.)

When you have a script outline, you may begin fleshing out the script. Yes, I mean putting down exactly what you intend to say and the areas you want to cover—your webinar talk track. If you plan to have panelists on your webinar, encourage them to do the same for their portions.

While the Q & A part cannot be scripted, planning your webinar material ahead of time allows you to understand what you intend to discuss from beginning to end. As a result, if an audience member asks a question about a topic you or a guest speaker will be covering later in the presentation, you can encourage them to wait rather than derail the presentation.

Let’s break down the essential components of a webinar script.

1. Welcome to the Webinar

The webinar introduction (although digitally) sets the tone for the rest of your session. The introduction script should include a brief introduction of yourself and your company, an explanation of why you’re qualified to teach, and a discussion of the webinar agenda, including who your audience may anticipate seeing.

Make a point of thanking your audience in the opening as well. If you intend to solicit audience participation through polls or the webinar chat function, notify your attendees and quickly explain how they can participate if they so like.

2. Webinar Schedule

You may have mentioned the webinar agenda in your introduction, but this section allows you to go into greater detail about what your audience members will see and learn. You can divide your webinar into sections (e.g., what, why, how, etc.) or outline what your guest speakers will be talking about if you have them.

This is also the place where you may specify how long each session and/or presentation will take, as well as how much time will be left at the conclusion for questions. As we previously stated, the purpose of your webinar script is to keep your presentation on track and to prevent wasting your audience’s time; a webinar agenda will do this.

3. The Goal and Purpose of the Webinar

Following that, provide a section that describes the “why” of your webinar. Perhaps you have a single, catchy sentence that will pique your audience’s interest. Alternatively, you could include a bulleted description of how your audience will benefit from the webinar.

Regardless of how you deliver your webinar’s goal or purpose, be sure you create supporting content to discuss during the segment or slide. Don’t forget to highlight what your audience may expect after the webinar, whether it’s a call to action or a prize for participating.

4. Content for Educational Webinars

You may bring in panelists for your webinar, or you may present the webinar alone.

If the former applies to your webinar, request that your panelists script their sections ahead of time and email them to you for approval. (Alternatively, you can provide one of the suggested templates below or provide your script as an example.)

If the latter is true, this is the meat of your webinar script. It contains the useful, informative material that your audience has most likely requested. Create the discussion track for each portion, down to the transitions, based on how you ordered your presentation in the agenda section. Make a note of these activities in your script if you intend to integrate pictures, engage your audience, or share your screen to show an idea.

Remember to use anecdotes and examples in your webinar courses to help your audience connect your concepts and takeaways to real-life scenarios. If you don’t want your anecdotes to sound too scripted or forced, make a note of where you’ll deliver that story (instead of writing it out word-for-word). This is an example of how a script might constrain you.

If you’ve created blog content regarding your webinar topic, consider revising part of it to meet your lessons and primary takeaways.

5. Webinar Summary and Q&A

The conclusion of your webinar is critical; it anchors your lessons for your audience and summarizes key insights. You can also plan an engagement activity, such as a short concept quiz or a brief feedback session, during which your attendees can discuss something new they learned.

Because this part acts as the TL; DR, the script should be brief and to the point. After you’ve finished recapping your presentation, invite questions.

6. Webinar Subsequent Steps and Closing

After you and/or your speakers have provided your webinar content and answered any questions, it’s time to wrap up. First, prepare your closing remarks, which should include thanking the audience and offering any important contact or follow-up information.

Then, discuss the next steps. What do you want your webinar attendees to do now that they’ve seen your presentation? Close the webinar presentation with a strong call to action and specific instructions on how your audience can participate.

Congratulations! You just finished writing a webinar script. Now, here are a few more pointers for you:

Write your script in a conversational tone and use everyday words as you speak. To avoid becoming lost in a sea of bullet points or fragmented sentences, compose the script in entire sentences.

Practice your script from beginning to end, word for word. Check the script’s length to see if it’s too long. Request that your presenters do the same with their scripts.

Only after you’ve heard your script aloud a few times should you start designing your webinar slides. Instead of copying and pasting your script onto your presentations, use it to inspire critical bullet points and talking points.

As we mentioned above, you should begin with a blank document or notepad as a starting point for your webinar script. Consider utilizing the following webinar script template as a starting point if you need assistance organizing your thoughts and ideas.