WebinarJam Review
Modern marketing is almost impossible without webinars. You are probably reading this Review of WebinarJam because you want to sell products via webinars to clients from around the world or you need a practical way to discuss business-related details and exchange ideas and choose the best webinar platform.
Let me tell you one thing:
Choosing the best option for hosting webinars is incredibly difficult.
The thing is, there are quite a few WebinarJam alternatives on the market and everything depends on your goals.
And in 2020, with the world spending most of its time at home due to the pandemic, you need the best webinar platform you can get.
And WebinarJam is one of them.
In this review, I will cover everything you need to know about this webinar software and discuss why I believe it to be one the best software for host webinars and selling your products online.
As in all the reviews you find on my websites, I only recommend software that personally use.
When I hosted my last training for GrooveFunnels affiliates, I found WebinarJam (and Everwebinar) really easy to use and quite reliable, which is why I’d like to share my experience with all potential business people out there.
- What Is WebinarJam?
- Features of WebinarJam
- Reaching Thousands…Literally
- The Built-In Live Chat
- High-Definition Viewing Everywhere
- Bring Your Attendees to the Forefront
- Scheduling Flexibility
- The Always-On Room
- Automated Session Recordings
- Platform-Friendly Across the Board
- Messaging the Attendees
- WebinarJam’s Page Builder
- Polling Options
- The All-Too Necessary Panic Button
- Active Offers
- Presentations
- The Drawing Board
- Document Distribution
- Injecting Videos
- Integration with Other Platforms
- One-Click Registrations
- The Online Conference Control Center
- Password-Protected Live Rooms
- The Analytics Section
- Webinar Pricing
- The Benefits of WebinarJam
- The Video Quality Overview
- Technical Details and Specifications
- WebinarJam Plans & Pricing
- WebinarJam Integration and Customer Support
- User Reviews
- Other Webinar Solutions
- Final Words
What Is WebinarJam?
WebinarJam is an online, browser-based webinar streaming platform made by Genesis Digital.
If you’re aspiring to be a marketer like myself, you can use WebinarJam to host online meetings with boardroom members from across the globe.
But this platform is, by no means, only meant for marketers and business people.
In fact, if you wanted to, you could use it for a whole host of different online activities. Online teaching, for example, can benefit greatly from this streaming system.
You can also host various online events and virtual meetings, as well as have a direct talk with the clients and employees.
Of course, WJ is far from being the only service to do all of this, and I will briefly cover some of the competitors later.
But this platform stands out because of how innovative it is when compared to the competition. It’s currently the only browser-based system that can completely stream an event from the registration process to the replay point.
Browser-based platforms don’t usually have that kind of power, and non-browser webinar software usually requires you to download and install lots of elements. That, in and of itself, is what makes WebinarJam stand out — it’s efficient, and there’s little to no hassle when you try to use it.
A Brief History of WebinarJam
Webinars are not new. In fact, with the expansion of the internet in the late 90s and early 2000s, people from the world of business began looking into live video conferencing more and more.
Three businessmen, in particular, saw that there was a gaping hole in the live streaming platform market. There were webinar options, but they were either unreliable, too expensive, or too complex for casual users.
The three men including my mentor and friends and mentors Andy Jenkins and Mike Filsaime saw an opportunity open up.
What if they created an economical webinar solution that was easy to use and more affordable than other options out there?
And so, in 2013, the first iteration of this online presentation app came out. And the business world loved it!
If you want to know more about the history of WebinarJam and Kartra I highly recommend to check out this blog post about the history of online marketing.
Unfortunately, Andy died of cancer in 2019 and Mike Filsaime left the company, so seven years later, webinar experts like AJ Roberts at Genesis Digital have rebuilt, revitalized, and relaunched the platform as WebinarJam 4.0.
And though it might be at the forefront of the modern webinar streaming services, it’s not the only platform that the creative team crafted.
For example, EverWebinar came out in 2015; this platform allowed users to schedule automated streaming events. In other words, if I wanted to, I could set several events in advance and get a lot of hands-free time to focus on something else.
Another powerful platform that came from the Genesis Digital team was Kartra.
This all-in-one commerce platform allowed users to build pages, sell products, send email funnels, utilize digital shopping carts, and much, much more.
Naturally, Kartra can still integrate with both WebinarJam and EverWebinar seamlessly.
In other words, you’re getting a full package for successful, high-quality streaming.
Features of WebinarJam
Reaching Thousands…Literally
When hosting an online event, people worry about the limit of people watching.
With WebinarJam, you won’t have that issue.
