Why Webinars Are Still Winning Business in Renewables

The humble webinar is not out

In a world where it feels like every marketing post is AI-related, here’s a spotlight on a more established tactic. Let’s talk renewable energy webinars. Over the past few months, here at Make the Break, we’ve steadily ramped up our webinar efforts, achieving great success for our clients. Here’s what we’ve learned after years of running live discussions for renewables clients: the humble webinar isn’t just surviving, it’s thriving.

The renewable energy webinar advantage

Here’s the thing about our industry that makes webinars particularly powerful: we’re dealing with complex technical solutions, long sales cycles, and buyers who need to thoroughly understand what they’re investing in before committing millions to a project.

Think about it. When you’re selling a wind turbine monitoring system or offshore foundation design services, you can’t just rely on a glossy brochure and a quick LinkedIn message. Technical buyers in renewables need to see the expertise behind the solution, understand the methodology, and trust the team they’re working with.

This is where webinars shine. They provide that essential middle ground between a cold email and a formal proposal meeting. They let prospects evaluate your expertise without the pressure of a sales pitch.

Why webinars work in our world

Technical complexity demands demonstration. Renewable energy solutions often involve intricate technical processes. A webinar allows you to walk through methodologies, show data analysis, and demonstrate problem-solving in real-time. We’ve seen this work brilliantly with our clients—when Ternan Energy runs their AskTernan sessions, they’re not just answering questions, they’re showcasing their deep technical knowledge across geotechnics and site investigation.

Global teams value accessible expertise. Renewables projects span continents, with stakeholders scattered across time zones. A well-timed webinar can bring together project managers from Copenhagen, investors from New York, and technical experts from Aberdeen in one virtual room.

Regulatory landscape requires ongoing education. The renewables sector faces constant regulatory changes. Planning requirements shift, grid connection rules evolve, and environmental standards update regularly. Webinars provide an efficient way to keep your market informed while positioning your company as the go-to expert on these changes.

The Make the Break webinar method

Over the years, we’ve developed what I call the “fast and light” approach to renewable energy webinars. Here’s how it works:

It’s all in the preparation

Two things make a webinar successful: preparation and promotion. Let’s start with preparation, because this is where most webinars fall apart.

The absolute must-do is running a practice session a few days before going live. Everyone attends, no excuses, using the same technology they’ll use for the real event. This isn’t just about testing microphones and cameras (though that’s crucial). It’s about getting your speakers comfortable with the discussion flow.

We learned this the hard way early on. The enigmatic expert who’s brilliant in person can turn into a business-speak robot when they see that red recording light. The practice session breaks down those barriers.

Signposting vs. scripting 

The speakers are experts in their field. They can talk naturally about their topics. Getting people to read scripted answers is a surefire way to create a boring monologue. Instead, we circulate a shared document with key discussion points the day before.

One thing that helps enormously is to decide in advance who will answer each question first. That small bit of coordination makes the live session run smoothly and prevents awkward silences.

Choose your channel: webinar platform vs. LinkedIn Live

We’ve experimented with various platforms over the years. For the past 12 months, our preferred option has been Livestorm for traditional webinars. It’s genuinely not difficult to navigate, and the user experience is slick.

But here’s where it gets interesting: LinkedIn Live has opened up entirely new audiences for our clients. When Apollo ran their LinkedIn Live sessions, they consistently hit 100+ live viewers, many of whom weren’t on their email lists. The advantage of LinkedIn Live is access to networks beyond your standard marketing reach.

For LinkedIn Live, we use Restream as our streaming platform. You can set up pre-planned screen layouts in advance and toggle through them as content progresses. It’s remarkably easy to create a professional-looking broadcast.

The tactical execution

Format and Guest Speakers. A guest speaker from a known end-user brand alongside your host creates the biggest attendance numbers. We’ve seen this repeatedly. When there’s a recognizable client brand sharing the virtual stage, registration numbers jump significantly.

The format should generate real debate around industry hot topics. This isn’t about showcasing your products; it’s about demonstrating expertise and facilitating valuable discussions.

Choose Your Timing Carefully. Through experience, we’ve learned that timing matters enormously. Attendance at our recent offshore wind webinars, scheduled one week after the London Global Offshore Wind event, was reduced. Clearly, people were still recovering from the main event.

Our completely unscientific but experience-based recommendation: Wednesday or Thursday lunchtimes work best for European renewable energy audiences.

Promotion Strategy: Go Big and Go Late. We’ve analysed sign-up to show-up rates across dozens of webinars. The data shows little benefit from promoting more than 14 days out.

Our approach includes:

• Speaker and team promotion built into the plan
• Social media creative for speakers to share
• Pre-written LinkedIn posts for easy sharing
• Spoon-feeding promotional content to make it effortless for others to support

Maximizing the return: Beyond the live event

One major advantage of renewable energy webinars is that with B2B, the content isn’t today’s news.

Technical discussions about foundation design, fixed vs floating or grid connection challenges remain relevant for months.

We build post-live promotional cycles into every webinar plan:

• Resurface the full recording 2-3 weeks later
• Extract key quotes for LinkedIn content
• Create bite-sized video clips for ongoing promotion
• Develop follow-up content based on audience questions

The Ternan Energy sessions demonstrate this perfectly. Their AskTernan recordings continue generating leads months after the live date, as people discover them through search and social sharing.

Where Webinars Fit in the Bigger BD Picture

Here’s where webinars connect to our broader business development philosophy at Make the Break: they’re not a magic bullet, but they’re a component of building trust and demonstrating expertise.

In renewables, where technical credibility is everything, webinars serve as a middle-of-funnel activity that bridges the gap between initial awareness and serious sales conversations. They allow prospects to evaluate your team’s expertise without the commitment of a formal meeting.

Don’t Be Boring: The Human Element

Adding to all the tactical recommendations, here’s something that can’t be automated or systematized: put the speakers at ease. I’ve seen brilliant technical experts freeze up when they realize they’re being recorded and broadcast.

The solution? Treat it like a conversation, not a presentation. Encourage natural discussion, welcome disagreements, and don’t be afraid of the occasional technical glitch. 

Done is Better Than Perfect

Here’s my final piece of advice: push past the nerves and just do it.

What’s the worst that could happen? No-one turns up… so what?!

The first webinar probably won’t be perfectly attended or flawlessly executed. We see webinar campaigns as a flywheel effect—audiences build over time as the flywheel spins faster.

The companies that started their webinar programs early in 2024 are now seeing the compound benefits: larger audiences, more qualified leads, and stronger industry recognition.

Your Webinar Checklist

Before you launch your first webinar, make sure you have:

Clear topic that addresses genuine industry challenges
Prepared speakers who understand the format
Technology tested in advance (same setup as live event)
Guest speaker from recognizable industry brand
Promotion plan spanning 10-14 days
Post-event content strategy
Clear follow-up process for attendee engagement

Smart renewable energy companies are building engaged audiences through strategic webinar campaigns.

It’s not about the technology. It’s about creating genuine value for your industry while demonstrating the expertise that makes you the obvious choice.