[Rick Retirement Planner]

I run webinars but struggle with low sign-ups, last-minute dropouts, and weak follow-through after the event. I’m over 40 and not very technical, so I’m looking for simple, trustworthy ways to use AI to help—without needing to become a developer.

Specifically, I’d welcome ideas for:

• Before the webinar: better subject lines, landing pages, or personalized invites to increase sign-ups.
• During reminders: smart scheduling, automated, friendly reminders by email or text that reduce no-shows.
• After the webinar: AI-written follow-up emails, summary notes, and ways to encourage attendees to take the next step.

Can you suggest beginner-friendly AI tools or simple step-by-step workflows (no coding) that have worked for you? Short templates for subject lines or reminder messages would be especially helpful. If you tried something that didn’t work, please share that too—what to avoid is useful information.

Thanks — I’m looking forward to practical tips and examples I can try this week.

[Jeff Bullas]

Hook: Want more people to show up (and act) after your webinar? Small changes before, during and after can lift attendance and follow-through fast.

Why this works: AI helps you write sharper invites, segment messages by interest, automate reminders and craft personal follow-ups — without becoming a tech wizard.

What you’ll need

• A webinar platform and calendar invite
• An email or CRM tool that sends sequences
• A simple SMS or messaging service (optional but high impact)
• Access to an AI writing assistant (Chat-style or similar)
• One clear CTA — what you want attendees to do next

Step-by-step playbook

1. Define the attendee promise — one sentence: what will they walk away with?
2. Create a short landing page with the promise, one-sentence bio, date/time, and CTA to register (calendar invite on thank-you page).
3. Use AI to draft a compact email sequence (see prompt below). Send: confirmation, 48-hour reminder, 2-hour reminder, 15-minute SMS.
4. Make a 60-second teaser video and use it in emails and social posts. People respond to short, human clips.
5. Day-of: push a calendar invite, SMS 2 hours before, and a brief message 15 minutes prior with joining link and one-line agenda.
6. Post-webinar: within 24 hours send a personalized summary, recording link, and one clear next step. Use AI to personalize by attendee segment.

Worked example (simple sequence)

• Confirmation (immediate): “Thanks — Add this to your calendar. Top 3 takeaways we’ll cover.”
• 48-hour reminder: one-sentence benefit + teaser video
• 2-hour reminder: joining link + what to bring (questions)
• 15-minute SMS: “Ready? Join here: [link]”
• 24-hour follow-up: recording + 3 action steps + meeting booking CTA

Common mistakes & fixes

• Too many long emails: keep messages short and scannable. Use bullets.
• Generic messaging: segment and personalize one line (job role, pain point).
• No clear next step: always include one CTA and remove distractions.
• Not testing links: test all join links and calendar attachments on mobile and desktop.

Do / Don’t checklist

• Do send a calendar invite immediately
• Do use short video teasers
• Do add SMS reminders for higher show rates
• Don’t spam with long paragraphs
• Don’t assume attendees remember the time zone
• Don’t forget a clear, single CTA post-event

Copy-paste AI prompt (use this to generate your email & SMS sequence)

Prompt: “Create a concise webinar communication sequence for registrants about a 60-minute webinar titled ‘Boost Revenue with Practical AI Tools’. Include: a confirmation email, 48-hour reminder email, 2-hour reminder email, 15-minute SMS, and a 24-hour follow-up email with recording and a single CTA to book a 15-minute consult. Keep each message short, benefit-led, and include suggested subject lines and one-line preview text.”

Action plan (this week)

1. Pick one webinar and write the one-sentence attendee promise.
2. Use the AI prompt above to generate your email/SMS copy.
3. Create a 60-second teaser video and add it to your 48-hour email.
4. Test links and send a confirmation with calendar invite.

Final reminder: Start small. Pick one automation (SMS reminders or AI-written emails), test it this week, measure attendance uplift, then iterate.

[Steve Side Hustler]

Quick win: If you want more people to show up and take the next step, run a single, focused test: combine one short, personal line in your emails with two timed SMS reminders. It’s simple, low-effort, and you’ll learn fast.

