We spent 40 hours producing a webinar. Topic research, speaker prep, slide design, promotion, execution, follow-up.
The live event went well. 380 attendees. Good engagement. 45 qualified leads.
Then we archived the recording on our resources page and moved on to the next webinar.
Three months later, I looked at our webinar analytics and realized we'd made a massive mistake.
That webinar recording had been viewed 840 times since the live event. But we weren't capturing those viewers as leads. The recording was ungated, sitting on our website, generating zero new contacts.
We'd spent 40 hours creating an asset that generated 45 leads once, when it could have been generating 40+ leads every month for the next year.
I completely rebuilt our webinar strategy around a simple insight: Live webinars are expensive to produce. On-demand promotion lets you amortize that cost over 12+ months of continuous lead generation.
Now, every webinar we produce becomes an evergreen lead generation asset that generates leads for 12-18 months after the live event.
Our on-demand webinar strategy now generates:
- 480+ leads per month (across 12 active on-demand webinars)
- $240K in influenced pipeline annually (just from on-demand views)
- 6-12 months of value from each webinar produced
Same production effort. Completely different promotion strategy.
Here's how we turned one-time webinars into evergreen lead generation engines.
The Evergreen Content Selection Framework
Not every webinar makes a good on-demand asset.
Some topics are timely and lose value quickly. Others are evergreen and stay relevant for years.
The mistake we made: We promoted all webinars equally in on-demand, regardless of whether the topic had lasting value.
Example of time-sensitive content (bad for on-demand):
- "2024 Marketing Trends Predictions"
- "Q4 Product Roadmap Preview"
- "New Feature Announcement"
These topics have value during the live event but lose relevance quickly. Nobody wants to watch "2024 predictions" in mid-2025.
Example of evergreen content (good for on-demand):
- "How to Build a Competitive Intelligence Program From Scratch"
- "The Sales Enablement Framework That Cut Ramp Time by 40%"
- "Proving Marketing ROI to Your CFO: Attribution That Actually Works"
These topics solve timeless problems. They're as relevant 12 months later as they were at the live event.
Our evergreen content selection framework:
Criteria 1: Solves a persistent problem
The topic addresses a challenge that doesn't change year-to-year.
Good: "How to hire your first product marketer" Bad: "Hiring trends in 2024"
Criteria 2: Tactical and actionable
The content provides frameworks, templates, or step-by-step guidance.
Good: "The 7-day product launch checklist we use for every launch" Bad: "Product launch best practices"
Criteria 3: Not tied to specific products or dates
The content doesn't reference "our new feature" or "this quarter's roadmap."
Good: "Building win/loss programs: The interview framework that uncovers real buying factors" Bad: "Our Q3 product updates and what they mean for customers"
Criteria 4: Delivers value without live interaction
The content is structured so someone watching on-demand gets full value without Q&A.
Good: Recorded session includes common questions answered proactively Bad: Session relies heavily on live Q&A for value
The result of applying this framework:
We designate webinars as either:
Tier 1: Evergreen (promote on-demand for 12-18 months)
- 30% of webinars we produce
- Topics that solve persistent problems
- Tactical, actionable content
- High on-demand promotion budget
Tier 2: Semi-Evergreen (promote on-demand for 3-6 months)
- 50% of webinars we produce
- Relevant for medium-term but eventually outdated
- Moderate on-demand promotion budget
Tier 3: Event-Only (no on-demand promotion beyond initial recording share)
- 20% of webinars we produce
- Timely topics, product announcements, quarterly updates
- Recording is available but not actively promoted
This selection focus lets us invest on-demand promotion budget where it drives the most long-term value.
The Gated vs. Ungated Strategy
The second mistake: We originally made all webinar recordings ungated and freely available.
We thought: "The more accessible we make the content, the more people will watch it."
We were wrong.
Ungated recording results:
- Views: High (anyone can watch)
- Lead generation: Zero (we don't capture contact info)
- Qualification: Impossible (we don't know who's watching)
Gated recording results:
- Views: Lower (requires form fill)
- Lead generation: High (every view = new contact)
- Qualification: Possible (we can segment by title, company, engagement)
The ROI comparison:
Webinar A (ungated):
- Views in 6 months: 1,240
- Leads generated: 0
- Qualified opportunities: 0
Webinar B (gated):
- Views in 6 months: 680
- Leads generated: 680
- Qualified opportunities: 34 (5% of views)
Webinar B generated 55% fewer views but 34 qualified opportunities.
Our gated on-demand strategy:
For Tier 1 Evergreen webinars:
Recording is gated behind a simple form:
- Email (required)
- First name (required)
- Last name (required)
- Company (optional but pre-filled based on email domain)
- Job title (optional but helpful for qualification)
After form submission:
- Immediate access to recording
- Automated follow-up sequence (tailored to engagement)
- Flagged for sales if they match ICP and show buying signals
For Tier 2 Semi-Evergreen webinars:
Same gating strategy for first 3 months. After 3 months, we ungate and make freely available (value diminishes, lead quality drops).
