Once upon a Zoom call, webinars were the darling of SaaS and B2B service-based marketing.

Why? Because they offered a near-perfect blend of scale, perceived value, and data capture. You could run one session, collect hundreds of email addresses, and position your brand as a thought leader—all while walking people through your product in a relatively intimate format.

Simply put: it worked beautifully back when attention spans were longer and “free training” still felt exclusive.

But things have changed.

Today’s buyers are busier, savvier, and allergic to anything that feels like a funnel trap. They don’t want to give up 60 minutes of their time just to be “nurtured”. They want quick wins, on-demand access, and content that respects their context.

So… are webinars dead?

No. But traditional webinars? Definitely on life support.

Quick note: webinar ≠ demo call

Let’s clear something up before we go further: webinars and demo calls are not the same thing.

Demo calls are 1:1, personalised, and designed to move people towards a purchase. They typically happen at the bottom of the funnel, when intent is already there.

Webinars, on the other hand, are one-to-many, value-led, and designed to educate, build community, or onboard. They’re better suited for prospects mid-funnel or existing users needing clarity, support, or context.

Treating a webinar like a sales call feels pushy. Expecting a demo to do what a webinar does—especially at the top of the funnel—is a fast way to lose people. Cold or lightly warmed leads aren’t ready for that level of commitment. They don’t want a 1:1 pitch—they want context, clarity, and control.

Why traditional webinars just don’t cut it anymore

Let’s be honest—the classic “60-minute lead-gen webinar” just isn’t pulling its weight anymore.

A few years ago, it was a go-to move in the B2B sector for SaaS products, service providers, consultants or agencies. You’d capture email addresses, establish authority, and deliver a high-perceived-value “masterclass.”

But by 2025, that model is showing cracks:

• Live attendance has dipped below 40% (On24, 2024)

• No-shows are rising, especially from cold traffic

• Fewer people are watching replays

• Even those who do want quick, actionable content—not an hour-long deep dive

• Engagement has tanked—most attendees remain passive

You’re investing hours planning, designing, and promoting these sessions... for ever-diminishing returns.

What’s working better at the top of the funnel

Top-of-funnel audiences no longer want to “register and wait.” They want instant, frictionless value.

What’s working:

• Instant product tours or sandbox demos

• Ungated 2–5 minute videos showing the “aha” moment

• Blog posts with embedded use cases

• Short-form content (LinkedIn, YouTube Shorts, TikTok)

• Co-branded lead magnets or swipe files

• Free tools, calculators, or templates

The top of the funnel isn’t the place for heavy lifts. It’s where you earn trust fast and invite people to take the next step on their terms.

What smart B2B teams are doing instead

Most businesses are still stuck in the old mindset: create gated content, push people to register, and then try to convert them with a pitch-heavy webinar.

But that’s not how modern buyers learn—or buy.

Teaching builds trust. People lean in when you show them how to solve a real problem. They start to see your product as part of their workflow—not because you told them to, but because they experienced it.

Embedding your value in content (not hiding it behind a form) removes friction. It lets people explore on their own terms—on LinkedIn, in blog posts, in short demos, inside the product.

When you teach and embed instead of pitch and gate, your content becomes useful instead of promotional.

How leading brands are rethinking webinar strategy

Smart B2B brands are putting their energy into channels that actually move people:

• Product-led growth – let users explore value immediately

• Community-led education – build loyalty through shared learning

• Co-marketing and ecosystem partnerships – show up where your users already are

Examples:

• Zapier embeds interactive Zaps directly into blog posts—no forms, just immediate value (TenSpeed, 2023)

• Notion fuels over 90% of its growth through authentic community engagement (Decommerce, 2025)

So, are webinars dead?

No, but they’ve evolved.

Webinars still work—but only when they’re used for what they’re great at: educating, warming, and building trust with people who are already curious—but not yet convinced.

In 2025, webinars are a mid-funnel trust-building tool, not a top-of-funnel magnet.

They now work best when they:

• Help users understand how your product fits into their world

• Teach real use cases—not just feature slides

• Position your team as helpful, not salesy

• Show up when buyers are actively researching and evaluating

Beyond the mid-funnel: webinars still deliver

Once you’ve earned attention and built trust, webinars become even more powerful.

Best use cases:

• Interactive product demos – solve real problems, live

• Onboarding deep dives – accelerate time-to-value and reduce churn

• Live Q&As – tackle objections, build transparency

• Feature or upsell education – show what the next tier unlocks

• Partner showcases – share use cases with tools your users already trust

• Community activation – reward and re-engage power users

Golden rule: Lead with value. Show, don’t sell. Help, don’t pitch.

Who I actually run webinars for (spoiler: it’s not cold leads)

I run webinars for:

• Current users who want more confidence

• Engaged leads already in the funnel

• Community members looking to go deeper

• Partners with overlapping audiences

Not strangers who found us yesterday.

At Docue, we started webinars with lead generation in mind. But here’s what happened:

• Our existing users were far more engaged

• Over 50% live attendance

• 42%+ click-through rates on follow-up emails

• Repeat engagement with webinar replays, product features, and resource content

What started as a lead-gen experiment became a loyalty-building engine.

The new webinar formula (what actually works)

Here’s my framework for running webinars that convert:

• Don’t gate replays – make live participation the premium

• Invite your community first – let loyal users spread the word

• Co-host with partners – instant credibility, shared reach

• Use the product live – no slides, no fluff—actual workflows only

• Repurpose every session – chop into onboarding, clips, blog content, emails

• Track post-webinar activity – see who clicked, who upgraded, and who re-engaged

Don’t run webinars to tick a box. Run them to teach, connect, and convert—naturally.