Webinars Best Practices
Quarterly webinars that educate employers, generate leads, and accelerate payroll sales.
Webinars for Driving Top-of-Funnel Payroll Sales
A guide for Check partners on planning, promoting, and executing high-impact payroll webinars.
Why Webinars Matter in a Payroll GTM Motion
Webinars are one of the most effective top-of-funnel channels for educating employers, building trust, and generating qualified leads. For partners launching or scaling a payroll product, webinars help you:
- Showcase thought leadership on payroll challenges and modern solutions
- Warm up prospects at scale before a sales conversation
- Highlight time and cost savings compared to traditional payroll services
- Drive conversions through compelling demos and limited-time webinar offers
- Create reusable content assets for sales follow-ups, website landing pages, and email nurture flows
We recommend that every partner hosts a payroll webinar once per quarter to maintain a predictable pipeline of interested employers.
Choosing the Right Webinar Type: General vs. Competitor-Specific
1. General Payroll Education Webinars
These focus on broad employer problems, such as:
- Hidden fees from large payroll companies
- Time-tracking and payroll errors
- Slow and rigid payroll processing
- Poor customer support
- Complexity of running payroll
Why they work:
- Appeal to any employer, regardless of their current system
- Establish your brand as a helpful, neutral educator
- Great for early-stage GTM motions and broad list building
2. Competitor-Specific Webinars
These compare your payroll product to a major payroll provider, such as ADP, Gusto, Paychex, or QuickBooks.
You can use the attached example presentations as structural guides:
- Partner vs. ADP
- Partner vs. Gusto
- Partner vs. Paychex
- Partner vs. QuickBooks
Why they work:
- Attract employers actively frustrated with or reconsidering their current provider
- Provide strong buying intent signals
- Give your sales team clear talking points about switching benefits
- Position your payroll product as the “simpler, more affordable” alternative
Recommendation:
Use a mix of both types across the year:
- 2 general webinars
- 2 competitor-specific webinars (rotating among ADP, Gusto, Paychex, QBO)
Recommended Webinar Structure
Based on consistent patterns across all four attached decks, here is the proven framework:
1. Introductions & Agenda (1–2 minutes)
Set expectations for what attendees will learn.
2. The Problem: Why Payroll Is Too Complicated Today (3–5 minutes)
All uploaded decks highlight similar employer pain points:
- Hidden fees
- Complex pricing tiers
- Disconnected time tracking
- Manual work & errors
- Rigid processing schedules
- Poor or delayed support
- Overly complex systems not built for small businesses
3. The Competitor Reality (4–6 minutes)
Only for competitor-specific webinars.
Summarize common limitations such as:
- Expensive monthly plans
- Extra fees for basic features (direct deposit, tax filing, time tracking)
- Cutoff times and inflexible processing
- Lower-tier customers receiving poor support
- Limited functionality in lower-tier plans
4. How Your Payroll Product Stands Out (5–7 minutes)
Across all decks, key differentiators include:
- Flat, transparent pricing
- Built-in time tracking
- Approve & run payroll in minutes
- Same-day or next-day direct deposit without extra fees
- Live, human customer support
- Fully integrated system to eliminate errors
5. Live Product Demo (8–10 minutes)
Show exactly how easy payroll can be:
- Approving hours
- Running payroll
- Paying W-2s and 1099s
- Using time tracking
- Previewing tax filings
6. Customer Success Stories (2–3 minutes)
Highlight real savings like:
- $100–$200/month savings
- Cutting payroll processing time by 50%
- Eliminating time-tracking errors
7. Exclusive Webinar Offer (1 minute)
All attached decks recommend:
- “First 3 months free”
- “Switch and see how much time & money you’ll save”
8. Live Q&A (5–10 minutes)
Let attendees self-qualify through their questions.
Promotion: 2-Week Omnichannel Webinar Marketing Plan
A webinar is only successful if people show up. We recommend promoting your webinar 14 days in advance using every available marketing channel.
Week-by-Week Plan
Week 1 – Awareness
Use broad-reach channels to get early signups.
- Email Announcement (to all customers + prospects)
- In-App Banner or Pop-Up promoting webinar signup
- Social Media Posts (LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, Twitter/X)
- Website Banner or Landing Page Update
- Partner Slack or Community Channels if available
Week 2 – Conversion Reminders
Drive urgency and repeat visibility.
- Second Promotional Email focused on employer pain points
- Social Countdown Posts (e.g., “3 days left!”)
- In-App Reminder Pop-Ups
- Push Notifications (if available)
- Sales Team Direct Outreach to warm leads
Reminder Cadence
Send reminders to registrants at:
- 24 hours before
- 2 hours before
- 10 minutes before
This cadence increases attendance rates by 20–40%.
Follow-Up After the Webinar
To maximize funnel conversion:
- Send replay & materials to all registrants
- Send a “Here’s what you could save” email with switching incentives
- Add attendees into a 3–4 email nurture series
- Have sales follow up within 24–48 hours with personalized messaging
Quarterly Webinar Calendar Template
Quarter | Webinar Type | Suggested Theme |
Q1 | General | “Top Payroll Mistakes Small Businesses Make” |
Q2 | Competitor | “Payroll vs. ADP: Why Small Businesses Switch” |
Q3 | General | “How to Save Time & Cut Payroll Costs This Year” |
Q4 | Competitor | “Why Businesses Leave Gusto/Paychex/QBO for Simpler Payroll” |
Summary: What Success Looks Like
By following this framework, partners can reliably drive top-of-funnel growth and generate high-intent payroll leads. Success includes:
- Consistent quarterly attendance of 50–200 employers
- Repeatable webinar assets for GTM reuse
- Increased pre-demo engagement
- More educated, sales-ready prospects
- Clear messaging that highlights time savings, cost savings, and ease of use
Last updated on December 16, 2025