1. What you’ll need
   • A webinar platform and calendar invite (test on mobile)
   • An email tool or CRM that can send a short sequence
   • A simple SMS service (or your webinar platform’s SMS feature)
   • An AI writing helper to tighten language — use it to shorten, not replace your voice
   • One clear CTA for after the webinar (book a call, download a checklist)
2. How to do it — step-by-step
   1. Write a one-sentence attendee promise — what they’ll walk away able to do.
   2. Create a short landing page and send an immediate confirmation with a calendar attachment.
   3. Use AI to draft tiny messages: a 1–2 sentence confirmation, a 1-line 48-hour reminder with a 60-second teaser, a 1-line 2-hour reminder, and a 15-minute SMS with the link. Ask the AI to keep tone human and concise.
   4. Segment registrants into two buckets (e.g., role or interest) and personalize one line in emails for each bucket.
   5. Day-of: push the calendar invite again, send SMS 2 hours before, and a quick 15-minute SMS with the join link and one-line agenda.
   6. Within 24 hours: send a short summary, the recording, and one clear CTA. Use AI to create 2–3 sentence personalized follow-ups per segment.
   7. Test every link and calendar file on a phone and laptop before sending.
3. What to expect and how to measure
   • Track registration-to-attendee rate, live engagement (polls/questions), and CTA conversions post-event.
   • Look for a measurable uplift from your baseline after one test — improved show rate, more questions, or higher CTA clicks.
   • If results are flat, tweak one variable at a time (timing, SMS wording, or that one-line personalization) and re-test.

Small action plan for this week

1. Pick one upcoming webinar and write your single-sentence promise.
2. Create the confirmation + calendar and schedule the 48-hour and day-of messages.
3. Record a 60-second teaser and add it to your 48-hour email.
4. Run the test, measure attendee rate and CTA clicks, then tweak one thing next round.

[Becky Budgeter]

Nice callout: I like the focus on one short personal line plus two timed SMS reminders — that’s exactly the low-effort, high-impact test that teaches fast.

Here’s a practical, structured add-on you can run this week so the test gives clear, useful answers.

1. What you’ll need
   • Your webinar platform and a calendar file (check time zone display).
   • An email tool or CRM that can send at least three messages.
   • A simple SMS sender (keep messages under 160 characters).
   • Basic registrant fields to split into 2 segments (role or top interest).
   • One clear post-webinar CTA (book a call, download checklist, or sign up).
2. How to run the test — step-by-step
   1. Write a one-line attendee promise and one short personal sentence that maps to your audience (that line will be the personalization in emails).
   2. Create a tiny landing page and send the confirmation with the calendar file immediately. Confirm the time zone shows clearly.
   3. Set two SMS reminders: 2 hours before and 15 minutes before. Keep each SMS direct and include the join link only.
   4. In emails, place that personal line in the first short sentence. Send a 48-hour email with a 60-second teaser link, and a 2-hour email with “what to bring” (one question to think about).
   5. Split registrants into two buckets (e.g., “leaders” vs “practitioners”) and change only one line per bucket in your 48-hour email — no other edits.
   6. Run the webinar. Use one simple engagement metric live (poll or question count) so you can compare energy between segments.
   7. Within 24 hours send the recording + a one-paragraph summary + one clear CTA. Keep follow-up short and same CTA for both segments.
3. What to expect and how to measure
   • Primary metric: registration-to-attendee rate. Compare overall and by segment.
   • Secondary metrics: poll responses or chat messages (engagement), and CTA clicks in the 24-hour follow-up.
   • Timeline: you’ll see attendance differences immediately; CTA conversions usually show within 48–72 hours.
   • If results are flat, change only one variable in the next test (SMS timing, that one personalization line, or subject line).

Quick checklist before sending:

• Test join links and calendar attachment on phone and desktop.
• Confirm SMS sender name and link shortening (if used) work on mobile.
• Make the CTA obvious and single-minded in every message.

One quick question to help tailor this: do you already split your registrants into two clear groups (role or interest), or would you like a simple way to do that?

[aaron]

Good build: Your two-bucket split with a single personalized line and timed SMS is the right low-lift test. Let’s add a segmentation shortcut, a clean holdout, and a measurement frame so you can prove uplift in days, not months.

Problem: Many teams “personalize” without structure, then can’t tell what drove attendance or follow-through.

Why it matters: Clear segments + a control group turn your webinar into a repeatable acquisition channel with predictable show rates and conversions.

Lesson from the trenches: Keep variables tight. One personalization line, two SMS pings, and a 10–20% no-SMS holdout will give you a clean read on uplift after one event and a stable benchmark after two.

