10 Proven Strategies to Increase Virtual Event Attendance

In today’s digital-first world, virtual events are more than just a temporary substitute for in-person gatherings—they’re a powerful tool for building community, sharing knowledge, and growing your brand. But with so many online events competing for attention, how do you ensure people not only register but actually show up?

Whether you’re hosting a webinar, virtual conference, product launch, or online workshop, boosting attendance requires more than just sending out a calendar invite. In this post, we’ll explore 10 effective strategies to increase virtual event attendance—and keep your audience engaged from start to finish.

1. Know Your Audience

Understanding your target audience is the foundation of event success. Tailor your event topic, speakers, and format to address your audience's specific interests, pain points, and goals. Use surveys or past event data to guide your decisions.

💡 Pro Tip: Create attendee personas to help align your content with the audience’s expectations.

2. Create a Compelling Event Title & Description

Your event title is your first chance to make an impression. Make it clear, benefit-driven, and curiosity-piquing. Your description should answer three key questions:

• What is the event about?

• Why should I attend?

• What will I walk away with?

3. Promote Across Multiple Channels

Don't rely on a single channel to drive registrations. Use a mix of:

• Email marketing

• Social media (organic + paid)

• Website pop-ups or banners

• Influencer/partner promotions

• Community forums and groups

📢 Pro Tip: Start promoting at least 2-3 weeks in advance, and ramp up frequency as the event date approaches.

4. Use Early Bird & Limited-Time Offers

Incentivize quick action with early-bird registrations, limited spots, or exclusive bonuses (like a downloadable guide or replay access). This creates urgency and reduces procrastination.

5. Leverage Speakers and Influencers

If you have guest speakers, encourage them to promote the event to their networks. Provide them with ready-to-share graphics and copy. Influencer collaborations can expand your reach exponentially.

6. Send Calendar Invites Automatically

After someone registers, send them an automatic calendar invite (Google, Outlook, etc.). It reduces no-shows by keeping the event top of mind.

📅 Bonus Tip: Send SMS or push notifications 1 hour before the event.

7. Create a Sense of FOMO (Fear of Missing Out)

Promote what attendees will miss if they don’t join live—Q&A with experts, exclusive offers, behind-the-scenes content, or limited-time discounts. Tease these benefits in your promo emails and posts.

8. Make Registration Easy

Don’t make people jump through hoops. A long, complex registration form can hurt conversions. Ask only for essential info and consider enabling one-click sign-ups via LinkedIn or Google.

9. Use Reminder Sequences

Send at least 2-3 reminder emails:

• 1 week before

• 1 day before

• 1 hour before

Make these reminders engaging, include the agenda or a speaker spotlight, and ensure the login/join link is easily accessible.

10. Engage Your Audience Pre-Event

Build anticipation by sending pre-event content:

• A welcome video

• Polls or questions related to the topic

• A sneak peek at the slides or guest speaker intro

Pre-event engagement helps increase commitment and excitement.

Final Thoughts:
Attracting attendees to your virtual event isn’t just about the invite—it’s about creating an experience that starts before the event and continues after. By applying these strategies, you can turn more registrants into enthusiastic, engaged attendees—and ensure your virtual event stands out in a crowded digital world.

Need Help Planning or Promoting Your Virtual Event?
Whether you're just starting out or aiming to scale your online events, we're here to help. Reach out to find out how we can increase registration and guarantee live viewership.

How to Reduce No-Shows for Your Webinars: 9 Strategies That Work

You spent days crafting the perfect webinar: great topic, expert speaker, beautiful slides, and a killer promotion strategy. People registered in droves. But when the day arrives… a disappointing number of attendees actually show up.

Sound familiar?

Webinar no-shows are frustrating—but they're also preventable. On average, only 35–45% of registrants actually attend a free webinar. But with the right strategies, you can push those numbers much higher.

In this post, we’ll walk you through 9 proven ways to reduce webinar no-shows and boost your live attendance rates.

1. Send Timely, Personalized Reminders

People forget. Life gets busy. That’s why reminder emails are your best friend.

Set up an automated reminder sequence:

• 📅 1 week before

• 📅 1 day before

• ⏰ 1 hour before

Make them short, friendly, and include:

• The topic and value of the webinar

• The join link (clearly!)

• A calendar link (if they haven't added it yet)

• Speaker names or teaser content to build excitement

🔥 Bonus: Use the recipient’s name and mention what they’ll gain. Personalization increases open and click rates.

2. Offer an Add-to-Calendar Option

This simple step is often overlooked. Give registrants an easy way to add the webinar to their calendar (Google, Outlook, iCal, etc.) immediately after registration.

🧠 People are more likely to attend what they’ve already scheduled.

3. Create Urgency and FOMO

If attendees believe they can just "watch the replay," many won’t show up live. Shift the mindset with messaging like:

• “Live Q&A with limited time for questions”

• “Exclusive bonuses for live attendees only”

• “Live-only giveaway happening at the end”

🚨 FOMO (Fear of Missing Out) is a powerful motivator.

4. Engage Registrants Before the Webinar

Keep your webinar top-of-mind with pre-event engagement:

• Send a short video from the speaker

• Ask a poll question or survey

• Share a sneak peek of the content or agenda

This builds anticipation and emotional investment.

5. Send SMS Reminders

Email inboxes are crowded. SMS reminders cut through the noise and work well, especially 1 hour before the webinar.

📱 Example SMS: “Hi [Name], your webinar on [Topic] starts in 1 hour! Join us here 👉 [link]”

Just make sure you have consent to text attendees.

6. Optimize Your Timing

Choose a time that fits your audience. Common best practices:

• Midweek (Tuesday–Thursday)

• Late morning or early afternoon in your audience's time zone

Use past attendance data or survey your audience if you’re unsure.

7. Deliver a Stellar Registration Experience

If the registration process feels clunky, people are less likely to commit. Keep the form short, the value clear, and follow up instantly with a confirmation email that sets expectations.

✅ Include: what they’ll learn, the speaker(s), time, and next steps.

8. Make It Feel Exclusive

People value what feels limited. Consider using wording like:

• “Seats are filling up fast”

• “Only 500 spots available”

• “Reserve your place today—space is limited”

Even if your platform can host thousands, this tactic drives urgency and increases commitment.

9. Follow Up with Absentees

Despite your best efforts, some no-shows will happen. But that doesn’t mean they’re lost.

Send a follow-up email with:

• The replay (if available)

• Key takeaways

• A CTA to the next event or offer

This keeps them in your funnel and more likely to attend in the future.

Final Thoughts:
Reducing webinar no-shows isn't about one magic trick—it’s about creating a complete journey that makes your event feel valuable, timely, and unmissable. By combining these strategies, you can significantly increase your attendance rates and get more ROI from every webinar you run.

Need help promoting your webinar?
We help brands promote high-converting webinars that drive results. Contact us to find out how we can increase registration and guarantee live viewership.