The first webinar I tried to promote for a SaaS product I was working with.
We built a beautiful landing page, booked a guest speaker, even rehearsed the demo five times. Then we sent one email—yes, one—to our user base the day before it went live.
Wanna guess how many people showed up?
Twelve.
Twelve people. One of them was the speaker’s cousin.
It was a humbling moment, but it lit a fire under me. Because the product was good, the webinar was valuable, and the only thing missing was a solid email marketing strategy to actually get people in the (virtual) door.
Since then, I’ve promoted dozens of SaaS webinars through email—and let me tell you, it’s a whole process. But if you do it right? It works like a charm. Let’s break it down.
Start With a Tight Audience List
First things first: who you send the email to matters just as much as what you say.
I used to blast emails to our whole list—wrong move. SaaS customers are niche, and so are their problems. Segment your list by:
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Role (developer, marketer, manager)
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Product usage (free vs. premium)
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Industry
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Past engagement (who attended webinars before?)
When we started sending invites to just our “power users” and trial users interested in certain features, our registration rates tripled. You want the topic to hit like, “Oh wow, this is exactly what I’ve been struggling with.”
Build a Drip Sequence, Not Just a One-Off Invite
One email won’t cut it. People need reminders—multiple.
Here’s the sequence I use for every SaaS webinar launch now:
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Teaser email (7-10 days out): “Something big is coming…”
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Launch email (5-7 days out): Includes the topic, date, time, benefits, and a clear CTA to register.
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Reminder email #1 (2-3 days out): “Seats are filling up!” + a quick speaker highlight.
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Reminder email #2 (day of): “Starting soon!” with join link.
And don’t forget:
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Post-webinar follow-up: Send the replay, key takeaways, and a CTA to try the product.
One time I skipped the second reminder and saw a 25% drop in attendance. Lesson learned: people get busy. Remind them.
Make the Subject Line Work Harder Than the Email
If no one opens the email, nothing inside matters.
Subject lines that worked best for me always hit one of three things:
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A clear pain point (e.g., “Struggling to convert free users?”)
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A benefit (e.g., “How to reduce churn in 30 minutes or less”)
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A name drop (e.g., “Live Q&A with our CEO”)
Avoid generic stuff like “Join our webinar” or “You’re invited.” That’s inbox wallpaper.
A/B test a few if you have the volume. Sometimes the smallest tweak can double your open rate.
Nail the Content Inside the Email
Your email needs to answer: What’s in it for me?
Don’t just list the features of the webinar. Focus on outcomes. Like:
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What will they walk away knowing?
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Will they get a free template, playbook, checklist?
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Who’s teaching, and why are they worth listening to?
Use skimmable formatting:
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Quick intro
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Bullet-point takeaways
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Button CTA (not a text link)
When I started adding bullet points like “Learn how [Client A] reduced churn by 22%,” we saw way more clicks. Concrete value always beats vague promises.
Use Countdown Timers and Calendar Links
These two things boosted my attendance rates big time:
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Add-to-calendar buttons (Google, iCal, Outlook)
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Countdown timers in the reminder emails
It sounds small, but it works. One quarter, we went from 41% show-up rate to 63% just by making it easier for people to remember when and where.
Don’t Sleep on the Post-Webinar Email
After it’s over, most folks just send a replay link and call it a day. Huge missed opportunity.
Instead, try this:
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Send a “Thank you” email with a replay AND key takeaways
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Include a soft CTA to book a demo, start a free trial, or download a related guide
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For no-shows, send a separate “Sorry we missed you” email with the replay
Sometimes we got more conversions from the post-webinar follow-up than from the webinar itself. People are busy—it’s all about timing and value.
Final Thoughts
If you’re using webinars as part of your SaaS funnel, email is your best ally. But it’s not just about blasting out a date and hoping people show up. You need the right list, a strong hook, and a smart sequence that guides people from “maybe” to “can’t miss this.”
The first time we used this system for a client in the HR software space, we went from 50 attendees to 450. Same topic. Same speakers. Just better emails.
And hey, you don’t have to do it all at once. Start by building a better launch email, then layer in reminders, segmentation, and follow-ups over time.
