Using polls in webinars: Engage your audience (the right way)

Contents

Introduction

In webinars - engagement is key to success.

Polls are a powerful tool to create interaction - offering real-time insights and feeding an open vibe where the audience suddenly play an important part of the webinar.

This guide explores how to effectively integrate polls into your webinars, ensuring a top experience for attendees and valuable data for you as a host.

What is a poll in a webinar?

A poll is an interactive feature used during webinars to either activate attendees, or gather their opinions or feedback in real-time.

Why use polls in webinars?

Polls serve multiple purposes in webinars. Here are 4 of the key reasons to run polls:

1. Engagement: They break the monotony of a one-way communication, keeping the audience engaged and focused - make them feel part of the webinar!

2. Feedback: Polls give immediate feedback on whether the audience understands you and is interested.

3. Data Collection: Poll results offer insights that you can put into content and bring into product development.

4. Personalization: Tailor the content based on the poll responses. This way you make the webinar relevant to the attendees and keep things crispy.

How to run webinar polls like a top host (3 steps)

This is how you run polls like the best. In 3 steps - before, during, and after the webinar.

1. Pre-Webinar Planning:

   • Identify Goals: Determine what you want to achieve with your polls (e.g., gauge knowledge, collect opinions).

   • Design Questions: Create clear, concise questions relevant to your topic and audience.

2. During the Webinar:

   • Timing: Introduce polls at strategic points to maintain interest and gather pertinent information.

   • Explanation: Briefly explain the purpose of each poll and how to participate.

   • Interaction: Encourage participation by responding to poll results in real-time.

3. Post-Webinar Analysis:

   • Review Results: Analyze the data to understand audience preferences and adjust future strategies.

   • Share Insights: Use poll outcomes in follow-up communications to reinforce key points and build relationships.

The 4 best practices for engaging polls

1. Relevance: Ensure each poll question directly relates to the webinar’s content (and the audience attending).

2. Simplicity: Use simple language. Limit options to avoid overwhelming participants. Only have free text options where you need to.

3. Diversity: Mix question types (multiple choice, free text, rating scales) to maintain interest. More on polls types below.

4. Timing: Every 15 min is typically a good aim to include interaction (as focus dips). This could be launching a poll. Space out your polls to keep energy high, without interrupting the flow.

Two types of polls in Univid

Poll type 1: Multiple choice

The multiple-choice polls in Univid have pre-defined alternatives that the host configures - and the attendees can choose from. The host can always see the results - but can choose to show the results (anonymously) to the attendees, or keep the results hidden for hosts only.

Example of a multiple choice poll in Univid - with results shown

Poll type 2: Free-text poll

The free-text polls in Univid allow the attendees to input their own answers - perfect for collecting more in-depth answers or get some variety. You can also decide to show the answers for the audience, or keep it hidden to use it as a feedback tool. For example: What's the topic we should do our next webinar on? What did you think of today's webinar?

Example of a free-text poll in Univid - with results shown

Try the polls out yourself - by creating a webinar for free below 👇

Conclusion

Polls are a vital component of successful webinars, offering a way to deeper engagement and valuable insights into your target audience.

By planning, executing, and analyzing polls effectively - you can enhance the webinar experience and drive meaningful outcomes for your company and audience.