Here’s how you can turn your sermon recording into content for all your platforms each week…
+Canva templates to make your life easier!
Social Media
Pick a “highlight” clip – between 30 and 90 seconds – to distribute on social media. If you’re the pastor, you probably already have ideas about what section to use. Cut out this piece using a video editing software like iMovie (Mac) or Movie Maker (PC).
Instagram Reels and Stories need a vertical orientation. Facebook needs horizontal. They would make this harder, wouldn’t they? π
Create these orientations quickly using Canva templates. I made a simple one for you. π
Simply upload your short clip into Canva and drop it into the existing video space. Change the text, logo, and colors as needed. Done!
YouTube
You might already be live-streaming to YouTube. Go you! π
If not, you can upload the recording in its entirety, or edit it down as you see fit.
Make sure to add a keyword-rich description and title (include your city and state, the name of your church, the name of your Pastor, and any applicable verse references). Always add a link to your website so curious onlookers have somewhere to go.
Add a thumbnail if you’re feeling fancy. This can help viewers find what they’re looking for quickly. Use a picture of your church or a screen grab from the recorded sermon.
Email Newsletter
Upload your thumbnail image into your email newsletter. Link that image to your YouTube video.
Why not embed the YouTube video? It may impact deliverability (a.k.a. end up in peoples’ spam folders). Click to read my newsletter about deliverability.β
Bonus points if, along with the video link, you include a few questions for personal devotion and reflection.
Podcast
Anchor.fm used to be my favorite podcast host – it’s 100% free, obnoxiously intuitive to use, and distributes on all the major platforms. It was recently bought by Spotify, but, as far as I can tell, not much has changed.
Check it out here.
You can even upload your video file and it will extract the audio for you. We love saving time!
I understand that I make this sound “easy,” but don’t get me wrong. I understand exactly how much work this takes. π
That’s why I suggest making templates whenever possible. When the time rolls around to edit content, you can just drag & drop.
Overwhelmed? There’s no shame in outsourcing. Find someone in your congregation who can take this off your plate and consider paying them for it.
I hope this was helpful! Let me know – I’d love to chat!