How to host a webinar with professional stream overlays

What are webinars and why do  people host them?

A webinar is an online presentation that allows individuals or organizations to share information and interact with an audience using features like video, audio, and chat. It's a convenient way for people to connect and learn from anywhere, without demanding much time from attendees or spending a lot of money. 

A webinar is a very versatile and accessible medium through which businesses and organizations can achieve their goals, including building brand loyalty, generating leads, encouraging direct feedback through polls and Q&A sessions, and even creating reusable marketing material. Webinars are used for educational workshops, product demonstrations, sales presentations, training sessions, panel discussions, and more.

5 tips to make a successful webinar

1. Write a show rundown and script

Remember to plan your webinar well ahead of time. Write a detailed run of show (ROS) outlining the entire livestream process. It can help to prepare a script to keep you on track. Include a compelling hook in your introduction to grab attention. 

2. Plan for disaster

You need a backup plan in case of any technical issues during your event. Be prepared for things like audio/video problems. You should be using a high-speed, stable internet connection, but have a backup plan for what to do if you encounter connectivity issues. Prepare a backup microphone or headset, have backup slides saved on your computer, and print out the run of show and script. It's always a good idea to have a Be Right Back screen ready in case you need to pause the livestream. 

3. Set up good lighting

Lighting plays an important role in webinars. To make sure your room doesn't look too dark, think about getting an LED ring light. Natural light can also work if you make sure to face towards the source of light, and avoid mixing natural light with indoor light since it will produce an unwanted color cast. If you wear glasses, using diffusers or placing the light source a bit further away can help prevent glare. 

4. Be energetic and approachable

Keep your energy level high and try to keep your gaze near the webcam during the webinar to keep your audience interested. Avoid monotony by changing your voice dynamics. Keep a glass of water nearby to stay hydrated. Show your passion for the topics. Avoid jargon and speak as if you’re talking to a friend. Smile more and maintain a friendly expression to create an approachable atmosphere.

5. Use tools to make your webinar more engaging

Use tools to add to the overall production quality of your webinar. Webinars can feel incomplete without music and overlays. Adding music and animated overlays prevents dead air during session transitions, makes your webinar more entertaining, and gives your brand more value. Overlays can also deliver additional information during the webinar that helps people stay engaged.

The benefits of using overlays in live webinars

Using stream overlays during live webinars improves the experience for both presenters and attendees. Here are some of the reasons why:

• Enhanced branding and professionalism: Stream overlays allow you to incorporate your brand’s colors, logos, and fonts, ensuring a consistent and professional look throughout the webinar.
• Increased engagement: Highlight key points, display speaker names, and show real-time reactions.
• Communicate more information: Overlays provide more than improved aesthetics. They display important information such as agenda items, key statistics, or contact details, making it easier for attendees to follow along. Quickly update information or share live feedback to make sure the audience gets the latest and relevant information. Present information in a visually appealing and easy-to-understand way using charts, graphs, and other data visuals.
• Encourage audience interaction: Add polls, Q&A sections, and other interactive features, encouraging the audience to engage with you more.
• Guide people to the next step: Highlight calls-to-action, such as signing up for a newsletter or visiting a website.
• Increase audience retention: Adding some nice overlays to your presentation can grab the audience's attention and make it less likely that they'll tune out during the webinar.
• Promote sponsors: Showcase sponsor logos and messages, providing additional value to sponsors and opening up more sponsorship opportunities.‍
• Create a seamless experience: Overlays help manage transitions between speakers and segments smoothly.

How to run a webinar with integrated overlays

Here's a detailed guide to help you how to create a webinar and incorporate overlays seamlessly into it:

1. Choose the right software

For streaming software, select a reliable streaming software that supports overlays, such as OBS Studio or Ecamm Live. Make sure your webinar platform (Zoom, Microsoft Teams, GoToWebinar, Streamyard, etc.) is compatible with the streaming software you choose.

2. Set up your streaming software

Choose a streaming software that matches your budget and technical capacity. Ecamm Live is compatible with Mac, while vMix is Windows-compatible. OBS Studio is open source, free to use, and is relatively simple to use once you get started. Set up scenes for different segments of your webinar in your streaming software, including introductions, presentations, and Q&A sessions. Add your sources to the streaming software, including cameras, microphones, screen captures, and chatboxes.

Many streaming software options offer a virtual camera feature. Enable this to use the streaming software as a video source in your webinar platform. Follow the instructions for your specific webinar platform to integrate the virtual camera. This typically involves selecting the virtual camera as your video input source.

3. Design your overlays

Incorporate your brand’s colors, logos, and fonts into the overlay design. Create different overlays for various purposes, such as title cards, lower thirds, call-to-action buttons, and interactive elements. You can use graphic design tools like Canva or Photoshop to design your overlays or use uno animated overlays if you don’t want to create them from scratch. Import your overlays into your selected streaming software. Resize and reposition your overlays and sources to create an overlay template.

4. Test your setup

Do a dry run of your webinar to check all overlays and transitions. Make sure everything looks great and works as it should. Check that both audio and video are clear and that overlays aren’t covering important content. If you need to share screens with the audience, make sure they work seamlessly with the overlays.

5. Go live

When you’re ready, begin streaming from your streaming software. Your overlays should now be visible to the audience. Keep an eye on audience engagement and feedback. Adjust the overlays using our browser-based overlay interface if necessary during the live session.

Keep your audience engaged with our overlays

There are several stream overlays from uno you can apply to your webinar. Here are some examples:

• Stream Pack Two/Three Box overlays: Showcase two or three video boxes simultaneously for multiple speakers.
• Lower Thirds: Display names, titles, and key points.
• Talking Points: Display 1-5 topics and highlighting the current topic.
• Bios: Display key details about guest speakers.
• Countdown timers: Shows the time remaining before the webinar starts or during breaks.
• Social Loop Bugs: Display your social media information.
• Sponsor Bugs: Advertise your sponsor logos on the screen.

You can explore uno library for more information, sign up and use our overlays for free. And, if you’re looking for tips on how to host a webinar using our overlays, join our community of innovators on Discord. Elevate your webinar using uno overlays today!