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TL;DR Most churches struggle on social media because they act like brands instead of influencers—focusing on logos, self-promotion, and announcements rather than relatable, engaging content. 1. Stop posting like a brand—be personable, not polished. 2. Don’t make it all about your church; post what interests followers. 3. Create content people relate to so they’ll like, comment, and share. 4. Lead with value, then make your “ask” (event, invite, etc.). |
I’m not a fan of the term, but I guess you could call me an influencer. My focus is on helping churches improve their social media presence, primarily through my company, Sunday Social, but also through my Instagram account.
As an influencer, your success hinges on people engaging with your content. A post that gets less than 10,000 views is generally seen as a failure. Ideally, you’re aiming for a couple of million views. To make money on social media, you need consistent engagement, and advertisers need to see enough value in your content to invest in it. Even posts that are direct ads for sponsors need to perform well.
Social media experts often advise against posting ads on church accounts. But let’s be realistic; I know you’re a church, and I know it’s necessary. The same goes for me.
Here’s a secret: You can succeed on social media even if you’re posting ads. The key is understanding what most churches are doing wrong and making the right adjustments.
Having worked with thousands of churches through Sunday Social and observing thousands more on Instagram, I’ve identified a few common mistakes.
Mistake 1: Posting Like a Brand
Brands are faceless entities focused on selling something. Influencers, on the other hand, are people you can trust. Brands worry about color schemes and putting their logo on everything, while influencers focus on being relatable. As a result, brands often struggle on social media, especially local ones, while influencers thrive.
Branding on social media often looks like:
• Constant ads urging people to attend your church.
• Placing your logo on everything.
• Prioritizing design over content.
Hint: Your graphics and videos don’t need your logo on them. Your account already displays your name and logo.
Mistake 2: Posting About Yourself
You might think, “Jonathan, it’s our social media account—why wouldn’t we post about our church?” But here’s the thing: Influencers succeed because they post content that their followers find interesting. If you think about the people you follow, it’s likely because you’re interested in their lives or they entertain you in some way.
Ads don’t perform well on social media, especially for churches, because they either ask something from the viewer that they’ve already decided on, or they don’t apply to the viewer.
Constant “come to church” posts are self-serving and don’t actually convince anyone to attend. If I’m going to be there, I already know, and that men’s ministry announcement might be relevant to me, but it’s probably not to the other half of your audience.
Hint: This is why varied pictures work so well. People love seeing photos of themselves and their friends.
Mistake 3: Not Relating to Your Audience
Lastly, many churches post content that doesn’t resonate with their followers. One of the most effective strategies on social media is to create posts that make people think, “That’s so me” or “That’s so my friend.” When people see themselves in your posts, they’re more likely to like, comment, and share. This engagement signals to social media platforms that your content is valuable, so social media shows it more.
This approach is crucial for making your ads successful. Start with a video or a statement that people can relate to immediately (within the first second or two). Once you’ve created that relatable moment, you can guide people toward the event or product you’re promoting at the end of the video, in the last slide, or in the caption. You offer entertainment or value first, and then make your ask.
If you consistently post relatable content, even your ads will attract attention because your followers expect your content to be worth their time.
Hint: About one in three of my posts are ads for sponsors, but most of my followers wouldn’t even realize it because they connect with the content first; the ad feels like a bonus.
If you adjust your approach in these three areas, I guarantee you’ll see more views, higher engagement, and increased followers. Plus, your church won’t look like every other church on social media—you’ll innovate and see results. It’s possible.
