Webinars vs. webcasts: What's the difference blog
With that, let's unpack all the differences between webinars and webcasts in this blog. Let's look at what constitutes a webcast versus what is an actual webinar. By the end of this guideline and you'll know if you need to host Webcasts or webinars for your particular business goals.
Let's get to it.
In this article in this article, you'll discover:
- What is the difference between webcasts vs webinars?
- What is a Webcast?
- What's a webinar
- Webcasts vs webinars FAQ
- Summary: If you hold a webcast or a webinar? webcast
What's the difference between webinars and webcasts?
Webcasts as well as webinars will help you reach a wider market. The way in which you reach them is where the distinctions are made.
Webcasts employ a than one-to-many approach, that is similar to broadcasts that broadcast live events. They are typically not able in terms of engaging virtual participants however, modern live streaming software permits broadcasters to include interactive features such as polling, live chat or even provide additional layers of security through SSO. Webcasts are a great tool in boosting brand recognition by making it easier for people to know about your business and what you can provide.
As we unpack what webcasts and webinars are and what they are, let's take a look at webcasts vs webinars:
What exactly is a webcast?
A webcast is streaming live or recorded, one-way broadcasting of data for a large number of viewers.
These events help increase the number of events that are held in person so virtual attendees can join regardless of where they are. It's for this reason that webcasts can also be described as live streams.Because webcasts are primarily broadcasts, the attendees can't interact with each other or hosts. host(s). For instance, companies use webcasts for announcing quarterly earnings to prospective and current shareholders.
In contrast to webinars, however, webcasts aren't equipped with features that engage viewers like chat rooms with live chat, polls, screen and file sharing, among others.
In the same way, the emphasis for webcasts differs from the attention on the speaker(s). This means that the presenter must possess exceptional storytelling skills in order to inspire viewers to keep watching the webcast.
When to use a webcast
Make use of webcasts as a way to make the in-person event more welcoming. These are also great to broadcast events such as conferences, announcements for corporate events, or panel discussions.
The goal? Educate, inspire, and/or amuse more people, without physical barriers to attendance.
Webcast audience size
Webcasts attract more viewers as compared to webinars. Webcasts typically include more than a thousand viewers streaming live. It is possible to increase the reach of your live stream by sharing it to social channels like Facebook and embedding it on your website.
What is a webinar?
To give a more formal definition A webinar is gated, interactive online program that focuses on a particular topic that's relevant to a particular audience.
Presenter(s) inform attendees with the webinar platform's features like the sharing of files and screens slide presentations, videos, amongst other tools for multimedia. The audience, on the other hand, can interact among themselves and with the hosts, ask questions, and provide feedback via interactive tools like live chat, Q&A, polls, as well as surveys.
Pro Tip Increase the impact of your webcast by repurposing the content. You can, for instance, make small videos using the information and post them to social media with tools like Create.
When to use webinars?
Make use of webinars both for internal events in addition to engaging external audiences for marketing purposes.
Internal webinars can focus on any topic, including:
- Product demonstration
"'s platform allows us to have the opportunity to organize corporate events that are professional and branded which engage our associates and supplier partners in deeper ways." Peter Strella, Director of Communications & Creative Media Services at Rite Aid
On the flip side, external webinars can cover:
- Inspirational stories
- Educational content
- Customer product demos
- Content on Thought Leadership
Hosting webinars (internal or external) when you'd like to engage with your audience in interactive conversations.
As opposed to webcasts and webinars, webinars can provide privacy and interaction - two features that are crucial in hosting team-building events and nurturing leads by building relationships with them.
Webinar size
Webinars can be small or large events with attendees totaling to hundreds of people up to several thousand.
To add, most webinars are 30-45-minute long sessions that are the most popular time of the day for the attendees. Actually, 40% of viewers prefer 45-minute long sessions with 41% appreciating 30-minute long webinars. Only 10% say they would prefer hours-long webinars.
Whatever duration you pick for your webcast, the goal is to include as much value as you can so attendees can enjoy their time.
Does this material merit my readers' time?
Here are three quick strategies:
- host quizzes
- source attendees' questions before the event to address the attendees' questions during your presentation
- Incentivize the participants (with giveaways, for example)
Webcasts and webinars FAQ
To wrap this up, let's answer some unanswered questions that you be asking yourself:
What is live webcasting?
A live webcast is an electronic broadcast of an event. It could be a virtual event, such as a music festival and town hall meetings or a company announcement. This broadcast is one-way and allows those from across the globe to join you virtually thus helping to grow your audience. By offering a replay to the live stream, sharing through social media platforms, or embedding it on your website, you can further increase the reach of your site. Does webcast work in a single-way?
A webcast is a one-way broadcasting of your event that has the audience tuning in to listen to the speaker(s). Contrary to webinars it isn't particularly dynamic since the focus is on making your content more available and expanding its reach. Do they get to see you during a webinar?
Webinar hosts as well as other attendees can only view the camera when it is on. The same is true for hosts of webinars - participants are only able to see you if activate your camera. In other cases, you may host by sharing your screen, presentation slides and videos. Do I require cameras to participate in the webinar?
You don't need cameras to participate in a webinar. It is possible to join the webinar using your microphone. In this case, your name will display using a placeholder image (specifics depend on the platform hosting the webinar) when you enter the chat box in the course of the webinar.
Wrap up: should you organize a webinar or webcast?
For a quick recap, webinars and webcasts can help companies meet different goals, offer interactions at various levels and need different levels of prep work.
In simple terms, if you're looking to create a community to nurture leads or organize an event that is interactive - whether internal or external - organize webinars.
Webcasts can be the best option if you're looking to expand your reach and increase the number of people who join your conference, event, or festival regardless of where they are around the globe.