Most marketers focus on picking the perfect webinar topic, designing a beautiful landing page, and writing the best emails to get people to sign up. But there’s one factor that’s just as important — and often completely overlooked.
It’s when you ask them to sign up.
At Contrast, we analyzed data from 500,000 webinar registrants, and we found that timing isn’t just a minor tweak. In this article, you'll discover the surprising patterns we uncovered about the best days, times, and promotional windows to maximize your webinar signups and attendance. Because when it comes to webinars, it’s not just about what you say – it’s about when you say it.
Why Timing Your Webinar Promotion Actually Matters
Look, we all know people are busy. Their inboxes are packed, their calendars are full, and they're constantly deciding what deserves their attention.
The difference between a webinar that fills up and one that flops usually comes down to catching people at the right moment. When they're actually thinking about their professional development instead of just trying to survive the day.
Promote too early and they’ll forget. Promote too late and they’ll already have plans.
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So, when should you actually promote your webinar?
Data shows that Thursday is the best day to get people to register. It’s when most signups happen. After that, Tuesday and Wednesday come close, with Tuesday bringing in about 19% of registrations and Wednesday about 18%.
Why does this matter? Think about how people work. By Thursday, they’ve settled into their week but haven’t checked out for the weekend yet. Tuesdays and Wednesdays are also solid because Monday chaos has settled, and people are ready to plan their week.
If you want your webinar to fill up, focus your main promotion on these midweek days. Avoid Mondays (everyone’s too busy catching up) and Fridays (they’re already thinking about the weekend).
The Best Time of Day to Send Webinar Invitations
75% of people register between 9 AM and 5 PM. No surprise there — people are at work, checking email, thinking about professional stuff.
But here's where it gets interesting:
33% of registrations happen between 9 AM and 11 AM. That's when people are planning their day, their energy is high, and they're actually reading emails instead of just skimming.
21% happen between 2 PM and 4 PM. That's the post-lunch period when people are looking for their next thing to focus on.
When to Stop Your Webinar Promotion
48% of webinar registrations happen less than 7 days before the event.
Don't stress if your early promotion isn't pulling huge numbers. The real action happens in that final week.
77% of registrations happen within 2 weeks of the webinar. And only 3% of people register more than 4 weeks out.
So if you're spending tons of energy on super-early promotion, you might be wasting your time.
13% of people register on the day of the webinar itself.
So, don’t underestimate the power of timely reminders and day-of promotions—they can boost your attendance just when you think it’s too late.
22% of registrations happen in the final 48 hours. That's more than one in five people making a last-minute decision.
The lesson? Keep promoting right up until you start. Those "we're going live in 2 hours" emails actually work.
5 Common Webinar Promotion Mistakes (That Could Be Costing You Attendees)
- Overloading People with Too Many Links or CTAs
Confusing your audience with multiple registration buttons, competing offers, or extra links can backfire. Keep your promotion focused on one clear action — registering for your webinar — to avoid decision paralysis. - Using the Same Message in Every Promotion
If all your invites and reminders say the exact same thing, people tune out. Instead, highlight different angles in each touchpoint — for example, one email focuses on the key pain point, another teases an insight or framework you’ll share, and another spotlights the speaker’s credibility or story. - Not Optimizing Your Registration Page for Mobile
Around 30% of your audience will check out your webinar invite on their phone first. If your registration page isn’t mobile-friendly, loads slowly, or requires endless form fields, you’re silently losing potential attendees before they even hit “register.” - Not Setting Up Calendar Invites Automatically
Even if someone registers, life is busy. If your confirmation email doesn’t include an easy “Add to Calendar” link, you’re relying on them to remember on their own — and that’s just not how humans work. Always make it effortless for them to save the date immediately. - Assuming People Know Why They Should Care
Many webinar invites focus on what the session is (topic, speaker, agenda) but forget to clarify why it actually matters for the attendee. Every promotion should answer the silent question in your reader’s mind: “How will this help me today?” If you skip this, even perfectly timed promotions will fall flat.
Your Webinar Promotion Checklist
Based on all this data, here's what actually works:
- Start promoting your webinar 4 weeks out.
- Focus your main push on the final week.
- Send emails Tuesday through Thursday.
- Don't stop promoting until you go live.
- Change your messaging in each touchpoint.
- Make your registration path mobile-friendly and frictionless.
- Include a clear “Add to Calendar” link in your confirmation emails.
- Set up a three-part reminder sequence.
- Avoid cluttering your invites with multiple CTAs or offers.
- Always answer: “Why should they care right now?”
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Start for freeThe Bottom Line on Webinar Promotion Timing
There’s no one-size-fits-all formula. Your audience might be different. Your industry might have different patterns. But these stats give you a solid starting point.
People don't plan as far ahead as you think they do. They're busier than ever, more distracted than ever, and they need multiple touchpoints to actually follow through.
So stop stressing about the perfect promotion timeline. Start promoting early for awareness, hit hard in the final week, and keep going until you're live. Focus on Tuesday through Thursday, time your emails for business hours, and always, always send those reminders.
Most importantly, track what works for your specific audience. These stats are your baseline, not your ceiling.