For Tier 3 Event-Only webinars:
Sent to attendees ungated. Not actively promoted after that.
The conversion rate question:
Does gating hurt conversion from "click to watch"?
Yes. Gating reduces conversion by ~40%.
But gating increases lead generation by ∞% (from zero to hundreds).
We optimize for qualified leads generated, not views.
I'd rather have 500 gated views (500 leads, 25 qualified opportunities) than 1,000 ungated views (0 leads, 0 opportunities).
The On-Demand Promotion Tactics That Drive Views
Gating the recording is step one. Getting people to the gated landing page is step two.
Our multi-channel on-demand promotion strategy:
Channel 1: Paid ads (60% of on-demand budget)
We run continuous paid ad campaigns promoting our evergreen webinars:
LinkedIn Sponsored Content:
- Target: ICP job titles, company sizes, industries
- Budget: $1,000-1,500 per month per webinar
- Creative: Video clip from the webinar + "Watch the full session"
- Landing page: Gated recording
Google Search ads:
- Target: Keywords related to the problem the webinar solves
- Example: "competitive intelligence framework," "sales enablement best practices"
- Budget: $500-800 per month per webinar
- Landing page: Gated recording with SEO-optimized copy
Retargeting:
- Target: Website visitors who viewed pricing or product pages
- Creative: "Before you buy, watch this: [Webinar Title]"
- Budget: $300 per month
- Landing page: Gated recording
Channel 2: Organic social (20% of effort)
We repurpose webinar content into social posts:
- Pull 10-12 key insights from the webinar
- Create LinkedIn posts with each insight
- Each post links to the full gated recording
- Post 2-3x per week across company and employee accounts
Channel 3: Email nurture sequences (15% of effort)
Every lead who downloads content gets added to a nurture sequence that includes on-demand webinars:
Example nurture sequence:
Email 1 (Day 0): Thanks for downloading [Guide]. Here's the resource.
Email 2 (Day 3): Most people who download that guide also find this helpful: [related on-demand webinar]
Email 3 (Day 7): Quick question—are you currently working on implementing [topic]? This webinar walks through a step-by-step framework.
Channel 4: Blog posts (5% of effort)
We write blog posts on the webinar topic and embed the gated recording:
- 1,500-word blog post covering the topic
- Embed the recording halfway through: "Want to go deeper? Watch the full session here."
- SEO-optimized to rank for problem-related keywords
The promotion timeline:
Month 1-3 (Aggressive promotion):
- $2,500/month in paid ads
- 3-4 social posts per week
- Featured in email nurture sequences
- Blog post published
Month 4-6 (Moderate promotion):
- $1,500/month in paid ads
- 2 social posts per week
- Included in nurture sequences
Month 7-12 (Maintenance promotion):
- $800/month in paid ads
- Occasional social posts
- Nurture sequences only
Month 13+:
- Evaluate performance. If still generating qualified leads, continue at maintenance level.
- If performance drops, retire from active promotion.
The Lead Nurture Integration That Converts On-Demand Viewers
Gating generates leads. But on-demand webinar leads are different from live webinar leads.
Live webinar attendees:
- Showed up at a specific time (higher intent)
- Engaged in real-time (asked questions, chatted)
- Part of a cohort experience
On-demand viewers:
- Watched at their convenience (lower urgency)
- Passive consumption (no interaction)
- Individual experience
Different engagement requires different follow-up.
Our on-demand viewer nurture sequence:
Email 1: Immediate (Upon Form Submission)
Subject: "Your webinar recording: [Title]"
Body:
"Thanks for your interest in [Topic]. Here's your recording: [link]
The key framework we cover: [One-sentence summary]
Also, here are the templates we mention in the session:
- [Template 1]
- [Template 2]
If you have questions while watching, reply to this email. Happy to help.
[Presenter Name]"
Why this works:
- Immediate access (no friction)
- Provides templates mentioned in webinar
- Opens door for questions
Email 2: Day 3
Subject: "Did you get a chance to watch [Topic]?"
Body:
"Quick follow-up on the webinar recording I sent a few days ago.
If you haven't watched it yet, the key takeaway is: [one-sentence insight].
If you did watch it, what questions came up? The most common question we get is '[common question]'—here's our answer: [resource or explanation].
Are you currently working on implementing [topic] at [Company]?
[Presenter Name]"
Why this works:
- Gentle reminder for non-viewers
- Provides value for viewers (common question answered)
- Asks about implementation (gauges buying intent)
Email 3: Day 7 (If High Engagement)
High engagement indicators:
- Watched >60% of recording
- Clicked on templates/resources
- Company matches ICP
Subject: "Quick question about your [topic] strategy"
Body:
"I noticed you watched the full webinar on [Topic]. Based on what we covered, I'm curious—what's your biggest blocker in implementing this at [Company]?
