9 ways to use webinars for PR, to make money, save time

If you’re looking for a new tool to improve your PR campaign, create an additional revenue stream and save time, start hosting and recording webinars, even if you don’t have a technical bone in your body, like me.

I’ve been hosting webinars for several years as a way to train the people who follow me, and to create products very quickly.

You can, too. Here are nine ways to use webinar education for PR, to make money and to save time:
 

For PR
 

1. Host a free webinar and invite journalists and bloggers.

Identify an emerging trend in your industry that they need to know about. Host a free webinar and train them on the topic. Offer statistics, resources and story ideas that tie into the trend.

Promote the webinar within LinkedIn Groups, on Twitter, in discussion forums for journalists, and in industry-specific discussion groups. This training elevates you as a thought leader and expert.
 

2. Demonstrate how to use a  new product or service.

Host a webinar for anyone who needs a solution to the problem that your product solves. Demonstrate how to use your new software. Or give step-by-step directions on how to remove different types of stains—wine, blood, ink—with your new miracle stain remover. Let people ask questions.

Authors, host a free webinar just before a book launch to build anticipation for the book, or after the launch to give readers a chance to discuss it. These webinars can be promoted on sites like Goodreads.com.  
 

3. Host a free Q&A webinar for your customers, ezine subscribers, blog readers or anyone who needs help in your area of expertise.

You don’t have to prepare any content. Just let people ask questions for the entire hour, and answer them.

What do you use as visuals? You can take people to specific websites that would be good resources, depending on their problem. One or more of those websites, of course, can be yours. Show them specific blog posts you’ve written that provide more solutions.

You can ask attendees to submit questions when they register. This gives you a chance to do a little research and have the answers at your fingertips before the webinar begins. If giving step-by-step directions on how to do something, create a quick PowerPoint slideshow.

To Make Money

4. Host a paid webinar on a specific problem that is challenging your target audience.

Pay attention to questions that people ask you in your email.

Speakers, what questions are audience members asking during your presentations? My audience, for example, frequently asks me how to get more “Likes” for their Facebook pages. I hosted a webinar recently on 35 Ways to Promote Your Facebook Page. 
 

5. Record the webinar and sell it afterward as a product.

This is a very quick way for me to create products, even if only a few people pay to attend. Because you can create these webinars, promote them and present them in a week or two, you can teach timely topics that your audience is just starting to hear about.

One of my most popular webinars has been for authors: Where to Find Millions of Readers Online to Review, Recommend & Buy Your Books. I got the idea for that topic after I spoke at an authors conference and heard them asking questions about online book review sites. When I returned home, I immediately started researching these sites and hosted the webinar within several weeks. To this day, that video replay is one of my top-selling products. 
      

6. Use webinars as a part of your coaching and mentoring programs.

People who join The Publicity Hound Mentor Program can participate in two private webinars with me every month. I encourage them to suggest topics. If they don’t, I pick a topic they need, based on problems I see while working with them. I record every webinar, and they can watch the replay if they can’t attend.
 

7. Speakers, offer webinars to fill seats at an upcoming event, or as follow-up training for audiences that already have heard you.  

When meeting planners hire you to speak, offer to host a webinar for their group a few months before the event, discussing tips you’ll be presenting live. This is a powerful value-added because it will help market the event.  

If you do corporate training, you can host follow-up webinars to answer questions and deal with issues that arise while your audience is implementing what you taught. Another value-added for your clients!

To Save Time
 

8. Use webinars to train your staff.

This is particularly helpful if they’re in different cities. Record the presentation and offer it to new employees.
 

9. Use a webinar to train yourself!

In my office, I keep a three-ring binder of systems that include step-by-step directions on how to do a specific task. If I haven’t done a certain task for awhile, it’s sometimes actually easier to see how something is done than to read about it. And creating a two-minute webinar recording is sometimes quicker than writing the procedure.

If you want to learn more about webinars, join me on Wednesday, Nov. 28, and Thursday, Nov. 29, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Eastern Time both days, for a two-part webinar program on How to Host Webinars and Sell Them as Profitable Products.

In Part 1, I’ll explain how I create the webinar using PowerPoint slides and MarketersChoice, also known as 1ShoppingCart(you can use your own brand of cart). And I’ll review how I market the live program and then do webinar marketing after it’s been created.  Part 2 will show you how to use GotoWebinar (affiliate links).

We still have a few $10 coupons left, good toward your registration. Register here and read about how to use the coupon. Hope you can join us!

There are so many webinar benefits, that I’d love to hear yours. How do you use webinars in your business? The Comments section awaits.  

(Photo courtesy of BigstockPhoto.com)