Do Webinars Still Work in 2025? Yes, No, Maybe So – Let's Get Real
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If you're a regular, you know I love diving into the trenches of marketing with you – no fluff, just straight talk. Today, we're tackling webinars.
I get hit with questions all the time:
"Do webinars still convert? Are people even showing up anymore? Can you actually sell from them without looking like a used car salesman?"
Lemme hit you with the short answer first, because I know you're busy: Yes, no, maybe so.
It's case-by-case, and honestly, that's the truth. But stick with me – I'm gonna break it down with some hard facts, trends I'm seeing, and why this could actually be your edge if you play it right.
The Red Flags: Why Some Webinar Empires Are Crumbling
Look, there are some concerning trends out there.
I've watched creators who built entire businesses around webinars just... ghost them. Poof. Gone. Take Amy Porterfield's Webinars That Convert – that was her flagship for over a decade.
Sunsetted. Done. Not a great sign when a powerhouse like that pulls the plug.
But here's the caveat: The same folks saying "webinars are dead" are also claiming ads don't work anymore.
And I'm calling BS on that. I'm not talking small-time stuff here – I'm in masterminds with the big dogs, the guys who coached me back in the day.
They're posting lower CPAs than they've seen in five, six years. Better CPCs. Straight fire. So if ads are thriving for the pros, why are webinars tanking for some? It's not the format. It's how you're using it.
The 2019 Webinar Trap: Hype Without the Goods
The old-school webinar? You know the one. "Stick around for 90 minutes – I've got a massive surprise at the end!"
It was all about building hype, teasing the dream life, and dropping just enough sizzle to get folks excited. Amy's stuff was solid, don't get me wrong – she delivered value.
But we've all sat through those duds where you walk away thinking, "Cool story, bro. But what did I actually learn?"
The problem? Those webinars were built for a problem-aware audience.
People craving the lifestyle, the quick win, the "aha" opportunity they hadn't heard before. It worked because it was fresh. But fast-forward to now: We're solution-aware AF. You've heard the pitch 500 times. "Join my course and transform your biz!" Rinse, repeat, refund.
Show rates? Trash. Stick rates? Non-existent. And that excitement? Fizzled out like a bad soda.
You can't run a 2019 webinar to a 2025 offer.
It's a double whammy – outdated messaging to an outdated product. Courses as we knew them? On life support. Unless they're hyper-specific, mechanism-driven transformations.
No more vague "become your best self" vibes.
What Does Work: Flip the Script to Value That Pays Off
So, how do you make webinars (or workshops, masterclasses, challenges – whatever you call 'em) convert again? Simple: Make 'em worth paying for. Deliver real value upfront. Here's why and how:
- Market Awareness Shift: Your people aren't problem-aware anymore. They're solution-aware and burned out. Hit 'em with specificity – who it's for (psychographics + demographics) and what it nails (tangible results). We've got a client running a three-week live launch – all trainings, no fluff. Two layers of specificity, actual results? It's crushing.
- Emotional + Logical Punch: People buy on emotion, justify with logic. Keep the hype – get 'em fired up! – but back it with a blueprint. Not teases. Real mechanisms. Remember Ben Stein's Clear Eyes days? It doesn't have to be dry like PBS. Pump the energy, but make the logic ironclad.
- Do and Take Offers Rule: Shoutout to Keith Krantz (genius Meta buyer, marketer's marketer – dude's a beast). He breaks offers into four types, borrowed from a client: Build (DIY info, like old courses), Become (self-transformation, à la 75 Hard), Do (with you – coaching, challenges), and Take (done-for-you, like a custom GPT or SaaS).
We're in a Do and Take era. People are exhausted from "build it yourself." They want centralization – one tool stack, not 75 apps.
(We're sponsoring GHL right now, not 'cause it's perfect, but 'cause it lets 'em take and implement fast.)
New webinars that win? They're "Do with me now, take the rest later." We do this in our trainings: Partial mechanism live, full access behind the coaching wall. AI-powered?
Heck yeah – we're building a suite of GPTs for sales pages, webinar scripts, all baked with psych principles. Modalities change; psychology doesn't.
Infomercials from Billy Mays? Cold calls? Snail mail? Same principles. Just new wrappers.
Own Your Audience: Don't Rent from Big Tech
Quick detour – this ties in big time. Platforms are borrowed audience. Instagram changes the algo?
You're screwed. We had to nuke a Facebook page during COVID (restrictions suck). New ad account? Fresh start? Nah.
Our email list – tens of thousands after hygiene (we're talking hundreds pre-clean) – saved us. Email 'em: "New page, follow up!" Retarget, text, cross-pollinate.
Renting vs. owning. Build that list. Sender rep matters – no vanity metrics. Focus on openers/clickers. Borrowed audience vanishes overnight; owned is forever.
The Playbook: Transform, Don't Inform
Bottom line: Ditch "webinar." Call it a workshop. Charge for it. Make it transformational – do part of it with them, take away tools.
AI flooded us with info (ChatGPT, Gemini, Claude), so info's worthless now. Everyone's "rich" on paper. What they crave? Answers. Wading through the noise to their truth.
Layer on specificity: Who (your exact avatar) + What (hyper-focused outcome).
Give the aha – "This is possible for you, even after 500 fails." Map their pains: What they've tried, bombed at, still ache for. Your offer? The bridge to success.
Selling? Nail the psych: Value-stack the hell out of it. Bonuses so juicy they'd buy for those alone.
Counter objections head-on. Scarcity (buy now or miss out).
Anchor pricing (group vs. 1:1). I grew up in sales – even on my A-game, miss these? Conversions tank 50%. Charisma's cool, but principles close.
We ran a three-day workshop (Jeff Walker/Stu McLaren style). Post-2019, post-ChatGPT world. 30% conversion. 30% paid yearly upfront – thousands per. Top-tier folks hit 10%. That's the power.
People still want human connection. Community. Live Zooms. Voxer access. Not "I'll hold you accountable" (that scares 'em – ego alert). Sell benefits; they'll self-sell the discipline. Like the military: "Serve your country, free education." You nod to the secondary wins.
Wrapping It Up: Yes, With Coaching – Get the Answers Fast
So, yeah – yes, no, maybe so. But lean yes if you adapt.
Information's dead; answers are gold. Job market's wild – AI displacing techies left and right, folks flooding into solopreneur life.
They'll drown in chats with Grok (shoutout) unless humans guide 'em to their transformation.
That's why coaching's non-negotiable now. Not ego – reality.
Faster answers = faster wins. Whether with us or elsewhere, jump in. If you vibe with my straight-shooter, ADHD-fueled brain, start at contenttocustomers.co.
Grab the workshop, the playbook – it's our mechanism's foundation. Psych principles unlocked. Then? 1:1, group, whatever fits.
DM me @heycmh on Insta (not huge there, but I see 'em). Questions on this ep? Hit me.
Catch you next time – go own those webinars (or whatever you rename 'em). Peace.