What is the average attendance rate for a webinar

If you are considering hosting a webinar to promote your business, you may be wondering what the average attendance rate for a webinar is. The answer to this question can vary depending on a number of factors, including the topic of the webinar, the length of the webinar, and the time of day that the webinar is held.

What is the webinar attendance rate?

The webinar attendance rate is a key performance indicator (KPI) that measures the percentage of registrants who attend the webinar, either live or on-demand. This metric essentially tracks how many individuals who registered for the webinar follow through and participate in it.

Typically, the attendance rate for webinars falls within the range of 30% to 50%. Additionally, it's noted that the average conversion rate for webinars hovers around 55%, according to Demand Sage.

This means that if you invite 100 people to your webinar, you can expect anywhere from 30 to 50 people to attend. Of course, there are always exceptions to this rule – some webinars have attendance rates as high as 50 or 60 percent, while others may have attendance rates as low as 15 percent.

What is a GOOD attendance rate?

Attendance rate	Rating
<35%	Needs work
35-40 %	OK
45-55%	Good
55-65%	Great
>65%	Outstanding* (Source: Univid)

Attendance rates in various industries

Below are more specifics on the typical attendance rates observed across various sectors:

Financial services	61 %
Pharmaceutical sector	61%
Consulting services	50%
Marketing webinars	44%
Corporate webinars	65%
Training	45%
Education	31%
Leisure/Hobby	15%

Conversion rates depending on the number of people invited

The general rule is that webinars hosting fewer than 200 participants often see the highest rates of audience conversion. (Demand Sage) As the audience size increases, the conversion rate tends to decline.

For webinars with an audience size ranging from 100 to 199 attendees, the average conversion rate is about 50%. However, this rate significantly decreases as the number of attendees grows. Below are the specific conversion rates observed for webinars with varying attendee numbers:

200 to 299 attendees	19%
300 to 499 attendees	15%
500 to 599 attendess	10%
1000 ore more	6%

What else affects the average attendance rate for a webinar?

#1 Webinar length

The average attention span of an adult is about 20 minutes, so it's no surprise that the average length of a webinar is also about 20 minutes. If your webinar is too long, you run the risk of losing your audience's attention. Conversely, if your webinar is too short, you may not have enough time to cover all the topics you wanted to.

The sweet spot for webinar length is 20-30 minutes. This gives you enough time to cover your topic without boring your audience.

#2 Time of day

The time of day when you host your webinar can also affect attendance. Many people are busiest during the daytime, so they may not be able to attend a webinar that is held during the day. However, people who are night owls may be more likely to attend a webinar that is held in the evening.

The best time to host a webinar is generally between the hours of 12pm and 11pm EST. This allows people from all over the world to attend, regardless of their time zone.

#3 Topic

The topic of your webinar is also important. People are more likely to attend a webinar that is relevant to their interests. For example, if you are a real estate agent, you may want to host a webinar about the home-buying process. Alternatively, if you sell products to pet owners, you may want to host a webinar about choosing the right pet food.

Choosing a relevant topic will help you attract attendees to your webinar. You can read about webinar descriptions in one of our blog posts, and about webinar titles as well.

As you can see, there are a number of factors that can affect the average attendance rate for a webinar. By keeping these factors in mind, you can increase your chances of hosting a successful webinar.

How to boost webinar attendance rates?

As we already know, the average attendance rate for webinars varies across industries, topics, and audience types, but the general benchmark falls between 40% to 50% of registered participants. Several factors can influence this rate, including the webinar's timing, relevance of the topic to the audience, and the effectiveness of the promotional strategy.

However, achieving and surpassing this average is within reach, especially with the advanced functionalities provided by LiveWebinar.

Boosting attendance with LiveWebinar

LiveWebinar is designed to tackle common attendance challenges head-on and give your webinars that much-needed edge. Here's how:

Easy registration

First impressions matter. With LiveWebinar, you can create custom, branded invitations and registration forms that captivate your audience from the get-go. A simple and enticing registration process can increase sign-ups and, subsequently, actual attendance.

#1 Intuitive registration forms

LiveWebinar stands out for its user-friendly approach, particularly highlighted by its easy-to-use, in-built registration forms. These forms are designed to simplify the process of signing up attendees, reducing the hassle and time usually required to get participants onboard.

With customization options that allow you to tailor the forms according to your webinar's needs, LiveWebinar ensures a seamless experience not just for the organizers but for potential attendees as well. Read more here.

#2 Custom landing pages

LiveWebinar excels in offering personalized experiences through its custom landing pages feature. These landing pages serve as the first point of interaction between your webinar and potential attendees, allowing you to craft a unique and welcoming entry point that aligns with your brand. You can easily customize everything from design to content.

#3 One Click Registration Link

This innovative solution eliminates the need to fill out lengthy forms, enabling attendees to sign up for your event with just a single click. Designed with convenience and efficiency in mind, the one-click registration link greatly enhances accessibility and boosts attendance rates. By simplifying the registration process, LiveWebinar makes it easier for people to decide to attend.

#4 Allow only work emails function

This exclusive option ensures that participants register for your webinars using their professional email addresses, thereby maintaining a high standard of attendee quality and relevance to your business-oriented content. It's particularly beneficial for B2B webinars where the goal is to curate a network of industry professionals and foster meaningful business connections.

By filtering registrations to include only work emails, LiveWebinar helps you streamline your audience to those who are most aligned with your event's objectives, ensuring a more focused and engaging experience for all involved. Read more in our article: How to increase the attendance rate at webinars to staggering 68% in just one, simple move?

Effective Reminder System

Reduce no-shows with LiveWebinar's automated email reminder system, ensuring your webinar stays top-of-mind for registered attendees. Customize the frequency and content of these reminders to keep your audience engaged and informed.

LiveWebinar lets you customize email templates and automatically send emails with reminders and confirmations to your attendees. Read more in our article: How to use dynamic content to personalize emails.

Analytics and Feedback

Understand your audience better with LiveWebinar’s analytics. Post-webinar surveys can give you insights into what worked, what didn’t, and how you can improve future attendance rates.

Conclusion: Elevating Your Webinar Attendance

While the average webinar attendance rate might hover around 40% to 50%, this isn't a ceiling. With strategic planning, engaging content, and leveraging the powerful features of LiveWebinar, elevating your webinar attendance is within grasp. Remember, the goal is to not only meet the average but to surpass it, delivering valuable and memorable experiences to your audience every time.

By utilizing LiveWebinar's comprehensive suite of tools and features, organizers can transform their webinar attendance rates from average to exceptional, ensuring that their events stand out in a crowded digital landscape. Set up a free account or choose the best paid plan.