A single stream can support up to 5,000 attendees. So, for example, if I wanted to promote a product or deliver a lecture, I could have a massive audience that would reap the benefits of the stream easily.
Of course, I don’t have to stream alone. This platform can support up to 6 different presenters at any time. So, if you host meetings with your colleagues or want to have a roundtable discussion, this option will work for you as well.
All six presenters can share their ideas with literally thousands of spectators at any moment.
The Built-In Live Chat
Every streamer knows that engaging with the audience is crucial to the stream’s success. And that doesn’t just apply to the world of gaming or other forms of entertainment. Business-minded people should also talk to their viewers directly, as the webinar is happening.
WebinarJam’s own chat section is fantastic. You can use popular live chat staples such as private messages, highlighted chat lines, sticky notes, and announcements, as well as a question and answer option. This last feature is perfect if you’re hosting a webinar and want to get feedback from the attendees. The more you engage with your audience, the more successful your webinar will be.
High-Definition Viewing Everywhere
Modern technology has given us high-quality video streaming on devices that can literally fit the palm of our hand. Of course, one problem that all live streaming platforms have to face is pixelated and choppy video quality, which can both make the stream unwatchable.
If you have an important presentation to deliver or a webinar that needs crisp video quality, this webinar software is definitely the right solution for you.
It doesn’t matter if you’re streaming from a desktop computer, a tablet, or a smartphone, this platform will always deliver HQ video streams. You just need a stable internet connection, and you’re all set.
Bring Your Attendees to the Forefront
As I mentioned earlier, interacting with the attendees is crucial for the success of any webinar. But what makes this webinar platform stand out is the fact that you can go beyond highlighted chat messages. In fact, you can actually invite a user into the stream to have a discussion!
It’s an incredibly easy process, too. When I’m hosting a webinar, and I want some user input, I simply click the “attendee on screen” option, and they’re right there in the live stream with me. I find this option incredibly useful since it provides valuable personal testimonials and lived experiences. It also engages the spectators on a more personal level than text chats, since you can actually discuss ideas with them and get honest, unfiltered input.
Scheduling Flexibility
Sometimes, I might want (or need) to host an event on short notice. Other times, I’d prefer to schedule one for next week or next month. More often than not, however, us business-oriented people need a recurring webinar schedule, usually once a week on, a fixed day. Well, this platform can do all three and more.
With this platform, you can either host an event immediately or schedule a webinar (or a series of webinars) at some point in the future. There’s even a dedicated room option; the platform literally assigns you a room that you can access at any point and host a live stream. These options allow you to tailor your webinars according to your business’ needs.
The Always-On Room
I’ve touched upon this concept above, but it deserves its own section. If you hold webinars or stream frequently, this WebinarJam will provide you with an Always-On room URL with your company name in it. This room is always available to you, and you don’t have to enter anything or reconfigure any options. It’s just the way you like it, 24/7.
Automated Session Recordings
Live streams are a great resource for further business growth and development. Not only do they have your original presentation, but they also hold valuable user feedback and often contain potential ideas for future projects. That’s why the good people at Genesis Digital provided an option to record each session. However, it’s more than just a simple recording. Everything that happened within the stream is perfectly synced from the questions and comments that attendees posted to the offers and placements you made during the stream. That way, people who replay your streams can feel as engaged as they would if they were watching it live.
Thanks to WebinarJams’s amazing scheduling capabilities, you can actually schedule the replay room at any point in the following weeks. Moreover, you can download it in video format and use it for future reference. These options give the viewers an opportunity to see what they missed at any date after the original stream.
Platform-Friendly Across the Board
As stated earlier, all you need for a high-end webinar is a strong internet connection. The great thing about WebinarJam is that it will provide you with the same level of quality, no matter which platform you’re using. Often, people who use other streaming platforms do it on their PC because it delivers the most stable connection and video quality. In addition, PC streaming has a lot more tools and options than streaming from a portable device.
WebinarJam, on the other hand, offers the same options and the same quality, even on Android or iOS devices. And it goes beyond video, too; every single option, from live chat to scheduling, is on mobile platforms, and it’s just as easy to use as it is on the PC.
Messaging the Attendees
In order to build brand loyalty, a business needs return customers, or in the case of webinars, return viewers. One of the best methods to get people back to regularly viewing your live streams is to remind them with automated messages.
