How to Write a Church Activity Headline that Really Gets Read
by Chris Forbes
Free tips for getting the word out about your church from the Ministry Marketing Coach
Everyday in the
United States
people are bombarded with a communication avalanche. It has been estimated by communication experts that the average American experiences 1,500-3,500 attempts to get his/her attention per day.
With all that competition, what hope do we who want to communicate to church members and unchurched people about our church events and ministry opportunities have of getting people to hear us? How do we keep the message we know is so important from getting drowned by the information tsunami?
The answer? Learn to broadcast! No, not by buying a radio station! But by learning to speak to people in a way that makes them naturally tune-in. Communication experts tell us, people are like radio receivers tuned into a single radio station. It seems all people are tuned in to “WII FM”. That stands for “What’s In It for Me?” Want to attract attention of the people you’re trying to reach? Tell them “what’s-in-it-for-me.” Tell them what the ministry event can do for them, or why they should be interested in it through the headline. In other words, give them more than facts, give them benefits.
When my children were younger, they decided they wanted a pet kitten. We all agreed it would be okay for the children to have a kitten. The next day, I noticed for the first time all the kitten communication in my community. I saw “Kittens for Adoption”, “Free Kittens” signs everywhere it seemed. Also, I overheard people even talking about kittens. I even saw stray cats! What made the difference from the day before? On that day I “needed” a kitten for my daughters.
The fact is, people’s needs drive what people pay attention to. People usually only notice what will benefit them in some way. So it never hurts to give them more than just the mere facts in your headlines, event announcements and sermon titles. Learn to think more strategically when writing brochures, newsletters and advertisements. For example, imagine a church is having a ministry retreat for men. Usually, the publicity or announcement will say something like this:
“Men’s retreat this weekend.
Cost $40. Meet at the church at
8 a.m.
Saturday morning.”
That information is factually accurate and will help a person who’s already coming to arrive on time. It won’t, however, give someone a reason to attend. If you take a little more time with the working of your promotions, you can make your publicity more emotionally appealing and benefit-oriented. Take a look at the same retreat, with a little benefit-oriented flair added:
“Learn Six Easy Ways to Improve your Marriage;
Men’s Retreat This Weekend. Cost $40.
Meet at the church at
8 a.m.
Saturday morning.”
This new twist powerfully draws people’s attention because it speaks to a specific need. Who wouldn’t want to improve his marriage? Not only did the men read the notice, it isn’t hard to imagine women everywhere commenting on it to their husbands. Even if things are going great at home, men would still be curious enough about what the retreat is about to ask for more information. Many more would notice the publicity and make plans to come.
Action Point!
Experiment with some old publicity materials you have, take an old bulletin or the announcements from your church and rewrite them, not just with facts and what you’re going to do, but write them in terms of the benefit to the people that those announcements are for. You will see the difference!
