25 Webinar Statistics [2023]: The Average Attendance Rate For A Webinar - Zippia (2024)

Research Summary. The COVID-19 Pandemic has had many effects on the U.S. workplace. The most noticeable effect is the shift toward online and remote work. With that in mind, it’s no surprise that online workshops, or “webinars,” have become increasingly common. Overall, when it comes to webinars, our extensive research shows that:

  • Webinar Frequency Statistics

    An increase in remote workers has made webinars more accessible and frequent than ever before. This, in turn, has made companies, marketers, and employees notice their value. According to our research:

  • 58% of B2B marketers use webinars for content marketing.

    Though a higher percentage (83%) agree that webinars are effective, in general, despite knowing the effectiveness of webinars, many marketers struggle to market effectively. Only 41% attend the webinars they believe to be effective, and 85% admit that they don’t spend enough time on improving their content marketing programs.

  • 54% of B2B marketers watch webinars at least once a week.

    A number which has increased since the start of the COVID-19 Pandemic, as 67% of marketers now invest more time into webinars.

  • At least 57% of marketers host 50 or more webinars per year.

    And a further 29% host at least 100 webinars per year, making it a regular practice for many marketers. This number will likely increase even more if remote work remains popular, as online methods are becoming the most lucrative way for B2B marketers to acquire new clients.

  • Webinar Effectiveness Statistics

    Of course, no marketing professional would invest in webinars if they weren’t effective. When it comes to lead generation, creating new clients, and earning purchases, webinars are a great choice for B2B and B2C marketers. Here are the facts:

  • 2% and 5% of attendees will make a purchase right after a webinar.

    While these percentages might seem low on the surface, this is only a fraction of all the attendees who either make a purchase later on or become worthwhile leads. Plus, if 250 people attend your webinar, you’ll probably be happy with 12 of them purchasing your product as soon as the event ends.

  • 15% of those who attend a webinar will purchase the product or service.

    That means that if 250 people attended a webinar, at least 37 of them would purchase the product advertised/become clients. That’s an extremely high number compared to the 2% conversion rate for cold calls and the 1% conversion rate for cold emails.

  • Between 20-40% of B2C webinar attendees become qualified leads.

    This makes webinars one of the most effective marketing tactics, more so than inbound marketing, direct mail, email lists, and trade shows.

  • A considerable 73% of B2B webinar attendees become qualified leads.

    This is a huge percentage, amounting to at least 182 leads from a webinar that has 250 attendees. This also means that webinar marketing is one of the most cost-effective choices for B2B marketers.

  • Webinar Benefits Statistics

    Webinars have many benefits for marketers, among which generating leads, clients, and profits are the most crucial. Here are some other major benefits to hosting a webinar, according to our extensive research:

  • 60% of businesses use webinars to create loyal customers.

    This is done by using the webinar to move people through the whole customer lifecycle. And it works, as 73% of B2B webinar attendees become qualified leads, and 20-40% of B2B webinar attendees.

  • 38% of marketers say that webinars provide higher quality lead generation compared to other channels.

    Four in ten marketers agree that webinars are better than the alternatives, despite the fact that the average webinar costs are at least 40% more than direct mail or email list marketing.

  • 48% of B2B buyers consider webinars to be the most valuable form of content for their decision-making.

    That means nearly half of B2B buyers use webinars as they’re make-or-break decisions for whether or not they’re willing to buy a product. That alone makes the webinars an invaluable marketing tool.

  • Webinars receive 47% of their views up to ten days after the initial event.

    With that number at around 24% after 20 days, and 10% views by day 30. Overall, this means that making a webinar available to prospective clients after the initial event is an important way to maximize the number of viewers.

    25 Webinar Statistics [2023]: The Average Attendance Rate For A Webinar - Zippia (1)

  • Webinar Experience Statistics

    Attendees are far more likely to buy products or become new clients if they enjoy their webinar experience. After all, webinars are a showcase of sorts, and a good experience should be part of the package. Here are the facts about the average webinar experience:

  • The most popular length of a webinar is 60 minutes.

