Picture this: You’re sitting down to enjoy a delicious meal. Are you at a restaurant, or are you in the comfort of your own home?

Everyone’s idea of a delicious meal is different. Whether you were hypothetically enjoying a fresh meal from your favorite restaurant or a frozen pizza on your couch, there are pros and cons to both experiences.

The same goes for webinars. We’ve established that webinars are a winning medium for businesses aiming to engage, educate, and connect with their target audience. But here's the million-dollar question: Should those webinars be live or pre-recorded?

In other words, do you go for the sizzling, fresh-off-the-grill live webinar or the meticulously crafted, ready-to-enjoy pre-recorded session?

Both approaches offer unique benefits and challenges. And yes, there is an in-between option. Grab your chef’s hat and get ready to whip up the perfect webinar strategy for your brand.

When deciding whether to go live or pre-recorded for your webinar, it's essential to understand the unique advantages and disadvantages of each. Here’s an overview.

Live webinars create a dynamic and engaging attendee experience with real-time interaction at its heart. However, those of us old enough to remember Janet Jackson’s Super Bowl wardrobe malfunction know — anytime something is live, there’s room for error.

✅ Pros of live webinars:

• Immediate engagement. The audience can participate and interact in real time, leading to higher engagement and watch time.
• Authenticity. Attendees get a genuine and spontaneous experience (for better or for worse!).
• Adaptability. Hosts can make on-the-fly adjustments based on audience feedback.

⚠️ Cons of live webinars:

• Potential for errors. Technical issues and other mistakes can come up.
• Logistical complexity. The event schedule must accommodate both speakers and attendees, which can impact content and reduce reach.
• Pressure. Presenters must be prepared to smoothly respond to the unexpected. Maybe no big deal for seasoned event marketers, but easier said than done for your speakers and subject matter experts (SMEs).

To put it simply: What makes live webinars exciting also makes them unpredictable. That’s one of the reasons people like attending live events—anything can happen. Of course, your tolerance (or company leadership’s tolerance) for uncertainty will impact whether live webinars are right for you, and how you prepare for them if so.

Pre-recorded webinars let viewers enjoy a structured and polished presentation on their own time, but may lack that certain zest served up by live events.

✅ Pros of pre-recorded webinars:

• Controlled environment. Pre-recorded content ensures consistent delivery with no unexpected disruptions—e.g. loss of internet connection.
• Flexible viewing. Webinar attendees watch at their own pace, whenever works for their schedule.
• Cost-effective. An on-demand webinar has wider reach and therefore a higher ROI.

⚠️ Cons of pre-recorded webinars:

• Limited interaction. No live audience engagement.
• Inflexible content. No opportunity to shift focus based on audience feedback or questions.
• Perceived inauthenticity. Feels less personal to some viewers.

Ultimately, the choice between live and pre-recorded webinars boils down to your goals and audience preferences. When authenticity and interaction are top priorities, going live is worth the risk. If you need control and flexibility with your webinar, pre-recorded might be the way to go.

Now that we’ve covered the pros and cons of each, let’s talk use cases. At Goldcast, we’re lucky to work with some incredible clients running multiple types of webinars and other virtual events.

Let’s dig into some scenarios where one format might make more sense than the other and pull in some examples from our own customer stories.

When should you unleash the power of a live webinar? Live webinars shine in scenarios where real-time interaction and immediacy are paramount:

• Live Q&A sessions. Live webinars are all about real-time audience engagement. Take LG Electronics, for instance, which transformed their webinars into interactive experiences with real-time polls and chat, boosting engagement and making every attendee feel like a part of the conversation.
• Product launches and announcements. When immediacy is key, live webinars create buzz and allow interaction with your audience. Going live ensures questions and reactions can be addressed during the event, making your launch more exciting.
• Trainings and workshops. These benefit from the dynamic nature of live webinars, where trainers can adjust to audience needs on the fly. Modern Sales Pros have mastered this by conducting live sessions that incorporate real-time feedback and create a lively atmosphere for learning.

Consider a pre-recorded webinar if your focus is creating consistent and accessible content to reach as many people as possible. These assets keep working for you after publish, whether your goal is lead generation or customer retention. It’s the perfect format for:

• Product demos. When showcasing products, a webinar recording ensures every detail is presented perfectly—like Benchling's meticulously crafted demos that simplify understanding of complex features.
• Global audience. If your audience spans the globe, it’s pretty challenging to host live webinars that work for everyone. ThoughtSpot hosts two pre-recorded webinars per month to reach multiple audiences in different time zones.
• Ongoing series. An event series is a great way to grow your audience. Pre-recorded sessions can be repurposed as a library of content viewers can access at their convenience.

Of course, if live and pre-recorded were the only two options, we’d stop here. However, B2B marketing is anything but black and white, so you’d better believe we have a hybrid option to discuss.

