Instagram Reels for Churches – A Complete Guide for 2024

The world of vertical video is revolutionizing social media. You’ll find content unlike anything else on platforms like Instagram, Reels, TikTok, and YouTube Shorts. Many churches need to adapt now as these short-form videos change the game and become one of the best tools to grow your reach and audience.

The algorithm and user behavior are different. The key tips you need to know for optimization are also different. What some churches are doing now is just ticking the box and saying that they posted on TikTok or Reels, but they are not following the best practices.

This guide will focus on Instagram Reels and give you more information on how it can benefit your church. Instagram Reels provide churches with an innovative and engaging way to stay connected with their followers. Churches can utilize this feature to effectively create sermon clips, share timely messages and inspiring stories with their congregation.

It also helps churches grow in impact, allowing them to easily reach new individuals by creating short-form video content that is more likely to be seen and shared on the platform. Utilizing Instagram Reels will allow church members to remain engaged with inspirational stories and encouraging teachings regardless of location. Furthermore, it will enable churches to better market activities and promote upcoming events, furthering their success in reaching out to key audiences.

Getting Started with Instagram Reels

Setting Up an Account

If you haven’t already, the first step in starting Instagram Reels is creating an account. This step is easy. You just have to download Instagram and use your church’s main email account and then sign up.

Creating Content

Once your church has an Instagram account, then you can easily access and make reels.  The next step is to create content. Start by creating a few pieces of content that showcase your church’s values and the stories of how you started. You can also just share the major events that are happening lately in the church. 

Make sure to keep videos short and engaging, as this will help captivate viewers and keep them interested in your content. Additionally, include relevant hashtags in your posts so that users can quickly discover your content.

Posting Reels and Adding Captions

When it comes to posting Reels, churches should think strategically. Posting your Reels early in the morning or late at night can increase engagement as more users are active during these times. Additionally, ensure to include captions and descriptions of each post so that followers understand what your church is trying to say better.

Choosing the Right Hashtags

Hashtags are an excellent way to increase your reach and drive more engagement on your Reels. When choosing the right hashtags, you must consider the topics you want to discuss in each post. This will help you narrow down which hashtags would be appropriate for each post, allowing users to discover your content easily.

Analyzing Performance

After posting your Reels, you’ll want to analyze their performance. Track the metrics associated with each post, such as views, likes, and comments, so you can see how effectively each post reaches out to followers. Additionally, note how often viewers interact with your posts so that you can make changes accordingly.

Tracking Long-Term Progress

Track your Reels performance on a monthly and quarterly basis. This will give you insight into how effective your content is in reaching out to followers and what changes may need to be made for better results.

Using Paid Advertising to Maximize Outreach

Finally, consider investing in paid advertising to further maximize your Reels reach. Paid advertising can effectively target specific audiences interested in the stories you’re sharing.

Best Practices for Churches Utilizing Instagram Reels in 2024

1. Think about what hooks your audience. Creating content for Instagram Reels is about getting your message in front of the right audience. It will help if you craft a hook that captures their attention and offers them something of value. What this does is it determines who your target audience is, and it defines the subject matter of your video. It’s also vital to utilize enticing language and inject curiosity into your posts to draw viewers in.
2. Reinforce your hooks using your on-screen title. The title should be simple and clear enough to communicate your message quickly and should be seen in the first couple of seconds of your video.
3. Make on-screen captions accessible. Some of your audience might be watching without sound, and some audiences watch it on the go or during their commute. You can do this manually or use tools to make captions for you.
4. Leverage Reel features to increase reach. Explain how this can help the church. Reels come with several features that you can use to increase the reach of your content. Hashtags, tags, and music are all great options for increasing exposure on Reels. Additionally, link back to the main IG page when posting stories or videos to draw more viewers in.
5. Take advantage of visual aids and music. Visual aids such as graphics, overlays, and music can help your content stand out. Utilizing these elements will make your Reels more engaging and captivating for viewers. 
6. Know your audience’s interests. Knowing what topics your audience is interested in will help you create content catered to their interests. If you’re unsure of this, do some market research to get insights into what kind of content resonates with them so that you can craft relevant and interesting stories. 
7. Add a call to action. Include a call-to-action at the end of your Reels. This can involve directing viewers to your website or to watch the full sermon. The next steps for your viewers should always be included. Invite them to view more of your content or invite them to a link for a fuller sermon if they see a short clip of your church’s sermons. Map out the journey in your church of the next steps of someone who caught your video to someone having a deeper dive into their faith and being part of the community.
8. Avoid overlapped video elements. You can see lots of buttons that can make captions hard to read. Make sure to double-check this. 
9. Include three hashtags. Including relevant hashtags with your post is an excellent way to get it seen by more people. But don’t go overboard – three hashtags should be all you need for maximum visibility.
10. Write a catchy caption. Make this simple and short. You can also mention here again the main thing of what your video is all about.
11. Strategize what’s the best cover photo. If there’s a person in your reel, ensure that their face is seen in the cover photo.

Instagram Reels can be an effective tool for churches to engage and reach out to their audiences. When used correctly, it can help increase visibility, build trust with viewers and promote church services and other activities. 

By following these best practices, churches can make the most of Instagram Reels in 2024 and beyond.

Not sure how to create a Reel? 

Getting started does not have to be complicated. The best way to start is just use your sermon from Sunday and take a 30-60 second clip. Sermon clips can be done very effectively in less than 10 minutes by using Sermon Shots. 

In fact, we show you how you can do it really easily. Here is a very short guide that shows how to do it in 5 minutes.