A year ago, churches from across the nation went online and began to live stream their services to the world. They noticed that people began to notice them and that made them take notice (see what I did there?). Twelve months have passed and what have we learned about our live streams and how can we make them better? In the spirit of “tweak every week” here are some ideas to improve your live streams:
Have a catchy video and caption title. Don’t just say “join us Sunday” but use a catchy title to stop the scroll and have people watch for a bit. Something like “Is There More To Life Than This?” or “Battling Fear”. Imagine that people are driving by at 80km per hour, and you want them to slow down just a bit to see what might be happening.
The start of your service needs to be catchy. When you first hit “go live”, Facebook sends out a notification to a lot of people and they will click on your service. However, if you’re not immediately live, then you will lose them. If you plan to start the stream before the service actually starts please do the following:
Only go live 5 minutes or less before the service start time
Have rotating graphics and a countdown timer that says “Live Service will start in _____”
Use upbeat music (royalty free).
Invest in good quality audio. Please don’t just use the mic on your phone. Connect your sound board to your phone so you have decent audio quality. If you are having a worship band, please do a separate “monitor” mix and add some reverb to help the quality of the audio.
Display the lyrics so we can sing along. If you’re going to have worship, please add the lyrics to your stream so we can join in. If you use PowerPoint, please add that to your live stream as well. Be careful of “picture and picture” because it’s hard to see on a smaller screen (like a phone). Try and overlay your lyrics 2 lines at a time so we can see them even on a phone.
Talk to and engage with the online congregation. Make sure you welcome those online, talk to them and think through how they can engage in the service. Have hosts who chat online and find ways to make this an engaging experience. You can read more about it here.
Have options to connect beyond the service. Find ways to engage people when the service is done. Invite them to a “Zoom Lobby”. Have them fill out a digital info card or text for more information. Be intentional to make connections beyond Sunday. You can read more about it here.
Remember, your Sunday live stream is just one aspect of engaging people. The online space is vast. Keep tweaking. Keep creating. Keep trying. There is an amazing opportunity just ahead.
Jeremiah works as an Effectiveness Coach with the ABNWT District of the PAOC. He is a passionate and creative leader who believes that the church is the hope of the world. He uses collaboration, innovation, and inspiration to challenge churches and their leadership to engage in the only mission Jesus ever sent his church on: making disciples.