An evergreen webinar is something you prepare once and then run over and over. When it runs, though, has a real effect on how many registrants actually turn up. That’s why good evergreen webinar software should give you a choice of schedule. This article covers the options in CreateWebinar, what your guests see and how to find times that suit your audience.
Why a set time still matters when everything is automated
It’s tempting to think an automated webinar doesn’t need a schedule at all. The recording is ready, after all. In practice, a specific time works like an appointment. Someone who signs up for Thursday at 7 pm puts it in their calendar and plans the evening around it. “Watch any time”, on the other hand, easily turns into “watch later”, and later often never comes.
There’s a second reason too: reminders only make sense when there’s a moment to remind people about. For the bigger picture, read automated webinars explained.
Three ways to set your schedule
In CreateWebinar you set up your sessions in the Dates step of the final touches, once your webinar has been generated. There are three options.
Fixed days and times
You pick particular weekdays and one or more times, say Tuesdays and Thursdays at noon and at 7 pm. This is the classic setup for an evergreen webinar. Guests get a manageable choice, and the dates feel easy to plan around.
A recurring interval
A new broadcast starts every 15, 30 or 60 minutes, so people who sign up barely have to wait. This works well when visitors usually arrive with a fresh, immediate interest (from an ad or a newsletter link, for example) and the webinar itself is on the shorter side.
A single date
One date and one time. Use it when there’s a genuine occasion, such as launching a new offer or running a promotion with a fixed end date.
Which option suits what
| Option | Works well when… | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| Fixed times | your audience plans ahead, like freelancers or teams | offering too many slots |
| Recurring interval | visitors want to start right away | little time for reminder emails |
| Single date | there’s a real reason for the date | inviting people early enough |
What your guests see
On the sign-up page, guests see the next sessions in their own time zone. You decide how many are shown, anywhere from one to seven.
Local time is especially useful when you invite people across borders. If your webinar runs on Thursdays at 7 pm in Berlin, a guest in London sees 6 pm, and someone in Dublin sees the same. Nobody has to do the maths.
As for how many sessions to show, a rule of thumb helps: enough that almost everyone finds one that fits, few enough that choosing is quick. Three or four is a sensible starting point for many webinars. If you run on an interval, you may want to show fewer, so the list isn’t just a string of times from the same afternoon.
Reminders, calendar entries and switching dates
After signing up and confirming their email address (double opt-in), a guest receives a ticket with a personal access link and a calendar entry as an .ics file. The email sequence then reminds them of their session:
- 24 hours before: “Tomorrow’s the day”
- one hour before: “One hour to go”
- 15 minutes before: “Starting soon”
- at the start: “Curtain up”
If the date no longer suits them, guests can switch to another session themselves, without emailing you or signing up again. Guests who don’t show up can receive “A new date for you”, provided they’ve separately agreed to follow-up emails. You can edit every text; see sign-up pages and email sequence.
With very short-notice sessions, such as a 15-minute interval, there’s naturally little room for reminders. In that case the ticket email with the access link is the one that counts, so make sure its subject line says clearly what it’s about.
Picking good times
No single time works best for every webinar. A few rules of thumb will help you get started, though:
- Think about your audience’s day. People in office jobs often have some breathing room at lunchtime or early afternoon. Freelancers and founders are frequently easier to reach in the evening.
- Offer two different times of day, for example one around lunch and one in the evening, so you catch both groups.
- Avoid slots that tend to be busy, such as Monday morning or late Friday afternoon. Treat this as a guideline, not a law.
- Factor in the length. A 45 to 60-minute webinar fits a lunch break less comfortably than a 15 to 20-minute one. More on that in how long should a webinar be.
- Review after a few weeks. Your insights show how many registrants actually attended. If attendance is low, try another time of day.
Say you run a course for photographers who shoot during the day. A weekday evening is a good first try, perhaps with a Sunday morning slot alongside it. After a few weeks you’ll know more.
Your plan’s limits
How many webinars can be online at the same time depends on your plan: up to 5 on the Self-Directed Perpetual Licence and up to 15 on the Self-Directed Subscription. Sign-ups have a monthly limit of 500 on the perpetual licence and 3,000 on the subscription. Your sign-up page still accepts up to 20% more than that, then shows “fully booked” until the end of the month. If you offer lots of sessions and expect heavy traffic, keep these numbers in mind.
Frequently asked questions
Can I offer several times on the same day?
Yes. With fixed times you choose the weekdays and one or more times of day.
Which time zone do guests see?
Their own. You set the schedule once, and the sign-up page converts it to each guest’s local time.
Can guests change their session?
Yes. If a date no longer works, guests can switch to another one themselves. Unsubscribing takes a single click.
How many upcoming sessions do guests see?
You choose whether they see the next one to seven sessions.
Good session times aren’t luck, but they aren’t rocket science either. Start with two or three sensible slots and let the numbers guide you from there. To see what happens after sign-up, visit the schedule and stage page, or follow the whole journey from link to first broadcast on how it works.
