Distribution: How people get to your webinar

Distribution involves three methods for directing people to your webinar: direct communication (targeted outreach to known contacts), contextual distribution (timely in-app prompts based on user behavior), and broadcast distribution (scalable channels like websites and social media). While eWebinar provides the destination and entry points for your webinar, you're responsible for driving traffic through these distribution channels to achieve effective attendance.

Once you’ve set up where your webinar lives (your destinations), the next step is getting people there.

This is what distribution is.

Distribution is how you bring people to your webinar.

Unlike destinations, which you control inside eWebinar, distribution happens outside of it.

The three types of distribution

To simplify things, all distribution falls into three categories.

Direct communication: Targeted and controlled

Reaching out to specific people you already know.

Examples:

  • Email campaigns and onboarding sequences
  • Sales outreach
  • Customer success follow-ups
  • Support responses

This is best when:

  • You already have a list of contacts
  • You want to guide specific people to your webinar
  • You’re following up with known leads or users

This is the most controlled and targeted form of distribution.

Contextual distribution: Timely and relevant

Showing your webinar when it’s relevant based on behavior or context.

Examples:

  • In-app prompts tied to user actions
  • Messages triggered by user behavior
  • Links placed inside workflows or product experiences
  • Emails triggered by specific actions

This is best when:

  • Your audience is already inside your product or ecosystem
  • You want to surface the webinar at the right moment
  • You’re supporting onboarding or feature adoption

This is the most seamless and timely form of distribution.

Broadcast distribution: Scalable and wide-reaching

Reaching a broader audience through scalable channels.

Examples:

  • Website traffic (homepage, blog, key pages)
  • Content and SEO
  • Social media
  • Paid ads and retargeting
  • Partnerships and communities

This is best when:

  • You’re trying to reach new audiences
  • You need to generate consistent traffic
  • You’re building a funnel around your webinar

This is the most scalable form of distribution.

How to think about distribution

Each type serves a different role:

  • Direct communication is targeted and personal
  • Contextual distribution is timely and relevant
  • Broadcast distribution is scalable and wide-reaching

Most successful strategies use a combination of these.

Common patterns

Sales & marketing: Traffic generation

  • Heavy use of broadcast distribution to generate traffic
  • Supported by direct communication (sales, follow-up, nurture)
  • Less reliance on contextual distribution

See the Sales & Marketing Playbook →

Training & onboarding: Contextual engagement

  • Heavy use of contextual distribution (in-app, triggered)
  • Supported by direct communication (email sequences, support)
  • Minimal use of broadcast distribution

See the Training & Onboarding Playbook →

What eWebinar does and doesn’t do

eWebinar helps by:

  • Providing destinations (where your webinar lives)
  • Providing entry points (links, widgets, embeds)

But it does not generate traffic for you.

eWebinar provides the entry points. Your role is to drive traffic to them.

A note on distribution channels

There are many different ways to distribute your webinar, far more than can be covered in a single guide.

See the full list of distribution channels →

This list can help you:

  • Identify new channels to try
  • Understand what’s possible
  • Expand beyond the approaches you’re currently using

How distribution works with destinations

Distribution and destinations work together:

  • Distribution brings people
  • Destinations give them somewhere to go

Every distribution channel should point to a specific destination.

See the Destinations Guide →

How distribution affects attendance

Even a well-designed webinar won’t perform without effective distribution.

  • More distribution creates more opportunities for attendance
  • Better targeting leads to higher-quality attendees

Improving attendance often means:

  • Expanding your distribution channels
  • Improving the quality of your traffic

What to do next

If you’re just getting started:

  • Choose one distribution channel
  • Connect it to one destination
  • Measure the results

Then:

  • Add another channel
  • Improve the quality of your traffic