Yo yo yo team, just cooked up an off-the-script YouTube video earlier.
Like the title says…
I've genuinely think I have made more mistakes when it comes to webinars than most people have ever even tried.
I’m not gonna say I get everything right the first time and that I have some crazy miders touch.
Nobody wants to be the guy who fucks up but regardless...
I've learned SO much from these disasters, probably more than I have from what went well, that I can now spot potential webinar catastrophes from a mile away.
Whenever I do consulting with anyone, I can spot the gaps before anyone else.
Things they didn’t even know were going to be there.
Whether that be in the copy, the tech or anything - simply just because I have done it so many god damn times.
Today, I want to share 7 of the biggest cock-ups I've made so you don't have to learn these lessons the expensive way like I did.
Mistake #1: Assume The Presenter Can’t Present
This one's mainly for the copywriters and growth operators reading this who are offering webinars as a service, but the offer owners need to hear it, too.
I used to get this wrong because I've watched so many webinars and written so many scripts, I have this perfect image in my head of how a webinar should be presented, but I always forget that others don’t
I watch Fladlien everyday presenting while I’m having my steak and eggs/
I watch Hormozi do it.
I watch Will Riveria do it.
I know what good looks like.
The problem is that I used to assume every client could present like these legends, even if it was their first webinar.
Unsurprisingly, I was wrong.
Presenting is a skill.
And the presenter makes a MASSIVE difference to whether your webinar converts like butter going through a hot knife or falls flat on its arse.
I used to write scripts assuming the client would deliver them with perfect tonality, timing, and pacing.
Then I'd watch them stumble through the presentation like they were reading a shopping list.
Again, my fault for not putting the proper processes in place to ensure this didn’t happen.
The Solution:
Demo runs.
Real ones.
Not some half-arsed Google Meets call.
I'm talking WebinarJam demo room, full tech setup, the full nine yards.
If they can't say every word effortlessly, change it.
Send them the script, get them to approve that.
Send them the slides, get them to approve that.
Do a demo run with them, make sure everything is all gucci on that side of things.
Because if you fuck up one slide, it throws your whole rhythm off.
You start panicking and looking at how many people are watching and you lose your flow.
I’m not saying EVERY SINGLE SLIDE needs to be delivered perfectly, but do what is necessary beforehand to make sure you give yourself the best chance of it going well.
Mistake #2: Not Testing Your Tech
Ryan Clogg said something when he was talking to Eddie Maalouf about why doing something like a webby or a challenge scares him.
And he did make a fair point.
You could put together this incredible campaign, run the ads, build the funnels, write slides, make content, do the emails, do all the planning…
Just for your mic not to work or for your internet to cut out.
So this is a funny one,
Ages ago (and I'm still embarrassed about this), I accidentally sent the presenter link into the pre-webinar WhatsApp group.
For like half a second, I swear I deleted it literally straight away.
But someone grabbed it and started joining as the host, deleting slides, causing absolute chaos.
Awful.
We still made £40-50k on that webinar (which shows how powerful webinars are even when everything goes tits up), but it was a nightmare.
So, test everything.
Your tech, your emails, your automations, your CRM, your landing page.
Because when it's a revenue event and something catches you off guard, all that effort goes to complete waste.
Mistake #3: Not Managing The Chat (It Can Make Or Break You)
The chat is either your best friend or your worst enemy.
If you're doing B2C webinars with organic or paid traffic, the chat can be like the Wild West.
What's stopping a competitor from signing up and sabotaging your chat?
What's stopping an unhappy customer from talking shit?
Nothing.
I used to just leave the chat on throughout the entire presentation and not manage it properly, but I found out pretty early on in this game that that wasn’t gonna work.
The chat creates a massive herd effect.
If people are saying "this is amazing," "I get this," "brilliant," then others follow.
But if someone posts one negative comment, it can defer someone from booking a call or buying - that's potentially £3-5k lost from one message.
Know when to turn the chat on and off.
Turn it off for important sections, on for Q&As, off for the pitch.
And for fuck's sake, get a moderator.
You need someone who can mute people, kick them if necessary, or delete toxic comments.
Mistake #4: Not Knowing Your Audience
We did a webinar for a TikTok shop offer with my mate Marcus.
The stats were phenomenal - 200+ people in the room, and when we pitched a high-ticket offer, 200 out of 230 people applied to book a meeting.
Sounds amazing, right?
But when they filled out the application form, literally everyone said they had less than £500.
If we'd just sold a £497 course instead of trying to book high-ticket calls, and even if only 10 of them converted, that's nearly £5k right there.
We still ended up doing £30 grand but still, could have had a downsell ready.
Know your audience. Know what they actually want and need.
Some people don't need a £3k program - they just want to get started.
You can always upsell them later after they buy.
Mistake #5: Rushing The Campaign
Because webinars are revenue events, there's always pressure to get them out quickly.
I've had clients come to me saying "we want to do one next week" and somehow we make it happen.
But I can tell you from experience - when you rush, you miss details.
When you take time to create a phenomenal presentation, get the messaging right, ensure all your tech works, and get the presenter properly prepared, it performs SO much better.
Yes, you can bootstrap a webinar.
But give it the love it deserves.
Don't take the piss with it.
Mistake #6 & 7: The Emotion Problem
These two are linked, and it's something I see with newer offer owners especially.
If you're not already doing £30-50k per month consistently with a call funnel or IG profile funnel, whatever you choose, putting all your emotional eggs in the webinar basket is dangerous.
Webinars create this massive emotional roller coaster.
You put so much time and effort into this revenue event, and then the day after feels like a webinar hangover.
When you attach too much meaning to one webinar, it can get overwhelming.
It's like Maslow's hierarchy of needs.
You can't reach self-actualisation (webinars) if you haven't got food and shelter (consistent leads and clients).
Get to £30-50k per month with a solid foundation first.
Then use webinars as a tool to add leverage, not as a Hail Mary to save your business.
The Bottom Line
These mistakes cost me and my clients tens of thousands of pounds in potential revenue.
But they also taught me what NOT to do.
If you want to avoid these mistakes because you do this week in, week out like we do, and you have systems that just fucking work across markets, ICPs, and traffic sources...
Whether you're an offer owner, copywriter, or growth operator, we offer done-for-you services (£50k in 90 days or you don't pay), consulting services, or whatever you need with webinars.
Feel free to reach out on Instagram, or book a meeting and we can talk about how we can potentially help.
Hope this saves you from making the same expensive mistakes I did.
Love you lots,
Charlie McCormack | The Webinar Wizard
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/charliemccormack._/
Work With My Agency:
https://www.webinar-wizards.com/
Book A Meeting: https://calendly.com/charlie-mccormack-ww/discovery-call