Building a Trustworthy Webinar Platform | Thibaut Davoult from Livestorm

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Hey everybody, welcome back to Pathmonk Presents. We’re excited for our guest today. We’ve got Thibaut from Livestorm. Thibaut, how are you doing today?

Thibaut Davoult: Hi, I’m doing great. How about you?

Kevin: I’m doing quite well. I hope you had an awesome holiday, and I’m looking forward to this podcast. I’m really excited to dive into Livestorm. I know that you guys are one of the most innovative webinar platforms out there, and I’m looking forward to learning more.

As is tradition here on Pathmonk Presents, we’ll focus on the company’s growth and marketing strategies, a little bit about you as a professional, and some playful questions toward the end. But let’s start with an easy one—tell us about Livestorm in your own words.

Thibaut: Yeah, for sure. Livestorm is a webinar platform you can trust. It was originally built when WebRTC became a thing, allowing people to join webinars without installing software. That made things easier for both hosts and participants.

Since then, we’ve focused on creating more engaging sessions—because that’s what people expect—and on making things as seamless as possible. For hosts, we provide automation for CRM integrations, registration pages, follow-up emails—everything you’d normally have to do manually.

For participants, it’s just as simple. They register, join via their browser, and that’s it.

Recently, we’ve shifted our focus toward serving larger companies. Specifically in Europe, there wasn’t a strong player emphasizing trust and security. Industries like finance and healthcare—especially companies with 1,000+ employees—need solutions that comply with strict regulations. Since Livestorm was built with GDPR in mind from the start, we’re in a great position to serve that segment.

2024 was all about positioning ourselves there, and 2025 will continue in that direction.

Kevin: That’s exciting. And I have to say, kudos to anyone working to stay fully compliant—that’s no small task, especially with industries like healthcare and finance.

Let’s dive into marketing. Who do you primarily serve, and what problems are you solving for them?

Thibaut: Our primary users are marketers running external webinars—whether they’re showcasing a product, running demand-generation events, or sharing industry knowledge.

Historically, we’ve served SaaS companies, and that’s still a major part of our business. But now, we’re also focusing on finance and healthcare.

Smaller businesses can still sign up for self-serve plans directly through our website, where they get access to everything they need—registration pages, engagement tools, recordings, follow-up emails. But larger companies looking for more can get long-term support from our team, including consulting services to maximize their webinar strategy.

Kevin: Got it. And with industries like healthcare, you must have seen shifts post-COVID as in-person events moved online. What kind of impact did that have?

Thibaut: It’s a complex situation. During COVID, trade shows went virtual out of necessity. But now that people can meet in person again, they’re eager to return to physical events.

Rather than trying to replace those experiences, we focused on hybrid events. Companies can host in-person events while broadcasting them online through Livestorm.

We also offer multicasting, meaning a webinar on Livestorm can simultaneously stream to YouTube Live, LinkedIn Live, and other platforms—expanding reach beyond just one channel.

Kevin: That’s smart—giving people options rather than forcing them into one format.

Let’s shift to acquisition—how do most of your customers find you?

Thibaut: Historically, Livestorm focused on inbound marketing. From day one, we invested heavily in SEO and Google Ads. That’s still a core part of our strategy, but now we’re layering in outbound sales and real-world events.

When I joined seven years ago as a growth engineer, my focus was building the best website possible to maximize organic traffic. We also used paid ads to drive sign-ups, but in recent years, we’ve reduced our ad spend significantly—cutting it from $500k to $100k per year—and replaced that traffic with SEO.

For example, we eliminated branded search ads because we rank well for “Livestorm” organically. We also shifted ad spend toward higher-intent SEO keywords.

In November, we hit 85,000+ monthly visitors—our traffic goal for the entire year—so it’s definitely working.

Kevin: That’s huge. And reducing reliance on paid ads is always a win.

In terms of SEO, did you focus on competitive keywords or go for low-hanging fruit first?

Thibaut: We started with high-intent, low-competition keywords—like “best webinar software.” These convert well because people searching are already looking for a solution.

Once we established rankings there, we expanded into broader, more competitive topics—like general marketing strategies. These don’t convert as directly, but they build brand awareness and position us as an authority.

For example, we now target ABM-related keywords. Account-based marketing isn’t directly about webinars, but webinars play a role in many ABM strategies. So, by ranking for ABM topics, we introduce Livestorm to a relevant audience.

Kevin: Makes sense—own the transactional terms first, then move into broader demand-gen content.

What role does your website play in acquisition?

Thibaut: Our website is central to everything we do. SEO is a huge strength, and we optimize continuously.

We also focus on positioning—making sure visitors immediately understand our value. Since we recently shifted toward larger clients, we need to refine how we communicate that while still serving our existing SaaS audience.

Conversion optimization is another priority. We test how we route leads—whether to sales, automated webinars, or self-serve sign-ups—based on quality.

Kevin: Any tips for a high-converting website?

Thibaut: Define your objective first. Sometimes a lower conversion rate is fine if the quality of leads improves.

Don’t just chase numbers—optimize for the right audience. And don’t pick tools first—identify needs, then choose the right tech to support them.

Kevin: That’s a solid approach.

Now, let’s talk about your day-to-day. What does your role look like?

Thibaut: My job is to set direction for marketing and growth—ensuring the team always has a clear roadmap.

I focus on:

• Keeping our website running efficiently with no tech debt.
• Managing freelancers for design work.
• Ensuring marketing operations align with our goals.
• Continuously improving our positioning and messaging.

Kevin: Where do you go to stay updated?

Thibaut: I spend way too much time on LinkedIn—but the algorithm works well for me.

For newsletters, I highly recommend:

1. Lenny’s Newsletter (Product & growth insights).
2. Elena Verna’s Newsletter (PLG & growth strategy).

We also worked with Elena as a growth advisor—her insights are top-notch.

Kevin: Awesome. Let’s wrap with rapid-fire questions—quick answers!

Last book you read?
Thibaut: Obviously Awesome by April Dunford (on positioning).

One thing you’d fix if there were no tech limits?
Thibaut: A magic tool to measure brand awareness perfectly.

One task you’d automate?
Thibaut: Invoices and payment tracking. So tedious!

Advice to your younger self?
Thibaut: Start with marketing basics. Growth is great, but positioning is key.

Kevin: Great insights. Final takeaway—what should listeners remember about Livestorm?

Thibaut: If you want engaging, seamless webinars, check us out. Big updates coming in 2025!

Kevin: Love it. Thanks for joining, Thibaut!