Simple way to split registrants (use this if you’re not already segmenting)

• Add two required fields on registration: (1) “Which best describes you?” with 3–4 roles, (2) “Primary outcome you want from this session?” with 3 options. That’s enough for two segments.
• Auto-tag by first click in the 48-hour email (e.g., “Leaders’ angle” vs “Hands-on tips”). If form data is missing, use the click to infer the segment.
• Fallback rule: if no form tag and no click, default to “Leaders” copy to keep tone high-level and benefits-forward.

Insider upgrades that move numbers

1. Holdout design: Randomly exclude 10–20% of registrants from SMS. Same emails, no SMS. Measure show-rate delta versus the SMS group.
2. Calendar-first execution: Put the join link in the calendar “Location” field and one-line agenda in “Description.” Send an .ics refresh in the 48-hour email so busy people resurface the event.
3. Personal line placement: First sentence, first email paragraph. Keep it under 18 words. One change per segment only.
4. “What to bring” nudge: In the 2-hour email, ask for one question. It raises commitment and live chat volume.

Step-by-step (execute this sequence)

1. Prep: Add the two registration questions. Create two segments: “Leaders” and “Practitioners.” Create a third flag “No-SMS holdout.”
2. Assets: Write one attendee promise, one personal line per segment, a 60-second teaser, and a single CTA (e.g., book a 15-minute consult).
3. Confirmation: Send immediately with calendar file. Subject: benefit-led. Preview: date/time + “calendar attached.”
4. 48-hour email: First sentence = segment line. Include teaser video. Reattach calendar file (acts as a reminder).
5. 2-hour email: Join link + “What to bring: 1 question about [topic].” No fluff.
6. SMS: Two messages for non-holdout group: T–2h and T–15m. 140–160 characters, join link only.
7. Live: Run one poll or prompt one question early. Note responses per segment.
8. 24-hour follow-up: Recording + 2–3 bullet recap + single CTA. Same CTA for both segments.

Metrics to track (keep it tight)

• Show rate: attendees / registrants, overall and by segment.
• SMS uplift: show rate (SMS group) minus show rate (holdout).
• Live engagement: poll response rate or total questions per 100 attendees.
• Follow-through: CTA click rate in the 24-hour email and booked calls within 72 hours.

Common mistakes & fixes

• Mistake: Too many personalization changes. Fix: Change one line only.
• Mistake: SMS that read like ads. Fix: Direct, utility-only copy with the link.
• Mistake: Unclear time zones. Fix: Show city + time zone in emails and calendar.
• Mistake: Broken tokens. Fix: Test with a seed list across both segments and holdout.

Copy-paste AI prompt (build all copy + segments + holdout)

Prompt: “You are a senior lifecycle marketer. Create a concise webinar comms plan for a 60-minute session titled [TITLE] on [DATE/TIME, TIME ZONE]. Segments: (1) Leaders (focus: strategic ROI), (2) Practitioners (focus: step-by-step). Include: subject lines, preview text, and short bodies for: Confirmation, 48-hour email, 2-hour email, two SMS (T–2h and T–15m), and a 24-hour follow-up with one CTA to [CTA]. Personalize only the first sentence of the 48-hour email for each segment. Add a 10–20% ‘No-SMS holdout’ note in the plan. Output: (a) message copy, (b) a CSV-ready table with columns [send_time, channel, segment, subject, preheader, body, characters_or_words]. Keep emails under 100 words and SMS under 160 characters.”

One-week plan

1. Today: Add the two registration questions, set up segments and a 15% no-SMS holdout rule.
2. Tomorrow: Use the prompt above to generate all copy. Record a 60-second teaser. Load assets into your tools.
3. 48 hours before: Send the segmented 48-hour email with the calendar re-attach.
4. Day-of: Send the 2-hour email, the T–2h SMS, then the T–15m SMS. Host the session and run one poll.
5. Next day: Send the 24-hour follow-up with recording and single CTA. Start measuring.
6. End of week: Compare show rates and CTA clicks by segment and versus holdout. Decide whether SMS becomes standard and which segment line won.

Direct answer to your question: If you don’t already split into two groups, use the two-question form + first-click tagging above. It’s enough data to personalize one line and measure real differences without adding complexity.

Your move.

[Author]

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