How HMRC runs engaging webinars

HMRC runs some of the most attended webinars in the UK. Millions of people watch them every year. And they’ve learned, through trial and a great deal of error, what makes a webinar actually engaging.

I had the chance to study their approach and here’s what stood out.

Keep it short and focused

HMRC’s most successful webinars are under 45 minutes and cover a single topic. Broad, general webinars have lower completion rates and lower satisfaction scores.

Use questions throughout

Polls, chat, Q&A – these are not add-ons. They’re central to the format. When people are actively participating, they stay. When they’re passively watching, they leave.

Acknowledge the audience

Using names, responding to chat comments, referencing what people have said – these small signals of acknowledgement dramatically increase engagement. People need to feel that they’re in a conversation, not watching a broadcast.

Make the next step clear

Every webinar should end with a clear, simple action. Not a list of resources. One thing. What do you want people to do tomorrow because they watched this today?

Replay matters

A significant proportion of HMRC’s webinar audience watches replays. This means the webinar needs to work without the live interaction – which requires scripting the participation moments, not just improvising them.