How to Record an Amazing Webinar | Tips and Tricks
If you’re reading this, chances are you have been struck by the anxiety of hosting, creating, or preparing for your online debut. Whether you are an educator looking to host a virtual lesson, a streamer, or a podcast host, the best webinar software is essential to producing a quality project. After all, who wants their video marred by the choppy sound quality and stuttering frame rates of subpar recording software, especially if that video is going to be seen by potentially millions of people?
So what is the secret to recording a fantastic webinar? Before we get to the nitty-gritty, let’s cover a couple of basics about recording a webinar.
What is a Webinar?
Webinars are ubiquitous in remote working environments or companies that need to reach a large audience for training, meetings, or other business-related activities. The definition of a webinar is a seminar hosted online, and a seminar is a conference or meeting for discussion or training. An excellent example is a company onboarding webinar, where new employees are introduced to the company and their job.
Streaming platforms such as YouTube feature thousands of webinars (just think of the TEDTalks and cooking demos alone!). The most successful ones are those recorded with professional webinar software. Even if you only intend to use the recording internally or with a select group, it only makes sense to record your webinar with professional software created just for creators like you.
And if you do want to go viral with your webinar, having top-quality products with professional video and audio is essential. In our technological world, webinars can be optimized and perfected to suit any form of content distribution.
How to Record a Webinar
Recording a webinar is easy to do. You simply install a trusted screen recording software, such as Flashback Pro, on your computer, tablet, or phone and launch the software to capture images of your screen, audio, and webcam video. Usually, webinar software is easily accessible via an icon on your home screen, taskbar, or start menu, depending on your device.
If you are wondering how to record a webinar, it really is that simple.
The only tricky part comes from the tools available, which can make “how to record a webinar” seem more complicated than it is. Thankfully, most screen recording software comes with instructions and easy-to-use controls that can make your life easier when using webinar software.
For more in-depth details, check out one of our other articles here.
Examples of a Webinar
Below are examples of pre-recorded content that is considered a webinar. These benefit from the best webinar software available.
Training Webinar
A high-quality training webinar should have crisp sound so everyone can hear the speaker. The voice should come out clear, and the content being shown from their screen should have proper resolution to better show graphics and diagrams.
In addition, screen recording software should be able to show the speaker’s face from their webcam. Add a human element to artificial and distant communication. People want to relate to a face when they hear a voice.
Ensuring this level of quality is met, information can be readily shared with the audience and minimizes the number of unnecessary questions or “can you repeat that?” moments.
Archived Lessons
Educators know students are more engaged with visual aids. This realization has led to a rise in educators pre-recording lessons for subjects such as math, where physical examples are beneficial. For example, a teacher trying to explain fractions to their students can have a pre-recorded video of them actually showing them the process, giving them a visual reference to emulate and enhance their learning.
Or, if you are a university professor, you can add quality webinars to your website. A psychology professor, as an example, can put videos explaining esoteric and complex concepts through visual aids, helping illustrate an example or concept. Quality screen recording software can make creating that webinar easier, eliminating video editing and recording frustrations.
Why Do You Want a High-Quality Webinar?
Whether you are an educator, content creator, or conference organizer, you will want high-quality webinar software. When someone attends a webinar, even for social reasons, quality and ease of understanding are paramount. If viewers hear consistent static or the video needs better resolution, the webinar will be challenging for your audience to invest their time in.
For example, a poorly recorded educational webinar may be so distracting it takes away from the content. Unclear sound and low-quality graphics may confuse and frustrate viewers, making them less likely to pay attention to the webinar. This leads to inactivity and distraction, as the audience will look for something more interesting to occupy their attention while the webinar buffers or stabilizes itself.
Poor-quality webinars don’t just affect students and educators, however. Content creators, such as live streamers, can lose viewership if the webinar quality is low. Poor sound quality makes for an awful listening experience, and the choppy frame rate associated with inadequate screen recording software is too difficult to stay invested with.
Tips for Creating an Unforgettable Webinar
Now that we know what a webinar is and why it is essential to use high-quality software, we can review some tips for creating your webinar. After all, you’ll want to make the best impression possible with your content, so having that extra edge and superior webinar software can enhance your delivery.
Here are some quick tips, which we will go into further:
- Practice what you are going to say before going live.
- Ensure your graphics, visuals, and other components are working correctly.
- Perform a “mock” webinar to see how it functions in a “live” environment.
- Familiarize yourself with the webinar software.
- Choose an excellent hosting site.
- Have fun!
Practice What You Are Going to Say
This one is self-explanatory but worth repeating: Practice what you are going to say during your webinar. Stumbling over words, long pauses, and “uh” moments detract from your webinar. Your content is pre-recorded. If you don’t like one take, you can do another or a third if the second is not up to par. There is no penalty for trying again.
