I first worked as a church media director more than five years ago, and one of my responsibilities was managing the social media channels for my church. I have since spent years consuming information and taking courses on social media strategies. Most of what I learned was vague and abstract. It was good information, but it wasn't concrete or practical.
Rather than providing specific steps and strategies, the best training suggested things like this…
“Be valuable."
“Don't use social media as a megaphone."
“Just engage the conversation."
But this type of advice turned out to be more confusing than helpful for me. Sure, it made sense on a macro level, but how could I actually apply it on a day-to-day basis?
I'm more of an empirical thinker myself.
Show me something that works and then I can find a way to implement it in my own context.
To that end, I want to share with you 13 social media templates that have worked tremendously well for me and others in our church communications. Feel free to copy these frameworks and implement them directly in your own church and ministry contexts!
Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter templates
Here is a list of example posts for Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. To use them, just follow the style and layout, but with your own information. All of these examples have proven to engage followers, and the best part is that you can follow their lead for free.
1. The ministry spotlight
Instead of promoting a ministry with the time and date that it meets, choose an individual who is plugged into your ministry of choice, and tell the story of how that ministry has positively affected their life. Be specific. You'll get more signups for your next event this way.
Example from Church on the Move (Facebook)
2. The unsung hero
There are dozens of stories in your church of unsung heroes. Volunteers who show up week in and week out and serve behind the scenes. Put the spotlight on them for a change and give them some social credit for how deeply they love their church.
Example from Caitlin Ormiston (Twitter)
3. The longform
Social media posts are often very short. But it's important to mix things up every so often. Longform posts are great ways to tell a complete story, and they frequently have some of the highest engagement rates.
Example from Elevation Church (Facebook)
4. The empty seat
Let someone following you know that they are an integral part of your community. A visual of an empty seat is a great way to accomplish this, but it's not the only way. Feel free to get creative with this one.
Example from Elevation Church (Instagram)
5. The fill-in-the-blank
A great way to encourage engagement from your social tribe is to use a fill-in-the-blank post. If you're struggling to get comments and likes online, use this post to boost engagement.
Example from Gateway Worship (Twitter)
6. The marriage
A marriage is the most important human relationship in your life. Make sure you give it time on social media. Marriage is also incredibly difficult for many people. By modeling a healthy marriage on social media, you can encourage others who are in difficult spots.
Example from Judah Smith (Instagram)
7. The reverse prayer request
The instant nature of social media can be used to your advantage. Instead of just having your church submit prayer requests ahead of time for the Wednesday night prayer gathering, ask how you can pray for people on social in the moment.
Example from Life.Church (Twitter)
8. The conversation starter
You always want to interact with your audience online. But what do you do when engagement is low? Ask a question. Sometimes you need to give people explicit permission to engage with you on social.
Example from Life.Church (Twitter)
9. The Sunday set list
Share your worship set list on Saturday nights. If people aren't familiar with a song, this gives them the chance to give it a listen and become familiar with the tune. And it's also a good way to build anticipation for the upcoming worship experience.
Example from Cross Point Church (Twitter)
10. The parking spot
Before anyone ever steps foot in your church building they'll have to navigate the parking lot. This is the first physical point of contact many visitors make with your church. Use social to let new visitors know that they'll always have the perfect parking spot.
Example from Potential Church (Instagram)
11. The pastor goof
Using social media to show your pastor(s) in a comedic way is always a fun post. Of course, as someone who works with him or her everyday, you know your pastor is just a regular person. But there are people in your congregation that will benefit from seeing the goofy side of their spiritual leader.
Example from Granger Community Church (Instagram)
12. The guessing game
There is really only one key to long-term success on social media: engagement. If all you're doing is using social as a megaphone, you're not going to see results. If you're struggling with engagement on social, a surefire way to change that is to run a guessing game contest where you have to guess a number, and then, just watch the engagement roll in.
Example from North Point Community Church (Instagram)
13. The new visitor
Visiting a new church can be an intimidating experience. Imagine what it would be like to visit your church for the first time. Where do my kids go? What do I wear? Where am I supposed to sit? Brainstorm potential barriers a new visitor may have and use your social accounts to distill any hesitations they could encounter.
Example from Potential Church (Instagram)
Now it's your turn!
We hope you'll try out a few of these free social media templates and let us know what you think in the comments. Also, please share your own ideas!
If you're looking for more ways to get your church creativity flowing, check out these other articles: