How big the no-show problem is
Published benchmarks differ by method. Livestorm’s 2026 benchmark report, based on more than 33,000 webinar sessions held in 2025, found a 47.7% live show-up rate. ON24 reports a 60% registrant-to-attendee rate for 2025, but that figure counts both live and on-demand viewing.
Either way, a large share of the people who wanted your webinar enough to register never see it. Each one is a lead you already paid to acquire. Use our no-show calculator to put a rupee figure on that for your own funnel.
The reminder cadence that works
Each reminder has a different job. The confirmation proves the registration worked and gets the event into the calendar. The day-before reminder rebuilds intent. The hour-before and ten-minute reminders catch people at the moment they can act.
- Keep reminders short and lead with the time and the link.
- Show the time in the registrant’s own timezone.
- Do not add new offers to reminders; that can also change how Meta categorises a WhatsApp template.
| When | Purpose | What to include |
|---|---|---|
| Immediately | Confirm and calendar | Time in their timezone, add-to-calendar links, join link |
| 1 day before | Rebuild intent | One line on what they will learn, the time, the link |
| 1 hour before | Plan the hour | Short reminder and the link |
| 10 minutes before | Act now | "Starting in 10 minutes" and the link, nothing else |
WhatsApp and email together
Email works well for the confirmation and calendar invite, because people search their inbox for links and calendar apps read it. In India, WhatsApp is where many people see a message within minutes, which matters most for the 1-hour and 10-minute reminders.
Send on both rather than choosing one. On WhatsApp, reminders go out as approved templates and carry Meta fees; webinar reminders are usually approved as utility templates, which cost much less in India than marketing templates. Our WhatsApp pricing guide explains the current rates.
WebinarRun sends the confirmation and the 1-day, 1-hour and 10-minute reminders automatically by email and WhatsApp for every webinar.
Just-in-time and frequent sessions
Livestorm’s data shows nearly half of registrations arrive in the final seven days before an event, including 15.3% on the day itself. The shorter the gap between registering and the start time, the less time interest has to fade.
For automated webinars, offer several slots a day and a "next session" option that starts within minutes. WebinarRun’s evergreen schedules support 1 to 10 visible slots and an optional just-in-time slot that starts at the next 15-minute mark.
Make attending worth it
Reminders work better when the session itself gives a reason to show up live.
- Promise something specific in the title, such as a template, a worked example or a live Q&A.
- Offer a handout or download only to attendees during the session.
- Run Q&A at the end, by chat or voice, so questions get answered live.
- Keep it short. Say how long it runs in every reminder.
Re-invite no-shows
A no-show is not a "no". Most missed because of timing. Send a message soon after the session ends with the next available slot, and a second invite a day or two later. With evergreen schedules there is always a next session to offer.
Track no-shows as their own segment. If someone misses twice, switch to a personal approach such as a short call or a one-to-one AI Session instead of another invite.
AI follow-up after the webinar
Follow-up decides whether attendance turns into revenue. Calling everyone by hand does not scale, and leads go cold within days.
In WebinarRun, with the sales agent on, each registrant can get automatic follow-up of up to 6 AI calls and 5 WhatsApp messages over 21 days. The AI uses what the person did, such as attending, leaving early or asking a question, scores them hot, warm or cold with a reason, and hands interested leads to your team. You can set follow-up per contact to AI, yourself or none.