    In general, that equates to an average of five to seven minutes for welcomes and introductions, 38-45 minutes to present the information/product, and ten to 15 minutes in the end for a Q&A segment.

  • The average viewing time for webinar attendees is 56 minutes.

    Which explains why having a webinar longer than 60 minutes can be less popular with attendees. In fact, having a webinar that’s up to or over 90 minutes can be a huge detriment.

  • 44% of attendees prefer webinars that are 45 minutes long.

    While another 41% wanted them even shorter, at 30 minutes long, overall, only 10% of attendees actually wanted webinars that were a full 60 minutes long.

  • A considerable 92% of attendees want a Q&A segment at the end of a webinar.

    And given that the average Q&A needs to be at least ten to 15 minutes long to properly address questions, having one can easily take up half of a 30-minute webinar. For that reason, it’s important to factor in the time required for a Q&A before the webinar goes live.

  • On average, 25% of attendees watch webinars using their phones.

    This is another reason why shorter, more mobile-friendly webinars can be ideal for creating more leads.

  • Webinar Registration Statistics

    Due to the potentially expensive nature of business travel, it’s no surprise that companies create business travel policies. Here are some stats related to business travel policies:

  • The average webinar receives almost 260 registrations.

    And with an average attendance rate of 40%, that means only 100-110 of those who register would actually show up to the event.

  • At least 35% of attendees sign up one to seven days before a webinar.

    Therefore, if you wanted to reach at least 150 people attending your webinar, you’d receive at least over 50 of those attendees only a week before the event. In fact, 29% of attendees won’t register until the day of the event.

  • Around 40% of webinar registrations attend the event.

    Hosts shouldn’t be surprised when their registrations are higher than their actual turnout. On average, less than half of those who register will actually attend the webinar.

  • Webinar Optimization Statistics

    Given how useful webinars are for creating new clients, being able to optimize them is important for any marketer. Even something as simple as the day the event takes place can have an effect on attendance. Here are some stats about webinar optimization:

  • At least 57% of webinar registrations come from email.

    In fact, email is four times more effective at acquiring registrations than the next best tool, social media. Without a doubt, investing in email can be a great way to bolster webinar attendance.

  • 49% of B2B buyers will engage with video content prior to making their buying decision.

    In this way, webinars are useful because they provide information in a video format for buyers to view. That’s why so many buyers use webinars to make decisions. [7]

  • 67% of attendees agree that the number #1 factor for a successful webinar is a passionate and engaging presenter.

    While this might put a bit of pressure on the webinar host, it nonetheless underlines the importance of a good presenter. After all, a great presenter is there to sell a product/service, not just give information about it. [2]

  • Wednesday and Thursday are the best days of the week to host a webinar.

    Midweek is generally the best time to host a webinar, as Mondays and Fridays tend to have less attendance. Thursday generally sees at least 25% of attendees show up, while Friday can see as low as 10%.

    Experts theorize this is because employees are still adjusting to getting back to work on Monday while being too distracted with the prospect of going home on Friday.

    25 Webinar Statistics [2023]: The Average Attendance Rate For A Webinar - Zippia (2)

  • 11 AM is the best time to host a webinar, as at least 16% of registrants attend.

    By contrast, only 0.1% of registrants will attend a 7 AM webinar, while only 2.2% will attend a 4 PM. one. Other popular times include 1 PM (12.9%) and 2 PM (14.6%).

  • The pharmaceutical industry has the highest webinar participation rate at 63%.

    Other industries where webinars are popular include SaaS, the internet, consulting, education, and financial services. Meanwhile, the industry with the lowest participation rate is advertising, with only a 33% participation rate. [3]

  • What is the average attendance rate for a webinar?

    The average attendance rate for webinars is around 40%. In general, another 40% of those attendees will stay for the entire event.

