{"id":2966,"date":"2017-04-17T10:02:52","date_gmt":"2017-04-17T17:02:52","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/?p=2966"},"modified":"2019-11-15T11:22:40","modified_gmt":"2019-11-15T19:22:40","slug":"3-incredibly-easy-webinar-engagement-tricks-hook-attendees-seconds","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.genesisdigital.co\/blog\/learn\/webinars\/the-5-laws-of-a-successful-webinar-genndi\/law-3-engagement\/3-incredibly-easy-webinar-engagement-tricks-hook-attendees-seconds\/","title":{"rendered":"3 Incredibly Easy Webinar Engagement Tricks that Hook Your Attendees in Seconds"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Earlier in the century, website<\/i> best practices taught us that you have 6 seconds to engage your visitors before they click away.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Well, guess what. Now\u2026. It\u2019s less.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s why\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the most popular video games found in the App Store in recent years have been in the \u201cmatch three\u201d genre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bejeweled Blitz, Dragons, and Candy Crush, for example, have taken (literally<\/b>) billions of dollars in revenue, not just because of their compulsive, slot machine-style mechanics, but because of the short, easily consumable levels.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

They fit in well with our also short attention spans which demand we keep flicking between Facebook, SKYPE, SnapChat, Twitter and, erm\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026what was that other thing…<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Oh, yes\u2026 work.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Which may make one who uses webinars in their business wonder, \u201cExactly how long does a webinar<\/i> host have to engage their<\/i> audience?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A little more than six seconds, thankfully.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

And, given that your audience has registered for your webinar and taken the time to make sure they\u2019re at their computer when your event begins, that suggests a reasonable level of commitment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But DON\u2019T take that for granted. It\u2019s critical you engage your webinar attendees as quickly as possible once you go live.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your audience might be a friendly one, willing to give you some time to prove that your webinar is worth their attention for the next hour (or even two). But you still only have A FEW MINUTES before you\u2019re going to be competing with Cookie Jam!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s why, in the upcoming event about webinar best practices<\/a>, Secret #6 is going to be all about hooking your webinar audience during those opening moments\u2026 and fast.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Here\u2019s a sneak preview of how it\u2019s done\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3 Webinar Audience Engagement Tricks<\/b><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

These engagement tricks have varying degrees of difficulty and some of them will feel unnatural \u2013 even counterintuitive \u2013 but make a point of mixing them into your presentation and you will see an improvement in your stick rates and audience participation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Do<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Trick #1: Don\u2019t rush<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s tempting to jump in and start speaking at double speed like an auctioneer to prove your webinar\u2019s worth, but this can be counter-productive. So, take a breathe and slow down.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You don\u2019t want to give your audience whiplash. Instead, warm them up a little with a relaxed, friendly welcome that gives your viewers a moment to settle in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Trick #2: Set the rules<\/b><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Don\u2019t actually call them \u201crules,\u201d though. No need to make your valued attendees feel like naughty schoolchildren. Make some helpful \u201csuggestions\u201d that will ensure your viewers get the most out of your presentation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Commend everyone for taking the time to show up, for recognizing the value of what you\u2019re going to share, and encourage them to eliminate all distractions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Things like\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n