Webinars are a great way to engage with prospects, leads and customers. They are top-notch tools for building authority in a particular field, from product or service presentations to community interactions and field training. However, if the quality of recordings is poor, it can damage a company's reputation and result in a loss of leads. Choosing the best webinar recording software is a go-to strategy to step up your webinar game. So let's delve into the variety of available options and see what the market has to offer.
The Marketing Purpose of Webinars
When everyone goes right, go left! This is some of the best advice marketers can get on their career path. Uniqueness is the key to standing out in a sea of competitors. Nevertheless, it's easier said than done, but one way to set a company apart is by leveraging webinars.
"Webinar" is not just a fancy word for an online seminar. Webinars are excellent marketing tools for an engaging way to reach out to potential customers. They should be in every marketer's toolkit because they serve multiple marketing purposes, such as:
- Lead Generation. Host a webinar to gain leads through registration forms.
- Nurturing Existing Leads. A recorded webinar can turn into an evergreen lead nurturing tool.
- Engagement and Branding. Showcase the company's knowledge and expertise to build a solid relationship with the audience.
- Product or Service Promotion. Use webinars to introduce new products and services, with an in-depth presentation of how they work.
- Customer Retention and Support. Teach customers how to use particular products to get the most positive experience of your brand.
Numbers Have Something to Tell You!
Let's look at a few fresh stats to understand how crucial it is to incorporate webinars in a business strategy.
B2B companies host 61% of all webinars, which underscores their potential for gaining loyal customers. Webinars are rated as a lead generation tactic with a top quality score. Ideally, you combine it with list building software such as ZoomInfo or alternative tools to make sure you have a decent list to market your webinar to.
Studies suggest over 46% of webinar attendees register to improve their skills. The same study shows that online events are expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 23.7% from 2021 to 2028. People view webinars as an effortless way of spreading knowledge and awareness.
There are no particular requirements about themes when deciding to organize a webinar. Everyone can find a unique use case, from small businesses to prominent brands like McDonald's and Amazon.
Meanwhile, the pharmaceutical industry has the lion's share of the average attendance rate among other sectors. According to Livestorm, the industry gets 63% of all registered participants. The lowest rate belongs to the advertising industry, with a 33% attendance rate.
Before we continue with the list of the best software to record webinars, it's essential to understand that not all webinars are born equal. The quality and level of engagement of a webinar depend on two key factors:
- -- Presentation and recording quality. Creating high-quality content is the best way to engage with potential customers and nurture leads. Appearing in front of the audience on behalf of the company is a great responsibility.
- -- The presenter's knowledge and competence. Also, if the webinar host happens to be an influencer in their field, that's a huge plus!
Choose Your Side! 10 Best Webinar Recording Software
Webinars are a powerful marketing tool but they need advanced software and investment to reach company goals.
Today there are many platforms offering various combinations of features to help businesses with their webinars. The best part is that some of them are even free to try! Before picking one, ensure you have a list of must-have features. These might include:
- -- The maximum allowable number of attendees
- -- Video and audio quality
- -- The ease of joining a session
- -- Live streaming options
- -- Mobile support (iOS & Android)
- -- Interactive features like questions, polls, and chat
- -- Webinar recording and playback
So, what is the best software to record webinars? Here are our top 10 favorites to try right now!
Note: The list below is not arranged in any particular order.
#1 Podcastle.ai
Podcastle is an AI-powered podcast recording tool that has impressive features for people interested in webinars. Its remote interview recording tool is available for iOS users and people preferring to record via notebooks.
Recording via Podcastle is several times easier than with any other application. The software's interface is straightforward, and its overall design makes recording and playback as smooth as possible. Users can choose to stream their webinars immediately and invite attendees via a custom link. They are also free to schedule a session by picking the date and time for the call and entering their guests' email addresses. The process is simplified making it easier for everyone to use the tool without effort.
Podcastle stands out as a webinar recording software as it has a multitrack recording feature, which allows users to record each participant's speech separately from the rest. All audio tracks are recorded in locally uncompressed 48kHz WAV audio format, providing listeners with a smooth and pleasant experience. Moreover, once the recording is over, the host can access all the audio tracks separately and edit them right from the website's interface.
Check Podcastle's Audio to Text feature if you need to have your webinar transcriptions on hand. Having ready-to-go transcriptions can be helpful for different purposes, e.g., creating blog posts from webinars or sending the key points to attendees after the live session.
Statistics claim approximately 78% of webinars have 50 or fewer attendees. Starting small to reach bigger results is the wisest strategy a newbie can follow. Although the platform allows up to 10 participants at a time; it's excellent for recording high-quality webinars.
