Hi folks!
Every week, I’m sharing a practical, hands-on guide on how to run your small business better.
This week: How to host an amazing online event (Part 1)
The Playbook: Hosting a great online event (Part 1 of 2)
We have a secret weapon at Scalepath that makes our weekly calls, Q&As, cohorts, and other programming really come to life — and his name is Tony.
Tony is our head of community. He’s got years of experience hosting gatherings of all sizes both in person and online.
And he’s put together an absolute masterclass on how to host incredible online events. This is just the first half, which will take you all the way up to the moment your event begins.
We’ll run the second half in a few weeks, but if you want the whole thing today… join Scalepath!
Take it away, Tony!
Step 1: Set a date and time
Days of the week
Generally speaking, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday are the best days of the week to host a meeting. Staying away from the weekend-adjacent days gives you the greatest chase for high attendance.
Time zone considerations
Think about the time zones people will be joining from. If you’re in the eastern time zone but will have many people joining from the west coast, a 9:00am ET meeting is 6:00am for them—probably not a good move.
To that end, my favorite USA sweet spot is 12:00-4:00pm ET.
If you have people joining from Europe, then earlier is better, as they are several hours ahead and often joining in their evening.
And always, always note the time zone you’re using, e.g.:
❌ “Let’s meet at 2”
❌ “Let’s meet at 2:00”
❌ “Let’s meet at 2:00pm”
❌ “Let’s meet at 2:00pm EDT” → Personally I avoid specifying Daylight Savings or Standard because I can never keep track of it and it’s ultimately superfluous.
✅ “Let’s meet at 2:00pm ET”
Step 2: Outreach & RSVPs
As soon as you can, block out the time on your calendar and ensure any other key stakeholders are invited—the best thing you can do early on is make sure there are no conflicts!
If it’s a small group: Calendar invites.
The easiest win is to simply create a calendar entry and invite guests by email—this guarantees the event is on their calendar, which serves two valuable purposes: preventing conflicts, and reminding them the event is happening. Best of all, when they get the invite, they just have to click Yes!
For larger groups: RSVPs.
There are many popular platforms for handling RSVPs, like Eventbrite—one of the new entrants is Luma, which I’ve found to be very simple, clean, lightweight, and easy to use.
Reminders
Most event platforms will automatically handle these, but it helps if you push out reminders yourself through whatever your typical channels are.
I like to remind people about an hour before the event starts, and (in Slack) right when it is beginning — with a direct link to the meeting, so someone can jump in with minimal friction.
Step 3: Event configuration
What platform to use?
- Zoom has been my standard bearer for any meeting involving recording, advanced features, or large audiences.
- Google Meet, however, has improved dramatically in recent years—it’s now my go-to for team meetings and one-on-one calls.
There are, of course, many platforms. Your mileage my vary.
Where appropriate, I may talk about things from the perspective of running an event using Zoom.
Features & moderation settings
Every online meeting platform has different controls—Zoom, for example, has a breathtaking number of different features that can be turned on or off, or preferences that can be set in advance.
My recommendation: set up mics and cameras to be off by default when people join. That way each participant proactively choose to activate their mic and camera when they are ready.
This is especially important when hosting an event with a large audience — or else your first few minutes of the meeting will be spent frantically muting people who are joining from noisy settings.
Other settings to look out for:
- Record automatically when the meeting starts? (I never want that—I’ll start recording when we are ready!)
- Allow Co-Hosts? (I always want at least the option to elevate someone else to Co-Host—but if the feature isn’t enabled before a meeting starts, you can’t enable it mid-meeting!)
- Do you want a waiting room?
The more you can feel comfortable with your tools and settings in advance, the more likely your event will run smoothly on the day of.
Step 4: Pre-Launch
Prep
Block out time in your calendar at least 15 minutes before event kickoff for you to get set and ready.
Are there browser tabs you want to have open and ready to display? Materials you want to refresh yourself on? Now’s the time!
Verify your home setup
The last thing you want when you start your event is to be dealing with A/V issues. Take some time to test your camera, mic, background, and any other settings you might need.
Presentation
Sharing your screen? Test your setup before you go live—maybe even make some time to create a dummy meeting so you can get comfortable with the controls.
Slides
Recent versions of Apple Keynote and Microsoft PowerPoint offer you a powerful option—the ability to play a slide show *without* it taking over your entire screen.
This is hugely valuable when you are trying to present while also managing a meeting at the same time!
Back to Michael now — see what I mean about Tony being a secret weapon?
That’s it for this week — I’ll be sending part 2 in a couple of weeks, but if you want the whole thing right now, join us over in Scalepath!
What did you think? Hit reply and let me know.
Michael
P.S. A reminder — Scalepath members get access to a library of 50+ playbooks like this one (with new releases every week), plus templates, expert video calls, and a great community to connect and learn with. Apply today!
