When COVID hit, many churches scrambled to reach people where they were. That meant those who hadn’t done Livestream or video ministry did so, and they did so quickly. Those who didn’t have a YouTube channel were now scrambling to sign up, and those who did but weren’t active were not struggling for their content to be seen. So how can your church take its YouTube game to the next level? Well, we’ve gathered four tips to help!
First things first, it’s essential to understand what YouTube is. YouTube is essentially a video search engine. People can get lost for hours searching YouTube or getting caught up in the latest trending video. According to Pro Church Tools:
- YouTube is the second most visited website in the world.
- 500 000+ searches are made on YouTube every month on how to study the bible.
- One study suggests 75% of kids want to be YouTubers
- 95% of Gen Z use YouTube, 50% say they can’t live without it, and 75% say they use it every day.
Brand Your YouTube
Make your YouTube channel match the branding of your church. Take time to make custom artwork, which includes your channel artwork (similar to a FaceBook cover photo) and channel icon. The icon is essential and should resemble the logo of your church. This will be the icon that accompanies all of your videos, so making it easily recognizable will be necessary.
Along with customizing and branding your channel, create a custom URL. To create a custom URL, you will need to be active for at least thirty days and have a minimum of 100 subscribers. So, push your YouTube on your other social channels, announce it during your Sunday service. Make people aware of where they can find content throughout the week and where it can be easily shared with their friends.
Make Your Videos Easy to Find
Remember, YouTube is essentially a search engine, so making sure your videos are identifiable and are what people are searching for is important. Take time and write a short description of each video. When titling the video, think about what you would search for to find that specific content. The more people who can see your video by searching, are more people you’re reaching with the Gospel.
Broaden Your Content
It’s great to stream or upload your Sunday services to YouTube., but what other value are you offering your subscribers? Maybe it’s a weekly Bible study or a short, powerful clip from the sermon. It could even be an outreach recap, testimony, or a children’s ministry highlight. Adding fresh, different, and relevant content will give your subscribers a reason to keep coming back.
Landing Video
When people visit your channel, welcome them. Embrace the opportunity to have a welcome landing video. The featured video is a video that will be the first video people see when they visit your channel. It’s an excellent way to tell someone you’re happy they stopped by and explain how your channel is set up. They can find information on the latest events or catch the newest sermon can all be explained in your landing video.
Conclusion
YouTube is a powerful social media tool, one that your church might be overlooking. But don’t worry, it’s never too late to start. Sit down and figure out how you can up your YouTube game and what that looks like for you. Browse and subscribe to churches who are doing YouTube well…..and try not to get sucked into the vortex that is viral videos ;).
For more inspiration, check out the Church Communications YouTube page or visit our blogs with YouTube Your Church Host Dave Adamson.
