How to Research Popular Webinar Topics

How to Research Popular Webinar Topics: A Complete Guide for Maximum Engagement

Creating a successful webinar starts with one crucial step: choosing the right topic. But how do you know what your audience actually wants to hear? (Hint: It’s not just guessing.) Whether you’re a seasoned marketer or a newbie webinar host, researching popular webinar topics can make or break your event’s success. Let’s dive into actionable strategies to uncover topics that resonate, engage, and convert.

Why Researching Webinar Topics Matters

Let’s be honest—hosting a webinar without audience interest is like throwing a party no one shows up to. Researching topics ensures your content aligns with your audience’s needs, challenges, and curiosity. It’s not just about attracting attendees; it’s about delivering value that keeps them engaged and drives action.

Step 1: Understand Your Audience

Before you can pick the perfect topic, you need to know who you’re speaking to. Who is your ideal attendee? What keeps them up at night? What are their goals, challenges, and pain points?

• Create Buyer Personas: Develop detailed profiles of your target audience. Include demographics, job roles, interests, and pain points.
• Analyze Existing Data: Look at past webinars, surveys, or customer feedback. What questions do they frequently ask?
• Engage on Social Media: Join industry groups, forums, or LinkedIn discussions. What topics are people talking about?

Step 2: Leverage Industry Trends

Staying ahead of trends positions you as a thought leader and ensures your content is relevant.

• Follow Industry Blogs and News: What are the hot topics in your niche?
• Monitor Competitors: What webinars are your competitors hosting? (No need to copy—just get inspired!)
• Use Tools Like Google Trends: Identify rising search topics in your industry.

Step 3: Mine Online Communities

Online communities are goldmines for uncovering audience interests.

• Reddit and Quora: Search for threads related to your niche. What questions are people asking?
• Facebook Groups: Join groups where your audience hangs out. What challenges are they discussing?
• LinkedIn Polls: Run quick polls to gauge interest in potential topics.

Step 4: Analyze Search Data

Search engines are treasure troves of insight into what people are actively looking for.

• Keyword Research: Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to find keywords related to your niche. Look for high search volume and low competition.
• FAQs and Featured Snippets: What questions are Google and Bing answering with featured snippets? These are likely popular topics.
• YouTube Search Suggestions: Type a keyword into YouTube and see what autocomplete suggests.

Step 5: Survey Your Audience

Want to know what your audience wants? Just ask them!

• Email Surveys: Send a quick survey to your email list with potential topic ideas.
• Social Media Polls: Use Instagram Stories or Twitter polls to gather feedback.
• Post-Event Feedback: If you’ve hosted webinars before, analyze attendee feedback for topic suggestions.

Step 6: Test and Iterate

Not every topic will be a hit—and that’s okay. Testing different topics helps you refine your strategy.

• A/B Test Titles: Run ads or emails with different webinar titles to see which gets more clicks.
• Host Short Formats: Use live Q&A sessions or mini-webinars to test topic interest.
• Track Engagement Metrics: Analyze attendance rates, watch time, and Q&A participation to gauge topic success.

Real-World Example: How a SaaS Company Nailed Its Webinar Topic

Imagine you’re a SaaS company targeting small business owners. Your initial topic idea is “How to Optimize Your Website for SEO.” Sounds good, right? But after surveying your audience, you discover their biggest pain point is time management.

So, you pivot to “Time-Saving SEO Hacks for Busy Entrepreneurs.” The result? A 30% increase in registrations and a 20% higher conversion rate. The lesson? Research pays off.

Tools to Simplify Your Research

Feeling overwhelmed? These tools can streamline your process:

• Google Trends: Spot trending topics in real time.
• AnswerThePublic: Visualize questions people are asking around a keyword.
• BuzzSumo: Discover popular content in your niche.
• SurveyMonkey: Create and distribute audience surveys quickly.

The Importance of a Compelling Offer

Even the best topic won’t convert without a strong offer. (Psst—this is where our Webinar Offer Builder tool comes in handy.) Pair your topic with a high-value offer, bonus, or guarantee to make it irresistible.

• Bonus Brainstormer: Use our tool to generate bonuses that amplify your offer’s value.
• Risk-Reversal Guarantee: Make it easy for attendees to say yes by removing risk.

Final Thoughts

Researching popular webinar topics isn’t just a one-time task—it’s an ongoing process. By staying attuned to your audience’s needs and industry trends, you’ll consistently create webinars that captivate and convert.

So, what’s your next webinar topic going to be? Start researching, testing, and iterating. Your audience (and your conversion rates) will thank you.