Why not have the best of both worlds? Preparing pre-recorded videos for a live webinar can help you achieve the real-time interactivity of being live without the stress of making sure every moment is flawless.

Here’s an example: The team at Smartling aimed to deliver a high-quality virtual event. With the goal of zero downtime, they pre-recorded the bulk of their webinar content to reduce risk.

“We had a few live sessions at the very beginning and at the very end, but everything in between was pre-recorded,” explains Adrian Cohn, Head of Marketing.

This approach enabled Smartling to welcome attendees and close things out live, while pulling off perfect content in between. Then, team members also made the pre-recorded sessions available on-demand as soon as the event ended.

The folks at Birdeye took a similar approach for their virtual summit, which included a mix of 20 live and pre-recorded sessions across two days. This approach helped them 10x their audience engagement.

Integrating pre-recorded elements into live webinars not only enhances the overall experience but also ensures your audience gets the best of both worlds—consistency and spontaneity.

Believe us when we say: we’ve run a lot of webinars. We’ve seen it all, and learned some tricks along the way. For webinars that captivate and convert, follow these best practices.

Format: Live and pre-recorded

The foundation of any successful webinar is a well-structured agenda. By laying out the agenda early for your audience, you equip them with a clear roadmap — letting them know what to look forward to and increasing the chance they’ll stick around. The agenda only helps attendees align their expectations but also allows them to prepare questions, leading to a richer experience.

Here are a few must-include elements for your agenda:

• Clear objectives
• Thoughtful tone-setting
• Rules, housekeeping, and social hashtags
• Platform tips
• Opportunities to shape the agenda via polls or Q&A
• Speak intros
• Discussion points
• Buffer time for fashionably late attendees

As you can see, the agenda is about much more than listing your webinar’s main points. It sets your whole event up for success.

Format: Live and pre-recorded

Amidst today’s endless digital noise, timely webinar invites and reminders are essential. Keep your event top-of-mind by crafting engaging invitations and strategically timed reminders. Creative subject lines and personalized content will spark curiosity, ensuring your webinar earns its rightful spot on your audience's calendar.

Here’s a quick primer on the different types of invite emails and how to time them:

Of course, receiving an honorable mention is the post-event follow-up email. If your recorded webinar is available on-demand, be sure to share it with attendees.

Format: Live

Boost attendance and retention rates by planning enticing incentives tailored to your audience members’ interests. Whether it's exclusive content, giveaways, or access to industry insights, well-chosen rewards motivate attendees to stay engaged until the final moments. Ending on a high note not only boosts participation, but also increases the perceived value of your webinar. 🙏🏻

Format: Live

Because running a live webinar does come with some increased pressure and risk, let’s make sure the payoff is there for both you as the host and your attendees. With today’s tech, there are a ton of ways to break away from presentation-style webinars to keep your audience involved and engaged. Some of our favorites:

• Chat. Foster ongoing interaction by inviting attendees to share thoughts and questions via chat.
• Polls. Keep a pulse on sentiment and feedback so you can meet your audience where they’re at during the webinar.
• Q&A. Dive deeper into the topics your live audience is curious about.
• Ice-breakers. Kick things off by connecting attendees with a fun activity.
• Virtual event games. Gamify participation to get attendees involved.
• Shout-outs and scoreboards. Recognize attendee achievements in said gamification.
• Booths and rooms. Break out into virtual spaces for more intimate discussion.
• Branding. Ensure your webinar is branded consistently.
• Swag and gifting. A thoughtful gift can provide a tangible connection to your webinar and brand.
• Social media. Encourage attendees to share their experiences with event-specific hashtags.

Format: Live and pre-recorded

The right webinar platform can make your event so much easier, whether it’s live, pre-recorded, or hybrid. Look for a tool that offers:

• Integrations with common CRMs like HubSpot, Marketo, and Salesforce
• Engagement tools like chat, polls, and Q&A
• Comprehensive analytics and insights

With these best practices in your toolkit, your webinars will not only capture attention but also make a lasting impression that sticks with attendees long after the event’s over.

Most of the case studies and best practices we’ve covered have one thing in common: They’re not possible with a stale or glitchy webinar platform. To pull off a polished webinar—live or recorded—you need tech that will help, not hinder.

That’s where Goldcast comes in. Our virtual event platform was built by marketers for marketers, so it comes with all the engagement tools you need to create authentic webinar experiences.

With Goldcast, you also have the ability to easily blend live and pre-recorded elements. Plus, our On-Demand functionality transforms live webinars into evergreen content so your ROI continues to grow.

Finally, since we’re talking ROI, savvy event marketers are doing the absolute most with their webinars using Goldcast Content Lab — our AI-powered video repurposing suite.

To see what the buzz is about, try Content Lab for free or request a demo of Goldcast’s event platform today.