Someone who signed up for your webinar and didn't turn up is not a lost lead. They gave you their name for a reason, and that reason probably hasn't gone away. The same goes for your waitlist and for students who finished an earlier course. A short, personal LinkedIn conversation finds out what they actually wanted better than a recording link in an email nobody opens.
Short answer: message warm sign-ups on LinkedIn with one question about why they signed up, follow with a short voice note, then share a relevant success story or free resource. When they reply, find out their goal and what's in the way before you mention a call or enrolment. Updately's Warm audience (webinar, waitlist, past students) template runs this sequence and the reply handling for you.
Key Takeaways
| Question | Answer |
|---|---|
| Who is this for? | Webinar no-shows, waitlist sign-ups, lead-magnet downloads, past students |
| What does the first message do? | Asks why they signed up. No pitch, no link |
| How long is the sequence? | Three messages over six days |
| What's the goal? | Understand their goal, then invite them to a call, a session or enrolment |
| Where do the leads come from? | A CSV of sign-ups, your own connections, or people who engaged with your event post |
Why webinar no-shows need a different follow-up
Most no-show follow-ups assume the person just needs the replay. Often their week got busy, or the topic was close to what they wanted but not quite it. Sending the recording treats every no-show the same. A question finds out which it was.
People who already raised a hand will tell you what they need if you ask. So the opener is about them, not your program, and the selling happens in the reply, once you know whether your offer fits. It suits cohort and live programs whose sign-up lists go cold between launches. If you don't have a warm list yet, start with LinkedIn outreach for coaches or cold LinkedIn outreach for edtech courses.
Where to get the list
You already own most of it. Three Updately sources work well:
- CSV import. Export registrants or your waitlist with a LinkedIn profile URL column. No such field on your sign-up form? Add it before the next event.
- Network. Your own first-degree connections, filtered by keywords. Past students often connected with you during the course, so filtering by the course name or the titles you teach finds them.
- Post engagement. People who liked or commented on the post announcing the webinar or the waitlist.
Keep each campaign to one segment, because the opener has to be true for everyone who gets it. Message no-shows within days, while they still remember signing up.
One thing to check: this template has no invitation step. It messages people you're already connected to, or who came from your own lists. If part of a sign-up export isn't connected to you, add an Invitation step at the top in the Workflow tab, or put those people in a separate campaign.
The sequence, day by day
| Day | Step | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| 0 | Why you signed up (fixed message) | Sends: "Hi {FirstName}, saw you signed up for our session recently — what made you interested in it?" |
| 2 | Voice note check-in (AI, from the conversation) | A gentle check-in as a voice note. Refers back to why they signed up and asks one question about their goal, in two lines |
| 6 | Success story (AI, from the conversation) | Shares a short success story or free resource that fits their goal, then asks if they'd like to hear more |
The first message is the same for everyone, and its Already connected text is identical, so nobody gets an out-of-place "thanks for connecting". The two later steps are written from the conversation so far. The sequence stops as soon as someone replies.
A spoken note from the person who ran the session is hard to mistake for a mass follow-up, so set the Voice for voice notes under Voice & audience before launch.
What the AI agent does when they reply
The Objective is: understand their goal, then invite them to the right next step (a call, a session or enrolment). With Reply autopilot on:
- They share their goal. The agent reflects it back in one line and asks what's been in the way.
- They describe a challenge your program addresses. It explains how the program helps in two sentences, using only what you offer, and suggests a short call.
- They ask about price or dates. It answers from Knowledge only, or hands the chat to you with HUMAN INTERVENTION.
- They're not ready. It uses ATTACH to send a free resource from Files & Links, if there is one, and says there's no rush.
- It's not for them. It thanks them warmly and uses END THE CHAT.
Every template also has built-in rules: no facts to answer with means HUMAN INTERVENTION, a shared email, phone number or calendar link means a hand-off, and once the objective is met it thanks them and ends the chat.
Follow-ups for people who replied, then went quiet
Warm audiences often reply once and drift. The Follow-ups card sends two messages:
- One day after they go quiet: a warm one-line check-in on how their goal is going. No pitch.
- Four days after that: one short success story from Knowledge, or the next cohort's deadline, and a question asking if they'd like the details.
How to adapt it, and mistakes to avoid
Rewrite the opener per segment. "Signed up for our session" is right for webinar no-shows and wrong for anyone else. For a waitlist, something like "saw you joined the waitlist for the spring cohort, what made you want in?". To re-engage past students, ask what they've done with the course since.
Fill Knowledge with prices, payment plans, start dates, deadlines, time commitment, refund policy and student stories you have permission to share. Every missing fact becomes a hand-off to you.
Load Files & Links with what a no-show needs: the recording, a syllabus, a free mini-lesson. Give each a use when note, such as "when they missed the session".
Set the booking link to a short call with you or admissions, and train the voice with two or three messages you actually wrote to students.
Common mistakes: pitching enrolment in message one, waiting weeks, mixing segments, empty Knowledge, and deadlines that aren't real.
How to launch it in Updately
- Create a campaign from the LinkedIn account of the person who ran the session.
- On the AI Agent tab, click Start from a template and pick Warm audience (webinar, waitlist, past students). It fills the sequence, reply rules and follow-ups.
- Edit the opener for your segment, then add Knowledge, Files & Links and the booking link.
- On the Workflow tab, run Test Sequence with a real lead.
- In the simulator, play a no-show who asks about price, one who isn't ready, and one who wants to book. Fix any rule that misfires.
- Import your list and activate.
See the full template on the campaign templates page. Related reading: your first-degree network as an outbound asset and finding leads from conferences and events.
FAQ
How soon should I follow up with webinar no-shows?
Within a few days of the event, while they still remember signing up. The first message goes out on day 0, so launch as soon as you have the registrant list.
Should I just send no-shows the recording?
Not as the opener. Add it to Files & Links with a use when note, and the agent attaches it when someone says they missed the session.
Can I use this to convert a waitlist into enrolments?
Yes. Rewrite the fixed opening message to mention the waitlist. The voice note, success story and reply rules work as they are.
Will the AI quote prices or dates it doesn't know?
No. Price and date questions are answered from Knowledge only. If the answer isn't there, the chat is handed to you.