The developers of this amazing webinar solution went the extra mile when it comes to this process. You can send automated emails, SMS messages, and notifications to users minutes before your stream goes live. But the platform takes it a step further. If your attendees leave the webinar early, stay until the very end, or miss it altogether, they will get personalized notifications after the webinar is concluded. Not only is this a great method of keeping a stable user base, but it’s also a form of feedback to them since they can review what they have done during the webinar.
WebinarJam’s Page Builder
One feature that will always determine the number of new attendees is an interactive, attractive registration page. And every now and again, you need to customize it and make it stand out.
Unsurprisingly, a platform as big as WJ has a vast number of point-and-click templates you can use to customize the registration page. There’s even an easy split-testing option. Let’s say that I can’t decide which of the two designs to use. The split-testing option allows me to keep track of two separate registration page designs at once, in real-time. That way, I can see which one brings in more viewers to the event I’m hosting.
Polling Options
Having a polling and survey option is a must with any high-end webinar streaming platform. If I were to host a webinar and I needed direct feedback on an idea, I could simply fire up a poll and see the results roll in during the stream. The polling system, in particular, is extremely well made, and you get immediate polling numbers with a very low margin of error.
Of course, business and marketing aren’t the only areas where you can use polls during a live stream. Online teachers and trainers can quiz their students using this option. The same goes for performers who need an immediate rating of their skills, or composers who want direct input while they work on new songs.
The All-Too Necessary Panic Button
WebinarJam is an incredible tool, but like all other tools, it can experience technical difficulties. That’s why the development team crafted a handy panic button option that every live streamer and webinar organizer will appreciate.
When there’s an issue with the connection or the camera, or even the browser, all I need to do is click on the panic button. It will immediately start up a new live room and redirect all users from the old room to it. And it all happens in a span of 15–20 seconds, so I don’t waste any precious time with the new set-up.
Active Offers
Selling products or content using webinars is one of the most efficient way to sell higher-priced products online. Just like all other options, you want your viewers to take immediate action, i.e., buy the product as soon as possible.
With WebinarJam, you can place a pre-configured clickable offer with visually captivating imagery. It’s openly displayed to all viewers so they can click on it instantly and pay digitally. More importantly, you can focus on client interaction while the offer lasts by answering questions and pitching other products and services in real-time.
Urgency and a limited number of products will boost sales, which is why the platform offers both options. When providing an offer, simply mark the countdown limit and the number of available copies of your product to entice potential shoppers.
Presentations
As a businessman myself, I often have to come up with audio-visual descriptions of my ideas. Normally, I’d do this via a PowerPoint presentation, though there is other useful presentation-crafting software out there, such as Keynote.
Naturally, this software supports file formats from both programs. If you have a pre-made presentation, simply upload it to the platform and proceed with the webinar. You can even use custom transitions between slides and add overlay annotations.
The Drawing Board
What can make a presentation better and more engaging during a webinar? The best answer is “adding that personal touch.” I always like to use the “analog” analogy. Imagine your presentation on paper that you have to flip over, page by page. So, what do you do when you want to highlight something for your viewers? You use a pen or a marker and then mark or underline the important section.
The built-in broadcasting software has just that — a drawing board segment. Now you can show your presentation and use a variety of different digital pencils and pens to make it visually interesting. It will engage your webinar attendees and breathe some life into your presentation.
Document Distribution
Whether you’re a CEO, a board member, a teacher, or a financial advisor, you will need to share some documents at a certain point. It might be a PDF booklet or an Excel spreadsheet, but whatever it is, the webinar software ought to handle the transfer, which this web seminar software does flawlessly. All you have to do is upload the document you want to share and make sure that your viewers have access to it. This option saves you the trouble of linking the documents to everyone individually.
Injecting Videos
Earlier, I mentioned recording live streams on WebinarJam, and with good reason. When we use webinars often, we might end up repeating the same lecture or presentation over and over again. In order to avoid that, we can simply record the section we need and then import it as part of our new webinar.
With WebinarJam, importing and using pre-recorded videos is incredibly easy; all it takes is for you to upload the video you need and play it. But more importantly, the transition between your live presentation and the pre-recorded video is seamless. It won’t disturb the flow of the session, and you can even cue up several videos at once. This is a great option for online teachers and business people who have to share the same product details across different clients and suppliers.
Integration with Other Platforms
One stated goal of Genesis Digital is the total integration of WebinarJam with other, related software. Of course, they focused on integrating it with their other native platforms first. However, they made sure that this web seminar solution can integrate various outside software options for a seamless, easy-flowing experience.
If you have a piece of CRM software or an autoresponder, you can easily link them to the platform. Moreover, the platform triggers advanced IF/THEN rules for tagging, depending on the action the client takes. This feature allows you to easily and accurately segment your leads, and then build a marketing message based on how these leads act.
