Does the thought of posting regularly on your ministry’s social media channels send you into a tailspin?
Learning how to schedule social media posts makes ministry social media channels manageable.
Today I’m sharing information that will help your team decide:
- How often to post
- What to post
- How to plan your posts
- How to save time posting
The information shared below applies to most social media channels, including Facebook groups, Facebook pages, and Instagram. Remember, you only need to post on the social media channels that most of your women regularly utilize. Survey them to find out where they spend their time online.
How often should we post?
Is it better to post several times a week or several times a day? (Yikes!)
I recommend you post once a day.
Sharing once a day on your ministry social media account creates consistency, encourages connection, and increases interaction.
What should we post on social media?
Take the time to decide what type of posts and information support your ministry’s social media plan.
Below you’ll find a list of post ideas. You may find it helpful to start with 5-7 different types of posts that you can share consistently.
Social media post ideas
1. Bible verse graphics – Consider sharing the context of the verse, especially if it’s one that is often taken out of context.
2. Inspirational quotes – I intentionally only quote famous Christian people who have died. In this day of deconstruction stories, leadership fails, changing theological positions, and celebrity Christianity, I may quickly regret having shared quotes from a current Christian leader, author, or speaker. Please make certain any quote you do share from someone, living or dead, lines up with the beliefs of your church. Some of my personal favorites include Deidrech Bonhoeffer, Billy Graham, Ruth Graham. Elizabeth Elliot, Corrie Ten Boom, C.S. Lewis, A. W. Tozer, and Warren Wiersbe.
3. Event publicity – Share event information, including registration deadlines, speaker photos, registration links, donation collections, sneak peek photos, teasers, childcare sign-up, etc.
4. Short devotionals – Consider asking women in your church to write a short devotional. Reach out to women in your church who are speakers and authors – they may be willing to help.
5. Memes – Add a bit of humor to your social media feed.
6. Links to Biblically sound resources – Check with your church staff for a list of recommended authors and bloggers.
7. Photos – From past events and for upcoming events. Share a photo of a ministry team member, Bible study leader, or volunteer with some fun facts.
8. Videos – Share highlights from a past event. Create a promo video for an upcoming event. Record and share testimonies. Interview team members or women in your church. Share a small segment from your weekly Bible study teaching (if it’s led by someone in your church). Share worship videos from Christian artists.
9. Icebreaker questions – Consider using a mix of fun and faith-focused questions. Icebreakers encourage interaction and provide connection opportunities.
10. Spotify Song Lists – Create and share a song list for your event or a list of inspirational songs.
11. Prayer prompts – Invite your women to join your team in prayer for specific groups of people, missionaries, or topics.
12. Ministry updates – Response from a recent outreach event, the number of retreat spots remaining, donation needs, newsletter links, etc.
What not to post on social media?
You’ve no doubt encountered social media posts that are not helpful, inaccurate, and unbiblical.
I suggest you avoid:
- Quotes, videos, or posts that do not align with your church’s beliefs
- Bible verses that are taken out of context
- Content that violates your church’s social media guidelines (check to see if any are in place)
- Content unrelated to your purpose
Personal prayer requests should never be shared on public social media channels.
How to Create a Weekly Social Media Schedule
I’ve found that creating a weekly social media schedule dramatically decreases the amount of time I spend setting up social media posts.
I suggest creating a weekly plan with one post each day.
Decide what type of post (from those listed above) you want to create or share each day of the week.
Saturday, you could ask an icebreaker question. Sunday, you could share a Bible verse. Maybe Monday, you share an inspirational quote. Tuesday, you could share a link to a blog post focused on faith or spiritual growth. Wednesday, you could ask for prayer requests and praises. Thursday, you could share a photo from a past event or publicity for an upcoming event. Friday, you could share something fun like a meme.
Write down your plan.
Having a written weekly schedule will simplify the process and minimize the time needed to schedule posts. You can always change up the types of posts to communicate important event information or point women toward time-sensitive resources.
How to Schedule Social Media Posts in Advance
Now that you have a plan, it’s time to get your posts scheduled!
Scheduling posts eliminates the need to log into your social media platform each day.
To get started, you may want to post at the same time in the morning every day.
Most social media platforms include free scheduling tools, but there are other options too. You may find a third-party social media scheduling tool easier to use or necessary if you’re posting the same content to more than one account.
Third-Party Social Media Scheduling Tools
I use Creator Studio inside Facebook and the free version of Hootsuite.
Things to consider:
- What does the free version include, if there is one?
- Which social media channels can I connect to?
- Is there a limit to the number of times I can post via schedule in a month?
- How easy is it to use?
- Is it worth paying extra for special features?
- Are you posting the same content to multiple social media channels?
Online tutorials can help to minimize the learning curve.
Ensuring Members See Critical Information
Keep in mind that not all of your followers or group members will see every single post.
If you’re curious, you can take a look at the insights or analytics to see how many people each post reaches.
If you have critical information to share, send it out first via email. Then use social media to remind them.
Setting up a social media schedule is a bit of work on the front end, but you’ll see it quickly pays off!
If you have questions or suggestions, please share them in the comments section below.
You may also want to read:
Virtual Women’s Ministry Resources
3 Keys to Virtual Women’s Ministry
How to Create Social Media Graphics
How to Create a Women’s Ministry Social Media Plan
How to Host a Virtual Bible Study
How to Use Facebook Groups for Women’s Ministry
How to Support Your Women When You Can’t Meet Together
Isolation Icebreaker Questions
Tips for Creating Live and Recorded Video
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