The Church’s Guide To Using Instagram

Is your church on Instagram? Should you be? (Hint: the answer is yes!)

Why Use Instagram?

Instagram has over 800 million users and more than 500 daily active users. Want some more numbers? Over 200 million Instagram users visit at least one business profile daily, and 60% of those users discover new brands through the app.

All right, now that we've established Instagram is a powerful app, what does any of this have to do with church?

We've seen that Church is about people and not a physical place. And Instagram is just one more way for the Church to connect and engage with their community. 

Instagram can help you reach out to new visitors and stay connected with your faithful attendees. Your church will be able to increase awareness and strengthen your connection with your attendees.

Communicating on Instagram for your church can be a rewarding experience. By joining the world of Instagram, you get to be on the front lines of God's work and tell the stories of what Jesus is doing in and through the Church. That's a privilege and honor!

How To Start Your Church's Instagram Account

It's pretty easy to set up an Instagram account. All you have to do is download the app from the App Store or Google Play or create an account from your computer.

This account creation process is mostly straightforward. Just start by choosing a username and password. One thing to remember – you can set up an account on your desktop, but you will need the app to post content.

Set Up a Business Profile

When you build your Instagram, sign up as a business account to get valuable insight and analytics on your posts. To have a business profile on Instagram, your business must have an active Facebook Page.

Once your Facebook Page and Instagram account are linked, you can add your contact information, including a phone number, physical address.

Pick Your Username

When you create your username for Instagram, match it to your church's name and your other church social networks. Keeping your name as consistent as possible will help make your account easily identifiable.

Write Your Instagram Bio

Keep your bio short and simple. The pervading tone on Instagram is light and playful, so it doesn't have to be completely serious! Include any church hashtags you want people to use and a link to your church website or blog.

Choose A Profile Photo

Your Instagram profile photo is very tiny! Make it something easy to identify, such as your church logo. Or, use the same photo as your Facebook profile image for consistency. Avoid changing it often since keeping the same image helps people quickly identify your church when they scroll through their Instagram feed.

Post Ideas For Your Church's Instagram

Once you've created your Instagram account and optimized your profile, it's time to start posting!

When you first start, don't overwhelm yourself with sharing too many posts. A good goal for starting is 3-4 posts per week. Once you understand the app and what your audience wants to see, you can adjust how often to post.

To get you started on Instagram, here are some post ideas for you to consider:

• Share Scripture or quotes from your sermons.
• Talk about your staff's favorite bible studies or devotionals.
• Share your worship playlist.
• Go behind the scenes during a service, event, or meeting.
• Invite your audience to join your services and events.
• Celebrate baptisms, confirmations, and communion.
• Highlight a volunteer or member of your community who is living out the values of the church.
• Share images or videos from your worship service.
• Promote an upcoming sermon or sermon series.

Questions To Ask Yourself Before Posting 

Before sending every post, ask yourself these questions:

• How does this point to Jesus and the gospel and support the mission of the church?
• What are you trying to do with this post? What's the goal?
• If you knew your posts were being archived, would that make you change them? 
• Could this be misrepresented, taken out of context, and used to malign your character or the church's reputation? 
• Don't just seek to make a point. Ask, "Am I making a difference?"

Need Help Coming Up With What To Post? 

Deciding what content to post on Instagram can be a challenge. And making the image eye-catching in a sea of Instagram accounts can be even harder. 

PMF Creative can help you spark your audience's attention through our custom design graphics, spectacular videos, and engaging captions.