20 Moves Every Church Can do NOW to get More Views on YouTube...
Mar 26, 2024
1. Turn off "Made For Kids": There is a setting in YouTube called "Made for Kids". Your church's channel is NOT made for kids. If you check "yes" you're telling YouTube that you don't want to get views.
- It turns off comments
- Limits views
- Turns off the mini-player
- Demonetizes your channel
- And more
Spiritually, I believe this was used specifically as an attack against many ministries. Don't fall for it ๐
2. Optimize Thumbnails: Ensure your thumbnails feature a clear, large face with visible eyes for maximum viewer engagement. Make the text easy and fun to read. This is an easy fix most churches could start doing right now. If you think the faces on your thumbnails are big enough, they probably aren't.
3. Stay Laser-Focused: Keep your content tightly aligned with your church's core message and values. Don't do a video about salvation one day and your recent skiing trip the next.
4. Learn from the Pros: Study successful church channels and adapt their proven strategies to fit your style. This doesn't necessarily mean mega-ministries. Look for other churches your size.
Sometimes mega-ministries get views just because they have a built-in following that you may not have.
5. Engagement is Key: Get your leadership team to like, comment, and watch the videos.
We have our "Dream Team" hit play. They don't even have to listen to it.
We also encourage them to pray with people in the live chat, and the comments. These are real people that need real connection.
6. Consistency Counts: Keep the content pipeline flowing with regular uploads to maintain audience interest.
7. Master SEO: Nail down the basics of SEO (search engine optimization) to increase your visibility and reach on YouTube.
This includes your title, thumbnail, tags, description, and even the transcription in some cases.
Make sure your channel is optimized for search, meaning: when someone searches "How to pray right", your video comes up.
8. Fully Commit: If you don't care about your channel, it shows. Your lack of dedication is contagious to your viewers.
9. Watch Out For The "Branding Bug": Don't let your "branding" mess up your thumbnails and titles. When someone wants an answer to a question they don't want to see your logo or website.
10. Mobilize Your Flock: Rally your congregation to actively support and promote your YouTube efforts.
11. Trim Your Videos: After the live stream is processed on YouTube, trim out the countdown, announcements, fluff, and whatever else does not contribute to the value proposition of the video. Yes, this might mean trimming out your praise and worship.
12. Analyze and Refine: Utilize analytics to gain insights into viewer behavior and fine-tune your content strategy accordingly. Specifically monitor the Retention, and New Vs. Returning Viewers graphs.
13. Spread the Word: Extend your reach by sharing your videos across all relevant social media platforms once the video is done processing the fluff you trimmed out earlier.
14. Call to Action: Prompt your viewers to take specific actions, such as subscribing, donating, or attending services, but do it at the right times. A general rule of thumb is to give them 3 things of value, then deliver a call to action.
15. Get Help: I heard one minister say "Someone else should be doing your job in 18 months". That hit me hard because delegation has always been hard for me. Don't allow the enemy to tell you that you're the only one capable of doing the job right. Here's a whole video I did with my bro Mason about this topic specifically: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v-u3NSTzKNQ
16. Secure Your Channel: Protect your channel against unauthorized access by enabling two-step verification. Sometimes this is not enough though, so be sure to have a heavy-duty password and don't give it to anyone who hasn't signed a NDA.
17. Stay Agile: Remain flexible and adaptive, willing to pivot your strategy based on feedback and changing trends. DO NOT GET STUCK IN A RUT.
18. Pray: No matter what new platform pops up, or what strategy is hot at the time, prayer is one of the only actions that guarantees results.
19. Lead with Authenticity: Be genuine, transparent, and relatable in your content and interactions with your audience.
BUT don't be too transparent. Transparency does not equal Authenticity.
Maintain your privacy to increase professionalism. No one needs to see your messy room, or crazy kids. Pair authenticity with intentionality, and you have a professional brand.
20. Never Give Up: Maintain unwavering persistence and determination in pursuit of your YouTube goals, no matter the challenges you may face.
Remember, this is all for the Kingdom. We aren't simply content creators, we are Sowers, and "He gives seed to the sower and bread to the eater".
With these 20 strategic maneuvers locked and loaded, you're poised to dominate the YouTube scene and advance your church's mission like never before. So, gear up, take action, and let's go out and win some souls.