    The average webinar receives almost 260 registrations, meaning that between 100-110 of those who register would actually show up to the event, and just over 40 would stay for the entire event.

  • What is the average conversion rate for a webinar?

    The average webinar attendee conversion rate is 55%. When it comes to the conversion rate for generating leads, 73% of B2B webinar attendees become qualified leads, while 20-40% of B2C attendees become leads.

  • Are webinars effective in 2022?

    Yes, webinars are effective in 2022. Since webinars have overtaken every other common form of advertising in cost-effectiveness, they will no doubt remain viable going forward. In fact, when it comes to cost-effectiveness, webinars are more effective than inbound marketing, direct mail, email lists, and trade shows.

  • How is webinar performance measured?

    There are several ways to effectively measure webinar performance. Common metrics include asking questions and giving out surveys. However, there are even more effective methods of measurement. These include:

    1. Lead generation. What percentage of your audience turned into qualified leads?

    2. Customer Engagement. Did your audience ask questions during the Q&A?

    3. Audience Retention. Did your audience stay until the end of the webinar?

    All of these factors will give you a better understanding of how successful your webinar was, especially when you commit to measuring all three of them.

  • What’s the difference between a Zoom meeting and a webinar?

    There’s one major difference between a Zoom meeting and a webinar. During a Zoom meeting, all attendees actively participate in the meeting by being able to screen share, turn on their video and audio, and see other attendees.

    Meanwhile, webinars center around the host and the information they’re sharing, meaning that all other attendees are in “view-only”. Besides a Q&A segment, webinar attendees do not actively engage with the host.

  • Webinars are a highly popular and cost-effective method of B2B and B2C marketing. Overall, 20-40% of B2C attendees will become qualified leads, while a considerable 73% of B2B attendees will. That means webinars are more cost-effective than inbound marketing, direct mail, email lists, and trade shows.

    However, there are still ways marketers can improve. While the average webinar is around 60 minutes, 44% of attendees prefer webinars that are 45 minutes long. Another 41% wanted them even shorter, at 30 minutes long. Plus, 92% of attendees want a Q&A segment at the end of a webinar, and 67% believe an engaging presenter is the most important aspect of the event.

    If these preferences can be achieved, webinars can create thousands of leads. That’s why 83% of U.S. marketers find webinars effective.

  • KoMarketing. “Report: B2B Marketers Finding Content Success in Virtual Spaces.” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • SEJ. “91% of B2B Professionals Say Webinars Are Their Preferred Type of Content.” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • ON24. “All About Digital Engagement and Webinar Marketing.” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • ConvertKit. “Focus on these metrics to improve your webinar conversions.” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • ReadyTalk. “Why Webinars Produce More Qualified Leads [Infographic].” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • Marketing Charts. “How B2B Marketers Are Using Webinars and Plan to Improve Them.” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • Marketing Charts. “B2B buyers have spoken: here’s what they want from your content marketing.” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • Smart Insights. “Webinar response statistics.” Accessed on December 14th, 2021.

  • BrightEdge. “What is the Best Length for a Webinar?” Accessed on December 15th, 2021.

  • YourTarget. “Everything You Need To Know About Webinars.” Accessed on December 15th, 2021.

  • LinkedIn. “Webinars – what they can do for you.” Accessed on December 15th, 2021.

  • ReadyTalk. “Benchmarking Webinar Best Practices: In-Event [Infographic].” Accessed on December 15th, 2021.

  • GoTo. “Introducing the Big Book of Webinar Stats: We Analyzed 250,000 Webinars to Help You Make Yours Better – GoToWebinar.” Accessed on December 16th, 2021.

  • LiveWebinar. “Best time of day and week to host webinars.” Accessed on December 16th, 2021.

  • GoTo. “7 Webinar Scheduling Secrets to Maximize Registrations – GoToWebinar.” Accessed on December 16th, 2021.

  • 25 Webinar Statistics [2023]: The Average Attendance Rate For A Webinar - Zippia (2024)
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