How to Leverage These 3 Powerful Features on Instagram

Get people engaged with your Sunday service content throughout the week. Not just on Sunday.

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We get it. Staying on top of social “trends” or new features is not always at the top of your to-do list. If you work in ministry, you’re probably already wearing more hats than you should be. If you’re a “millennial” or “tech-savvy” in any sense, you have probably received the social media hat as well.

Indeed, the social world is always changing and it seems like there is something new and different every day. It can be overwhelming to figure out what to do or where to start. It seems easier to just not worry about it at all, right?

Yes, it could be easier, but even though social media seems like more work than it's worth, have you ever thought about how your Sunday message could be heard by someone across your country or across the world through the power of social media? Social media might not be where they decide to fully commit their life to Christ, but your message might take them one step closer.

Additionally, 38% of Christians who responded to this Barna study, say that they interact with social media that helps them grow in their faith at least once a week. While one in four practicing Christians noted receiving a sermon outside of service each week, generally via podcast (26%) or specifically through options from their church (26%).

So yes, even social media can be used for good.

With that said, even though there are so many possibilities when it comes to your social strategy, we condensed this article down to three types of social posts you should utilize after your Sunday service. We’ll take a deeper dive into the following:

1. Reels/Short Form Video

2. Carousel Posts

3. Stories
   

Let’s kick it off with Reels.

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1. REELS / SHORT-FORM VIDEO

If you have the resources, grab a short 30-60 second clip from a powerful part of the sermon and add captions to it within Instagram by clicking the sticker button and selecting “captions”.

Another way you could go about this is to work with your teaching pastor beforehand and determine a section or a few sections of the sermon that you should video on your phone. That way you know ahead of time to be ready and can edit it within your device. So then you can post the clip instantly or save it for another post later in the week.

Below is an example of how The Village Church does this.

And here's another example of how Lakepointe Church uses the same idea, but they add a designed frame around the video.

Pro tip: Instagram also has a "use this template" feature in reels. So if you see a reel that you like, and see the option to use that template, all you would need to do is upload the photos or videos you would like to use. This is a quick and very easy way to utilize your content in another way.

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2. CAROUSELS

These are a great alternative to reels or an addition to your feed. Especially when they are sendable, save-able, relatable, inspirational, or educational. If your followers think it will help someone they know or if it reminds them of someone - they will send it to them. Which ultimately ties back to one of the 5 categories listed above. Here’s a few ideas for this type of post:

• Ask follow-up or reflection questions in a series of 3 or 4 slides.

• Recap the main topics or key takeaways from the sermon and how your followers can apply it to the week and in their lives.

• Post a few key quotes and/or scripture references from the sermon

Below is a good example of how Watermark Community Church uses the theme of their sermon series and recaps key points from the message.

Another example of how Valley Creek Church used a carousel to recap their sermon and encourage their followers.

And here’s one more example of how Harris Creek Baptist Church used this type of post to recap the key takeaways of their entire series.

What’s the similarity between these three posts? They all fall under at least one (if not more) of the 5 categories….sendable, save-able, relatable, inspirational or educational.

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3. STORIES

Another way you can engage your followers is to post stories on instagram and utilize some of the tools such as running a poll, posting multiple choice questions, or using the “ask me a question” sticker.

This allows followers to directly engage with you and it also feels more personal and relational. Just make sure you have someone who can react or respond to people who are engaging with you.

Here’s a few ideas for how you could use stories:

• Post the worship set list.

• Post a photo of your pastor with a quote from the sermon over the image.

• Share photos of your people as they gather pre and post service.

• Share an invite graphic for your congregation to share with their friends and family. (find graphics for that here.)

• Run a post-service Q&A to encourage your followers to ask any questions they have about the teaching series you're in right now. This could be hosted by your pastor or by someone on staff, that’s up to you.

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So, there you have it. Our hope is that this article gives you a little clarity and direction on what you should be focusing on in order to get the most out of your post-service social posts. Depending on capacity, you may need to choose just one of the 3 types of social posts to focus on for now.

On the flip side, you may be ready to take off running with your social media strategy. For those people, we have a whole article on 10 ways you can improve your church media strategy.

While all of our social graphics are “engaging” on some level, we have an entire subcategory of social graphics created to stop the scroll and encourage comments, likes, and shares. Check out the category, and let us know what you like or what’s missing.

We do media, so you can do ministry….So if there’s an area we can grow in order to serve you better, we would love to know!

Comment below or email us at info@ignitermedia.com