If you're running webinars, you know the drill: registration forms, confirmation emails, reminders, follow-ups, and a lot of repetitive busywork. If you're tired of cobbling these bits together—or just want something that actually works without fuss—this guide is for you. We're going to walk through setting up a practical, reliable workflow using Ortto, a marketing automation platform that actually makes this stuff manageable. No fluff, no “transformative” claims—just what you need to get off the ground.
What You’ll Need
Before you start, make sure you have:
- An Ortto account (obviously)
- Your webinar details (title, date, time, join link, etc.)
- Any integration info for your webinar platform (Zoom, GoToWebinar, etc.)
- A basic idea of what emails you want to send (confirmation, reminders, follow-up)
You don’t need a huge list or a complicated setup. If you’re new to Ortto, stick with the basics. You can always get fancier later.
Step 1: Connect Your Webinar Platform to Ortto
First up, you need Ortto talking to your webinar tool. This means attendees who register will show up where you need them, and you can automate emails without copying lists back and forth.
How to do it
- Go to the Integrations section in Ortto.
- Find your webinar platform (Zoom, GoToWebinar, etc.).
- Follow the prompts to connect your account. This usually means authenticating with your webinar tool and allowing access.
- If your tool isn’t on the list, you might have to use Zapier or a webhook. Not ideal, but doable.
Pro tip: Some integrations only sync one way, or can be a little flaky. Test the connection with a dummy registration before going live.
Step 2: Build Your Webinar Registration Form
Ortto’s form builder isn’t going to win design awards, but it gets the job done. Let’s build a simple, clear registration form.
What matters
- Keep it short—name and email is usually enough. The more fields you add, the more drop-off you’ll get.
- Add a checkbox for consent if you plan to email people later (GDPR and all that).
- Make sure the form connects to the right audience or segment in Ortto.
How to do it
- In Ortto, go to the Forms section and click “Create form.”
- Choose “Registration” or a similar template.
- Add your required fields.
- Set the form to add new contacts to a specific audience or label (e.g., “Webinar - June 2024”).
- Style the form if you want, but keep it functional.
- Publish the form and grab the embed code or direct link.
Ignore: Over-customizing the form or adding “fun” fields—just get people signed up.
Step 3: Set Up Your Webinar Registration Automation
Here’s where the magic (well, automation) happens. You want registrants to get a confirmation email, maybe calendar invite, and be tagged for reminders.
How to do it
- Go to Automation or Journeys in Ortto.
- Start a new journey, triggered by “Form Submitted” or “Added to Audience.”
- Add steps:
- Send confirmation email: Include the webinar date, time, join link, and a calendar file (if possible).
- (Optional) Add to webinar platform: Some integrations let you push registrants directly; if not, export manually.
- Tag or label the contact: Makes it easier to send follow-ups or reminders later.
Honest Take
Ortto’s journey builder is straightforward, but don’t get lost in branching logic or fancy splits at first. Start with a single path for all registrants. You can always personalize more later.
Step 4: Automate Reminder Emails
Webinar no-shows are a fact of life, but reminders help. Automate at least two reminders: one the day before, and one an hour before.
How to do it
- Add delays in your automation: “Wait until 1 day before webinar,” then send a reminder.
- Repeat for “1 hour before.”
- Include the join link, time (with timezone), and what to expect.
- Keep it short and direct—nobody reads a novel before a webinar.
Pro tip: If Ortto supports it, use dynamic fields to pull in the webinar date/time or unique join links. If not, just double-check your manual copy.
Step 5: Automate Follow-Up Tasks After the Webinar
Now’s the time to actually get value from all those registrants—whether it’s sending a thank you, sharing a recording, or moving hot leads to sales.
What’s worth doing
- Send a thank you/follow-up email to everyone who registered. Include the recording, slides, and maybe a feedback survey.
- Segment by attendance, if possible. If your integration lets you see who attended, send slightly different emails to each group (e.g., “Sorry we missed you!” for no-shows).
- Add engaged attendees to a nurture sequence if you have one. Don’t spam them, but keep the conversation going.
- Flag hot leads for sales if you spot them (e.g., people who asked good questions, attended the whole session, etc.).
How to do it
- Extend your Ortto journey to trigger after the webinar ends.
- Use “Wait until after webinar date,” then send follow-ups.
- If your integration supports it, use conditional logic for attendees vs. no-shows; otherwise, just send everyone the same email.
Ignore: Complicated lead scoring or multi-week nurture flows unless you have a lot of experience (or time). Simple wins.
Step 6: Test Everything Before You Go Live
Automation is great—until it isn’t. One missed step and people get the wrong emails (or nothing at all).
- Register yourself with a test email.
- Check every email and reminder comes through at the right time, with the right info.
- Double-check links and calendar files.
- Watch out for time zone confusion—set everything to your audience’s time zone.
Pro tip: If something breaks, it’s almost always a mapping issue between Ortto and your webinar tool, or a trigger that’s too broad/narrow. Keep it simple.
What Works, What Doesn’t, and What to Ignore
What Works: - Ortto’s automations save you real time once set up. - Integrations with Zoom/GoToWebinar are decent, as long as you keep things basic. - Simple, timely reminders and follow-ups actually increase attendance and engagement.
What Doesn’t: - Over-engineering your journey. Every extra condition is another point of failure. - Relying on fancy personalization if your data is messy—just get the basics right first. - Expecting perfect integration—sometimes you’ll have to export/import lists or fix sync issues.
What to Ignore: - “Advanced” analytics and lead scoring unless you’re running big webinars. - Ultra-customized forms or multi-path journeys on your first try. - Piling on extra tools just because you can.
Wrapping Up: Keep It Simple, Iterate as You Go
Webinar automation doesn’t have to be a project from hell. With Ortto, you can get a solid, simple workflow up and running in a few hours. Don’t sweat the fancy stuff—just build the core steps, test them, and tweak as you learn what works for your audience. If you’re stuck, skip the “optimization” and just make sure people can register, get reminders, and hear from you after the event. That’s 90% of the value right there.
Now get out there and automate the boring stuff—your future self will thank you.