With the right webinar software, you can splice and remove certain scenes in your webinar as you see fit. Don’t like what you said after a good run? Just omit it with a few clicks and cuts. Good webinar software can edit your audio alongside specific moments in your recording, helping eliminate any unnecessary dialogue or quips that did not land when you played the recording back.
Some things to remember before starting your webinar recording session:
- Write your dialogue down.
- Make sure to weave in keywords (if your video is meant to attract an audience through analytical data.)
- Add a transcript in the webinar description. (This can help alleviate dialect and accent issues.)
- Research similar webinars. Don’t repeat well-known information; bring your viewers something new!
Ensure Your Graphics and Visuals Are Working Properly
A good webinar is one with visuals. Graphs, charts, and even digital drawings can help your audience stay focused and entertained if you create, for instance, an art technique demonstration. Suppose you are an artist creating content with webinar software to show techniques and teach others. You may need help finding the right screen recording software to accommodate the many apps and widgets needed to make your desired medium function. Specific screen recording software does not accommodate certain visual mediums, such as Photoshop, GIMP, or even third-party emulations.
In easily digestible terms, good webinar software accommodates you and your visuals rather than you sacrificing quality for accessibility.
For YouTube content, visual presentation is everything. If your screen recording software is marked with watermarks and has the “2004 era” feel when Fraps was the peak of webinar software, it will come off as unprofessional and amateurish. If that is the style you are going for, then, by all means, go for it — but there is a lot of content to be seen. You want your audience to see your content as the best content out there.
Perform a “Mock” Webinar
Performing a mock webinar helps you practice what you will say and organize your graphics and visuals. It is the penultimate step to publishing your webinar, as it makes sure your audio is clear, your graphics and visuals are present, and your webinar software is working correctly.
Why is this important? Similar to releasing a new product, your content — academic, personal, or professional — only have one first impression, which is twice as necessary if it is your first-ever webinar. A mock webinar lets you work out distracting and possibly embarrassing kinks and hiccups that may occur and delivers the freshest, most professional, and mind-blowing content with the best webinar software available.
Plus, hearing the cadence of your speech or witnessing the speed at which the webinar progresses can help you fine-tune the pacing to ensure it is easy for your audience to understand.
Familiarize Yourself With the Software
No matter which webinar software or screen recording software you use, you want to familiarize yourself with its control panel and functions — especially if you use it for a live webinar. Here are some things to look for in webinar software to better understand what they do and how you can utilize them to create amazing content.
- Mute: This mutes someone in the webinar, including yourself. It can be used effectively during group webinars, as people can mute themselves when they are not talking.
- Stop/Start: This function stops and starts the webinar software. Use this to control when a webinar begins and when it ends.
- Edit Clip: Some software allows you to edit part of a webinar you have recorded. This can be great for continuing the webinar and letting audio play while setting up automatic adjustments during the presentation.
- Show/Hide Webcam: The best webinar software allows you to access your webcam, showing off your face as the webinar begins. This feature is especially effective for YouTube content and seminars, where your face can be in the corner while you talk and explain what is happening during the presentation.
There are many other functions in webinar software, so familiarize yourself with the screen recording software you prefer.
Hosting Your Webinar
The importance of learning how to record a webinar is followed quickly by how to host a webinar. There are several ways to host your webinar, including embedding a YouTube link or the raw MP4 file into your website. You can also send the MP4 directly to your audience, which works well for business onboarding processes. You can just drop the welcome webinar into the new hire’s e-mail!
When looking for somewhere to host your webinar, ensure it has a strong connection and reliable accessibility. You don’t want to lock your webinar to an esoteric site nobody will ever find — especially if you are trying to garner an audience for your product, service, or media presence. There’s a reason people use YouTube more than Vimeo.
Have Fun!
A webinar is meant to be fun, and you should have fun with it. Even business webinars and academic ones need to feel like the person performing it is having a good time. Plus, it is your chance to show off unique and exciting things that are relevant to your audience.
So, go a little wild. Add some fun graphics, work in some zippy edits, clip some fantastic moments, and create something extraordinary.
Another idea is to add a blooper reel at the end of your webinar. Show everyone how much effort you put into the project, and let them see a human side that enhances the content you produce. Invite friends and family to your webinars and make it an unforgettable experience.
Just have fun with it.
Where Can You Learn More?
Flashback Recorders is the premier webinar software provider with several unique gadgets and products to help you create the most fantastic and effective webinar. We also have helpful guides, strategies, and information to help you make the best content for whatever project you have in mind.
You can contact us here and try our webinar software for free.