One-Click Registrations
Registering on any sort of platform is a bit of a dull task. You have to enter your name, email address, and other relevant data. But not with WebinarJam; the platform actually offers registrations that are complete after a single click.
The process is quite simple. If I want my associates to attend a webinar, I merely send them an email with the one-click registry link. Once they click on it, their data is automatically used as the log-in info for the platform. That way, new users save a lot of time; they can start attending the webinar immediately and not miss anything.
The Online Conference Control Center
Starting a webinar and delivering a presentation is difficult enough, but more often than not, the presenter also has to moderate everything. Obviously, this is extremely time-consuming to do, so the platform has the Control Center feature.
The Control Center is a separate room where your friend or colleague can focus on other things while you handle the live stream. Within this room, the moderator of your choice can moderate chat, post Q&A info, highlight different announcements, publish offers and polls, as well as invite other potential speakers.
Password-Protected Live Rooms
Most of the options I’ve listed include lots of attendees and participants. However, if you’re a business person, you will have to hold private meetings that are boardroom-only. In other words, you will have to restrict access to the public, which is where the password protection comes in. Simply add the password of your choice through the password feature and nobody else is getting in. Well, nobody except for the attendees you shared your password with.
The Analytics Section
Numbers are a huge part of any webinar; you have to keep track of so many different things, such as the number of attendees and how much money the stream has earned. The platform’s own native analytics program will show you a wide variety of different data, including:
- Number of live attendees, as well as those who have left the stream
- The total duration of the session
- The time spent on live room
- Total percentage of people who saw the whole stream
- User rating
- Sales info
- Revenue
- The sign-up rate
- The total number of registrants
- Total show-up rate
- The number of attendees who replayed the stream
As a businessman, I find this feature to be endlessly helpful. The data I gather from webinars can help me modify some aspects of my live streams and improve on them.
Webinar Pricing
When you host a web class online, you can decide on how much you want to charge for your webinars. Simply provide a payment gateway (i.e., credit cards or PayPal) for the users who are willing to attend a live session. Of course, if you want to, you can make your webinars completely free of charge. Both options offer safe and risk-free validation to the user, so no personal data will be leaking whatsoever.
The Benefits of WebinarJam
By far, the greatest benefit of WebinarJam is just how easy it is to use.
When I used the WebinarJam a couple of weeks to host my first webinar after more than 3 years it took me just less than one hour to set everything from creating the registration page and integrating everything with my Kartra account.
Even if you’re new to online streaming software, you can literally set everything up in less than an hour.
I’ve managed to get everything I need in roughly 60 minutes. And it’s not just the set-up.
Everything, from hosting the webinars to using and uploading documents, is just a few clicks away. The interface itself is incredibly easy to understand, so much so that you’ll get the hang of it in a few days if you are an absolute beginner, at most.
Another major asset of this platform is the number of tools and options you get. For example, you can upload and edit pre-made presentations, post offers, invite other guests, and quickly reboot a room if there’s a crash.
If this software was software that I had to install, I wouldn’t be praising the options I’ve listed. However, you don’t expect a browser-based solution to have all of these useful tools, and that in itself is spectacular.
The Video Quality Overview
Before running any webinar platform, you should remember one golden rule. When you host a stream, you want good video quality, but you don’t want to go overboard. Some hosts or attendees might not have a stable internet connection, so 4K videos at 60 fps can and will lag a lot.
Of course, both WebinarJam and its related platforms can support any video quality. However, in order to get crisp, lag-free videos, I advise setting them at 30 fps and at a 720p resolution. It’s not the kind of resolution you want for a blockbuster movie, but it’s perfect for a web-based seminar.
In terms of formats, WebinarJam plays and records either MPEG or MOV video files. So, if your video files are of a different format, like MKV or Real Media, make sure to convert them first.
Technical Details and Specifications
As I mentioned earlier, WebinarJam is a browser-based platform, so you don’t have to install anything. As such, it can work on any OS, including Windows, Linux, and Mac. You can also use it on portable platforms like Android and iOS.
The platform itself is cloud-hosted, so everything you do gets saved onto a cloud service, ready to be used later.
If you have international hosts and/or clients, WebinarJam is the perfect platform for you. It can provide support and complete content translation in as many as 23 different languages. However, due to coding issues, there are no available translations in Arabic, Chinese, and Hebrew.
WebinarJam Plans & Pricing
WebinarJam is the best webinar software on the market right now.
