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Churches do a good job at shepherding their current folk but they do a bad job attracting would-be sheep into the fold. So I wanted to equip churches to reach more first time visitors through an overview video. We’ll examine what an overview is, why they are important and how to create one. You might think this doesn’t apply to you because you are a smaller church and can’t afford to create an overview video. Well keep reading because I have some particular budget cutting suggestions for you. You also might think this doesn’t apply to you because you are a larger church. Well keep reading because I have some particular next level steps for you. So that’s my overview, why don’t we jump in by talking about the what.

THE WHAT

The church overview video lands on your website and gives a big picture perspective of your church in one to two minutes. Some people call it welcome video, new here video, or what to expect video. It doesn’t really matter what you call it because it still accomplishes the same thing. It gives first time visitors an idea of what your church is like and an invitation to check it out. So that is the what, now let’s talk about the why.

THE WHY

Try Before You Buy - An overview video gives first timers a chance to check you out before fully committing. It gives them a chance to see what you’re like before coming to a service. If you have never been to church before, it can be a nerve racking experience. You don’t know what is gonna happen. Are these people gonna handle shakes? Are they gonna try to heal me? An overview video puts these types of questions to bed. Trying before buying also removes negative baggage. Lots of people think churches just want your money. If the overview doesn’t mention money, then it helps to remove this hurdle for people.

Show Not Tell - Another reason why an overview helps you attract people to your church is because it shows instead of tells. Let’s face it, talk is cheap. It's easy to say we love people and are a loving church. But when you show people smiling and hugging it confirms it. You might say you are normal and not weird but seeing you pastor on stage dressed as an ordinary person shows it. Another area where showing and not telling is vital is compassion. There is a high degree of skepticism against churches. You guys are just asking for my money to pad your pockets. But God has blessed us to bless others. Some whatever compassion looks like in your church, mission trips, soup kitchens, clothing drives, make sure to show it.

Shareable Content - Most people love their churches and want to share about them to their friends and families. But most churches do a pretty crappy job at resourcing them. Usually it is just to go forth and spread the word. This video will help address that problem. Creating an overview video will also help you utilize your best marketing tool - word of mouth. People will want to share this video with others, which will in turn increase your 1st time visitors. A 1-2 overview video is a perfect way for your folks to share about how awesome your church is. So create a video for them and see what God does with it.

People Want To Watch Not Read - Given the option what would you rather do? Read an article or watch a video? Most people naturally opt for the latter because it is an easier way to consume content. The words and pictures are provided for you. So give people what is easy. Give them something to watch instead of something to read. Also most church websites have tons of content to read already, so watching something is a welcomed change of pace.

HOW

1-2 Minutes Long - Movie trailers on average are about 2 minutes long and they draw an audience to see a film. And some trailers don’t even need to be that long to accomplish their goal. As an example, Let’s take a look at this teaser. That was only 11 second and I am totally pumped to see the movie Dawn Of The Planet Of The Apes. If movie studios feel confident that people are gonna come see their multi million dollar film with a 1-2 minute trailer, then you should be confident that your 1-2 minute overview will help you reach more 1st time visitors. Many people falsely believe that more is more. The opposite is true here. More is less. They longer you push beyond that 1-2 minute mark and the less likely 1st time visitors will want to attend your church.

Keep The Target Audience Wide - You want this video to speak to, appeal to, church and unchurched folks. This will attract as many 1st time visitors as possible. Remember, 1st time visitors are people new to church and people new to the area. So keep the target audience wide. That being said, you will still need to write the script with a particular target audience in mind. So who do you write for unchurched or churched folks. The answer is easy, unchurched folks. And the reason is because if you write a script for unchurched folks, churched folks will still understand what you’re saying. But the opposite isn’t true. If you write for church folks, the unchurch probably won’t understand some of the video. The best way to write a script for unchurched folks is to keep the language as secular instead of scared as possible. So instead of saying the “our worship team will lead us to the throne room of God through praise” say “our band will start things off by playing a number of high-energy songs”

Talent Should Represent The Church And Be Warm - Hopefully your lead pastor is both. But sometimes lead pastors know who to communicate from the stage but not on the camera. If this is the case then consider someone else to be the narrator. If you have a drama ministry this might be one of your actors. If you have talented people hosting your services or presenting your announcements then consider them. In other words, don’t just use your lead pastor because they are your lead pastor. Use whoever will come off as warm and welcoming to 1st time visitors. This may or may not be your lead pastor.

Location For Talent - The location should be a big, open and relational area. Something like your lobby or coffee bar. A big area gets your talent off the wall and makes the visually stand out. And open areas make the space feel inviting and not claustrophobic. And a relational area communicates that you are all able people and relationships. The worst locations for talent would be your office or auditorium. Shooting your lead pastor in their office with a bookshelf full of commentaries and concordances makes them feel like a distant egg head sitting in an ivory tower. Not the most attractional feel for a 1st time visitor. Shooting in an auditorium conveys that the church is all about, or worst yet, only ago, what happens during the service. Not services are important but they aren’t the be all and end all. Also you will probably have plenty of b-roll from you services that people until already understand its importance. Lastly the recording location for the talent should also be indoors. Mainly because it is a more controlled environment and your producer won’t have to worry about background noise of changing cloud coverage.

B-Roll - And speaking about b-roll you will want to start visually strong. 1st time visitors will be forming the majority of their options about your, your church and your God within the first 15 seconds. They will form these options by what you say but more so by what you show. In other words, if your church doesn’t look compelling within the first 15 seconds, you are starting to lose people. So whatever your best b-roll is, try to stick it into the first 15 seconds. That’s the gorgeous drone shoot of you location, that smiling greeter shaking a hand, kids happily playing in their environment, a room full of worshippers engaged in the music, and your lead communicator with their most dynamic body language. It is all your best shots. So cram them into the first 15 seconds to draw people into the rest of the video.

More People Than Place - You may have a beautiful facility. Your lawn is freshly cut, flower beds have been landscaped, foyer has been recently remodeled, auditorium has the most up to date technology. If this is your church, that’s great, God bless you. But if this is you then avoid the temptation to showcase, or show off, your place. Remember that 1st time visitors, in fact everybody, is more interested in your people than your place. So show the people.