Live Trigger to Action Method
Use live elements in virtual events to drive engagement and attendance
Ann Handley explains that the biggest risk in virtual events is when attendees think they can just watch recordings later. The reality is most people never get around to it. The solution is incorporating live triggers into your virtual event strategy. This means having speakers present in real-time, even if the main presentation is pre-recorded, so they can interact with the audience in chat, respond to what resonated, and create a sense of urgency and shared experience. The pre-recorded content ensures quality while the live interaction creates the psychological trigger that makes people show up in real time rather than procrastinating. This approach works because there is a weird psychology where if you can do something later, you simply never do it.
- If you can watch it later, you never will - create urgency through live elements
- Transparency about pre-recorded content builds trust while live interaction adds value
- Virtual events can be more intimate than in-person because they are truly one-to-one
- The speaker gains valuable real-time feedback from chat interaction during pre-recorded sessions
- Pre-Record Your Core ContentRecord your main presentation or session content in advance to ensure the highest quality delivery, smooth editing, and polished messaging. This removes the risk of technical failures during the live broadcast and lets speakers focus on audience interaction during the event itself.Pro tipBe transparent with your audience that the session is pre-recorded - honesty builds trust and sets proper expectations
- Schedule Live Speaker PresenceHave the speaker appear on camera both at the beginning and end of the session while the pre-recorded content plays in between. The speaker should actively participate in the chat throughout the session, responding to questions, noting what resonates, and building rapport with the audience in real-time.Pro tipThe live bookends are where the real magic happens - the speaker can address what confused or excited the audience because they were watching reactions in real-time
- Build Interactive Engagement TouchpointsIncorporate polls, emoji reactions, chat prompts, and other interactive features throughout the session. Since the speaker cannot see faces like in an in-person event, these digital signals replace the visual feedback loop and help both the speaker and the audience feel connected and engaged.Pro tipEncourage the audience to use exclamation marks, emojis, and clap features as substitutes for the visual feedback speakers normally get from reading a roomWarningDo not treat your virtual event like a copy-paste of your live program - the format must be reimagined for the medium
Ann Handley and the Marketing Profs team developed a hybrid model during the pandemic where most sessions were pre-recorded for quality, but speakers were present live in chat during their sessions. At the beginning, the speaker appeared on camera welcoming attendees and at the end turned cameras back on for Q&A. This transparent approach maintained quality while creating genuine engagement.
Ann Handley developed this approach from her experience producing Marketing Profs events during the pandemic when all events moved virtual. She noticed that when events were 100% recorded with no live component, attendance and engagement plummeted. She found that creating a hybrid model where speakers were present live alongside pre-recorded sessions dramatically changed audience behavior and engagement levels, creating what she calls a pulse in the event experience.