I ask because most teams get stuck at [specific step], and we have a framework that helps. Happy to walk you through it on a quick call if that would be useful.
I'm looking at Tuesday at 2 PM or Thursday at 10 AM. Which works better?"
Why this works:
- Personalized based on behavior (watched full recording)
- Offers specific help (framework for common blocker)
- Specific meeting time options (makes it easy to say yes)
Conversion rate from on-demand viewers:
- Email 1: 100% (everyone gets the recording)
- Email 2: 18% engage (reply or click)
- Email 3: 8% of high-engagement viewers book meetings
Overall: ~6-8% of on-demand viewers become qualified opportunities (vs. 12-15% of live webinar attendees).
Lower conversion rate but higher volume makes on-demand valuable for continuous lead generation.
The Performance Measurement That Optimizes On-Demand ROI
We track different metrics for on-demand than for live webinars.
Live webinar metrics:
- Registrants
- Attendees
- Completion rate
- Qualified leads from live event
On-demand webinar metrics:
- Monthly views (how many people watch the recording each month)
- Cost per view (paid ad spend / views)
- View-to-lead rate (% of viewers who convert to qualified leads)
- Lead quality score (how many become opportunities)
- Lifetime value (total leads generated over the webinar's lifetime)
Our performance dashboard:
Webinar A: "Competitive Intelligence Framework"
- Live event: 340 attendees, 42 qualified leads
- On-demand (12 months): 680 views, 68 qualified leads
- Total qualified leads: 110
- Cost per qualified lead: $145
- Verdict: Top performer, continue active promotion
Webinar B: "Sales Enablement Best Practices"
- Live event: 280 attendees, 34 qualified leads
- On-demand (12 months): 420 views, 38 qualified leads
- Total qualified leads: 72
- Cost per qualified lead: $188
- Verdict: Good performer, maintain moderate promotion
Webinar C: "Product Launch Checklist"
- Live event: 180 attendees, 18 qualified leads
- On-demand (6 months): 140 views, 8 qualified leads
- Total qualified leads: 26
- Cost per qualified lead: $312
- Verdict: Underperformer, reduce promotion budget
The optimization decisions:
For top performers: Increase paid ad budget, create more related content, repurpose into additional formats (blog series, podcast, social clips)
For moderate performers: Maintain current promotion level, test different ad creative to improve conversion
For underperformers: Reduce paid spend, move to organic-only promotion or retire entirely
The ROI calculation:
Production cost: $2,800 (40 hours of team time at $70/hour loaded cost)
Promotion cost (12 months): $18,000 in paid ads
Total investment: $20,800
Leads generated (live + on-demand): 110
Cost per lead: $189
Opportunities created: 17 (15% of leads)
Cost per opportunity: $1,224
Expected revenue: $340K (17 opportunities × 25% win rate × $80K average deal size)
ROI: 1,534% (16.3x return)
This ROI justifies continuous on-demand promotion for 12-18 months.
What Actually Works for On-Demand Webinar Strategy
After building our on-demand webinar engine, here's what works:
Select evergreen topics that solve persistent problems. 30% of webinars have evergreen value. Focus on-demand promotion on these.
Gate recordings to capture leads. Ungated recordings generate views but zero leads. Gate everything.
Promote continuously for 12-18 months. Don't just post the recording and forget it. Paid ads, nurture sequences, social promotion, blog integration.
Nurture on-demand viewers differently than live attendees. Lower urgency, passive consumption. Requires more touches and education-focused content.
Measure lifetime value, not just live event performance. A webinar that generates 40 leads live and 80 on-demand is more valuable than one that generates 60 live and 10 on-demand.
Repurpose into multiple formats. Blog posts, social clips, podcast episodes. More distribution = more lead generation.
Optimize based on cost per qualified lead. Not views. Not registrants. Qualified leads generated per dollar spent.
Before on-demand strategy:
- Webinar value: Live event only (ends after follow-up sequence)
- Leads per webinar: 40-50
- Webinar lifespan: 2 weeks (live event + follow-up)
After on-demand strategy:
- Webinar value: Live event + 12-18 months on-demand
- Leads per webinar: 110-140 (live + on-demand)
- Webinar lifespan: 12-18 months
- Monthly leads from on-demand: 480+ (across 12 active webinars)
We went from treating webinars as one-time events to treating them as evergreen lead generation assets.
The uncomfortable truth: Most companies spend 40 hours producing a webinar, generate 50 leads once, and move on.
They're leaving 60-80 additional leads on the table by not promoting on-demand.
Stop thinking of webinars as events. Start thinking of them as assets that generate leads for 12+ months.
Your webinars are worth more than one live session.