Unfortunately, that’s why it’s not as affordable as it used to be. When I bought the software in 2013 they offered a life-time version for just $297. However, back then the software was just and overlay of Google Hangouts and had many issues you had to deal with.
Now, this niche solution for online marketers has developed into the best webinar software in the world, which is reflected in their pricing plans.
With the introduction of WebinarJam 4.0 there are three now different options you can choose from.
From the least to the most expensive, they are:
- Basic plan (at $499 per year)
- Professional plan (at $699 per year)
- Enterprise plan (at $999 per year)
The Basic plan includes unlimited webinars with a 2-hour duration. Up to 2 presenters can host the streams, and up to 500 attendees can watch and participate. With the Professional plan, you can have 2,000 attendees, 4 hosts, and each webinar will last for 3 hours.
Finally, there’s the Enterprise plan, with a maximum of 6 hosts, 5,000 attendees, and webinars that can be up to 4 hours long. In addition to these features, both the Professional and the Enterprise plan include the Panic Button and the Always-On live room. If you want to use the Control Center, the Enterprise plan is currently the only one with this feature.
Of course, you don’t have to pay upfront for any of these plans without testing them first. WebinarJam currently has a $1 14-day trial offer, so I’d advise checking it out. However, if you’re not satisfied with the platform, there’s a 30-day complete money-back guarantee.
WebinarJam Integration and Customer Support
WebinarJam can integrate with different types of software. Obviously, it’ll work seamlessly if you use it with Kartra and EverWebinar. However, it can also fully integrate with the following platforms and programs:
- Zapier
- Twilio
- Constant Contact
- Maropost
- Drip
- ConvertKit
- Ontraport
- AWeber
- ActiveCampaign
- Infusionsoft
- iContact
- GetResponse
- MailChimp
In addition, the platform will integrate with some SAAS companies, including LeadPages and ClickFunnels.
In order to keep everything in check, has great support. On top of that, you can visit the official Facebook page and engage with the thriving community. The platform also has its own Documentation Wiki, where you can access training videos and learn everything about the advanced features of this web conference tool.
User Reviews
After the reboot in early 2020, WebinarJam 4.0 has received a lot of positive feedback from the users. Some attendees have praised how quickly they could upload video content, adapt documents, and invite new people to join the stream. The number of participants was what got most praise. The Basic package, for example, supports “only” 500 attendees, which is not a small number by any means.
However, not everything was glowing praise with this platform.
I’ve seen more than a few clients asking for more variety with design choices for templates. Moreover, several complaints talked about the 10-second delay before the start of a webinar. And while that’s normal with nearly all webinar platform options out there, it’s still something you should consider.
Other Webinar Solutions
While WebinarJam is an astounding platform, I can understand if some people don’t feel like using it. Luckily, there are some amazing webinar software alternatives out there. In fact, some of them also integrate with this webinar software for a complete and seamless experience.
EverWebinar
I mentioned EverWebinar a bit earlier in this review, mainly because it came from the same parent company as Kartra and because some other solutions have the feature of evergreen webinars build right into their software.
It’s different at Genesis Digital.
Even on its own, EverWebinar is amazing. You can schedule webinars, live or pre-recorded, at any time in the future. And just like the live webinar plattform, the interface of EverWebinar is sleek, to the point, and easy to use.
What I liked best was who easy is was to transfer my live webinar to Everwebinar with just a few clicks.
If you plan to run an evergreen webinar, there is no better software than Everwebinar.
That’s the reason why basically every top marketer uses Everwebinar for automated webinars.
GoToWebinar
Out of all the WebinarJam alternatives, GoToWebinar is by far the most high-end option. Hundreds of businesses use this platform because it offers HD streams with minor lags. In addition, each webinar that you host through GoToWebinar can receive thousands of attendees at once. It’s a perfect blend of quantity and quality.
Final Words
Overall, WebinarJam has quite a lot to offer.
If I had to rate the software I would give it 4,8 of 5 stars.
The interface is incredibly simple that both beginners and experts can host their webinars with zero difficulties. In addition, there are so many scheduling and recording options that even some of their best competitors lack. The team behind the platform had really thought of everything when they updated it in 2020.
So, who would I recommend WebinarJam to? Well, thanks to its spectacular capabilities, I would say that almost anyone can use it.
Whether you’re a marketer, a business person, an online teacher, or an entertainer, WebinarJam will work for you.
It isn’t perfect, but it’s definitely one of the best webinar streaming options today.
You can start a 14-free trail by clicking on this link.