Do you recognize that YouTube is a powerful tool to reach people with the good news but have approximately zero time to give to it?
Reaching people online through video does not have to be complex or challenging.
In fact, below we have three easy YouTube hacks that will help increase your sermon views. These hacks will work for you even if all you are doing on YouTube is posting your sermons.
Click here for the video version of this post!
Hack #1: Title Your Videos Better
This is one of our more popular tips from our e-book, Be Church Online: How Progressive Church Leaders can Embrace Digital Ministry.
The concept is simple.
People need to be convinced to watch your videos.
One of the main ways popular YouTubers entice viewers to give their videos a chance is through the titles they use.
You need to title your videos better, Church Leader.
People will not want to watch your videos if they are titled “April 1st 2021” or “ third Sunday in Easter” How will they have any idea what it is about?
Instead try titles related to the theme of your message:
- The Most Important Thing Paul Teaches Us
- Who Was Elijah Anyway?
- Does Jesus Want Us to Be Happy?
Yes, you are trying to make your titles a little click-baity. People will be used to this on YouTube and would rather know what they are getting into anyway.
This simple change alone will drastically increase exposure to your sermon videos.
Hack #2: Cut Out the Fluff
Some pastors post YouTube videos of their entire worship service. Others post only the sermon.
If you are posting your entire worship service, it may be worth posting only the sermon for a few weeks in a separate video to see how the views compare.
Some people only want to hear the message and will skip through the other parts of worship anyway… By posting a separate video, you make it easier for them, making it more likely that they will take the time to watch it in the first place.
And if you are already posting only the sermon?
Consider how your videos start and end. Do you have an extra 60 Seconds walking from the video camera to the pulpit before you actually start speaking?
If so, consider investing some time and energy into figuring out how you can cut the excess fluff time out of your videos before posting them.
Hack #3: Spread the Word
You may think that everyone already knows that your church has a YouTube channel, but how often do you actually share about it?
How often are you posting on your church social media pages about your latest videos or even passed videos?
Does your YouTube channel link live in your email signature?
Is your YouTube channel Link in your church newsletter or e-blasts?
Is it on the front page of your website?
Often times people think everyone already knows about their online presence because they are spending so much time working on it, but you need to remind your people over and over again.
Now it’s your turn!
If you found this article helpful, you will love our complete ebook for church leaders all about how to Be Church Online.
The first part includes all sorts of Deep dive details for embracing digital ministry. The second half includes real church examples from 20 Progressive Christian communities living out their progressive values online and offline.
Check it out on our website or on Amazon today!