Knowledge Base

Zoom Webinar Preparation Checklist

KB06001477 •871 Views • Updated 31-Mar-2025

Achieve the best Zoom webinar experience for yourself, your co-hosts, panelists, and attendees using this guide.

Contents

At least two weeks before your webinar

  1. Confirm the date, time, title, and description of your webinar.
  2. Confirm the role assignments for all participants: Host, co-hosts, moderators, panelists, or attendees.
  3. Request to borrow or purchase a Zoom webinar license, or confirm your existing license is valid and associated with the Zoom user account you intend to use to schedule the webinar. Find more information about requesting a webinar license in the Webinar License Overview.
    Note: If you plan to use a borrowed webinar license, you may request the loan no more than fourteen days before the scheduled webinar date.
  4. Schedule the webinar in Zoom.
  5. Meet with any co-hosts or panelists to finalize the content and structure of the event. Review the Meeting and Webinar Best Practices and Resources to make sure you have accounted for everything you will need.
  6. Decide whether you need any polling questions.
  7. Decide whether you will require attendees to register. Learn more about webinar registration in the Zoom support article Scheduling a Webinar With Registration.

One week before your webinar

  1. Review the webinar and account settings to confirm they're correct.
  2. Finalize your presentation and add any polling questions.
  3. Review the attendee list and send reminders to download the Zoom desktop client or app before the webinar.
  4. Conduct a tech rehearsal with any co-hosts to get comfortable with Zoom webinar features. See the Zoom support article about webinar practice sessions to learn how to perform an effective rehearsal.

Thirty minutes before your webinar

  1. Use the link provided in your host calendar appointment.
  2. Enable a practice session so that only your co-hosts and panelists may join.
  3. Test everyone's audio and video to confirm every works properly
  4. Review everyone's roles
  5. Set up the webinar tools you'll use during the session.
    1. Chat: Select More at the bottom to select whether to allow attendees to use the chat feature.
    2. Participants: Select More at the bottom to enable panelists to start the video and mute on entry.
    3. Q&A: Select Options at the top to choose whether to allow attendees to enter anonymous questions.
    4. Polls: Select Polls to prepare to launch the poll, if you are conducting one.

Fifteen minutes before your webinar

  1. Run a final audio, video, and content-sharing test with all co-hosts and panelists.
  2. Review your host controls for yourself and with your co-hosts.

Five minutes before your webinar

  1. Mute all the panelists. They will remain muted until it is time to start the presentation.
  2. Click Broadcast to leave practice mode and start the live webinar. Attendees may now join the session and the panelists will be audible and visible to everyone. Attendees will all be muted when joining.
  3. The host or co-host designated as the moderator may welcome the attendees and let them know the webinar will begin soon.

Webinar start time

  1. Start recording (unless you enabled automatic recording).
  2. The host or designated moderator should unmute and start the video.
  3. Begin the presentation with the welcome and housekeeping material.
  4. Confirm that all presenters are ready to be unmuted and that their video is on.
  5. Monitor the Q&A or Chat for questions and concerns from attendees.

After the webinar

  1. Trim the webinar recording.
  2. Send a follow-up email to the attendees. Include any explanation and resources for tasks you'd like to invite them to do next, such as a survey, a discussion forum, further reading, or other activities.

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