Podcastle is a freemium application, which means it's free to use with advanced features available through paid plans.
#2 Demio
Demio is a webinar platform that's been on the market for some time. The platform is best known for its reliability and straightforward interface.
The best thing about Demio is that it doesn't require any downloads! All a user needs to do is create an account and start hosting live events. The web-based application is designed to provide an excellent experience for both the host and the attendees.
The platform comes with fully customizable domains and branding features that allow businesses to create a unique webinar URL.
Although Demio doesn't have a free trial, it does offer a 14-day money-back guarantee. This way, companies can try out all the features and see if they're satisfied with the platform. Pricing plans start at $34/mo with a 3-hour session limit.
#3 Livestorm
Livestorm is a cloud-based webinar solution that's best known for its scalability and reliability. The platform can be used by small businesses and large enterprises alike. It offers a free plan for up to 10 participants. The paid plans start at $99/mo, with advanced options for enterprises available through custom pricing offers.
Livestorm's most appealing features include polls, questions, and charts that allow hosts to hold interactive sessions with their audience. Add virtual backgrounds or eye-catching media files to make your webinars more visually appealing.
#4 Zoom
The Coronavirus pandemic has been the main driver behind the rapid growth in Zoom's popularity. Over the past two years the platform has gained immense popularity as a reliable tool for hosting online meetings and conferences.
Zoom offers a 40-minute limit on free group calls. The paid plans start at $14.99/mo per host with impressive features such as up to 24 hours of group calls, admin feature controls, and 1GB of MP4 or M4A cloud recordings.
Zoom is available on all devices, and is suitable for quick meetings and brief conferences.
#5 Google Hangouts
One of the most popular products in Google's ecosystem is Hangouts. The platform is a messaging app, but it's also great for hosting webinars and online meetings.
Google Hangouts is free for everyone with a Gmail account. The best feature is that there are no time limits! Everyone can host an online event of any duration and invite up to 30 people to the chat. Hosts can record the sessions and upload the videos directly to their YouTube channels. It will take about 10 seconds to create a simple webinar with Google Hangouts.
#6 Riverside.fm
Riverside is excellent for larger companies, as it comes with features like live streaming to social media platforms, team spaces for creating a work environment between colleagues, and scheduling for live events in advance.
Riverside's best feature is that it integrates with many popular applications like Twitch, Twitter, YouTube, etc.
The platform has a free subscription package with the minimum requirements to host a webinar. The paid plans start at $15/mo with advanced features unlocked.
#7 WebinarJam
Our list of the best software to record webinars would not be complete without WebinarJam. The platform is one of the most popular solutions on the market, and it's renowned as one of the excellent customer service platforms and top-notch features.
WebinarJam comes with a 30-day risk-free money-back guarantee, meaning you can cancel the subscription anytime. The Starter plan is $39/mo, supporting up to 100 attendees. It's also worth mentioning that WebinarJam integrates with Zapier, allowing users to connect it with over 4000 popular applications.
#8 Adobe Connect
Not everyone knows that besides Photoshop and Lightroom, Adobe also has a webinar solution called Adobe Connect. The platform is famous for its reliability, scalability, and advanced features.
Adobe Connect allows users to customize their hosting rooms to match their branding and make a great first impression. Marketers using this platform to organize their webinars can use features like virtual breakout rooms, live Q&A sessions with the audience, and custom branding. Adobe Connect has a free trial period, and the paid plans start at $130/mo.
Adobe Connect is particularly great for larger enterprises, as it allows up to 100 people in each room for a total of 1,000 participants.
#9 GetResponse
Another tool that appears consistently on best webinar recording software lists is GetResponse. The platform is one of the most popular email marketing services on the market, but it's also a go-to tool for webinars.
GetResponse comes with a complete webinar marketing toolkit that helps increase the attendance rate and make each webinar more successful. Marketers can track conversion stats, use engaging email templates, and take advantage of numerous integrations. The platform offers a free trial with the paid plans starting at $15/mo.
GetResponse is an easy-to-use platform for everyone who wants to organize a webinar but has little to no experience in the field.
#10 ezTalks
ezTalks sums up today's list of the best webinar recording software, it doesn't mean it's the least popular solution. The platform is known for its security features and user-friendly interface solutions.
Check their step-by-step guide to hosting a webinar if you're new to this process. ezTalks also offers a free trial for those who want to test the platform before investing.In conclusion, let's again stress the marketing value of webinars as an excellent way to connect with your audience, generate leads, and close deals. Before choosing the best webinar recording software for your business, define your business needs and try out a few solutions to find the one that works for you.
