5 Types of Webinars Worth Watching

Webinars deserve more attention for the engaging experiences they could be. That’s why we teamed up with author and public speaking coach Jay Acunzo to understand what makes a webinar worth watching and how to choose the right type of presentation to reach your target audience.

Whether you’re running a demo, training, or thought leadership event, these tips will make your next session more memorable.

Jay Acunzo’s 5 types of talks

1. How-to
2. How-to think
3. Active work (workshop)
4. Guest expert
5. Blended IP

How-to

Best for: Teaching tactics and building trust
Audience: Practitioners

Tactical, educational content resonates with practitioners. Building trust with this audience grows your brand’s influence. But while sharing knowledge shows your expertise, Jay points out that, “Advice alone is not enough to earn affinity.”

“Advice alone is not enough to earn affinity”

Jay Acunzo

Align, assert, aspire

Pairing your insights with storytelling will build connections with your audience and make them care about what you have to say. Once they care, you can align your goals with their concerns, which makes sharing ideas and asserting your perspective more effective. When viewers feel seen and understood, they will aspire to reach the best outcomes.

How-to think

Best for: Reframing a familiar problem for a more advanced audience Audience: Higher quality leads like c-suite and less qualified leads like practitioners

50% of hosted webinars are thought-leadership events, but they often feel either too high-level or too generic. Jay’s advice is to share a perspective that challenges how people think and makes your ideas catch their attention. A challenging premise improves memorability, because as Jay puts it, “You can’t ‘own your audience’ but you can own an idea in their minds.”

“You can’t ‘own your audience’ but you can own an idea in their minds”

Jay Acunzo

Share a unique perspective

Jay uses a framework he calls the XY Premise Pitch, where X = your topic (what the session is about) and Y = your unique premise (how you see that topic differently). Now fill in the blanks.

This is a session about X. Unlike other sessions about X, only I see Y.

Making your content relevant to decision-makers and aspirational for practitioners creates the perfect mix to connect with both potential audiences. Repurpose your “how-to-think” talk into a blog post, email, or social campaign. Then embed the replay on your site to extend its reach and spark ongoing discussions that move high-quality leads toward action.

Active work (workshop)

Best for: Helping attendees to do the work, not just to listen
Audience: Your most qualified buyers, ready to move from absorbing ideas into taking action

Who shows up for your webinar matters more than how many. Training webinars and videos often draw smaller crowds, but deliver higher engagement rates (up to 65%). People show up expecting to participate and participation can move them to action.

To make your session interactive, Jay recommends structuring it with short prompts, permission to be imperfect, and space for reflection. This makes attendees feel like they are part of the experience. Jay notes that, “The most qualified buyers are ready to act. Your job is to help them move from absorbing ideas to applying them.”

Guest expert

Best for: Targeting broad roles. The value is the guests’ attention and Q&A, not just insights from the talk.
Audience: Existing audience you want to activate, and new leads attracted by the guest’s expertise.

Panel discussions and thought leadership events often draw big sign up numbers but lower live turnout. Who you choose to partner with as a guest expert can make or break an event’s success. Jay claims that, “A thoughtful process matters more than a famous guest. Influence is about impact, not followers.”

“A thoughtful process matters more than a famous guest. Influence is about impact, not followers”

Jay Acunzo

Jay recommends choosing guests who add valuable perspective, and not just reach. This will bring in higher quality leads that align with your way of thinking and will take less convincing to move through the customer journey.

Blended IP

Best for: Building credibility through aligned partnerships
Audience: New audience with similar goals and interests

If you’re hosting webinars that continually draw the same participants, try collaborating with people and brands that share similar values but with different audiences. Map your mutual buyer’s journey and create partnerships to address the holes. Jay says, “The most valuable partners don’t just lend an audience. They lend credibility. Your ideas combine to serve others better.”

“The most valuable partners don’t just lend an audience. They lend credibility. Your ideas combine to serve others better.”

Jay Acunzo

Turn presentations into experiences

Great webinars don’t pack slides with information and sales pitches, they shape ideas and experiences that stick. Most marketers are already hosting webinars, the real opportunity isn’t in what you host, but how you host it.