Tailoring Your Social Media Content Across Platforms

Here's how your church can tailor social media content across multiple platforms.

Susanna Fleming

Digital giving apps and tools

Would you wear a swimsuit to a job interview? How about a suit and tie to the beach? I’m guessing the answer is probably not. When it comes to how we dress, context truly matters – and it's the same with social media! Just as we tailor our attire to fit the occasion, the best social media strategies include customizing your content to match the unique cultural expectations of each social media platform. 

Customizing Your Content to Match the Platform

Think about it: A fun dancing clip that goes viral on TikTok may not resonate with professionals on LinkedIn. A detailed industry article that gets traction on LinkedIn might be scrolled past on Instagram.

Beyond format and style, the underlying algorithms of these platforms reward content that keeps users engaged within their environment. A YouTube video directly linked to on Facebook, for example, might not perform as well as one that is actively uploaded to Facebook's platform.

If you are a busy church leader, I understand that even showing up on multiple social media platforms is a huge win for your church! You should be proud of yourself for taking the initiative to manage multiple social media accounts. However, if you want to use each platform to its full potential and make your church’s social media presence truly stand out, Breeze has got you covered! I’ve put together a list that will help you learn the best posting strategy for the most popular platforms, along with a few helpful examples!

Instagram:

Content Type: Relatable content, behind-the-scenes from church events, education (videos mimicking the style of filmed podcasts), and aesthetically-pleasing images.

Demographic: Skewed towards 18-40.

Why tailor your content: When it comes to church social media, Instagram is clearly a leader of the pack. You can use Instagram to showcase the vibrant community and events at your church, as well as engage with your followers through likes, comments, and direct messages.  

Instagram's Gen Z audience appreciates authenticity, so behind-the-scenes content, volunteer activities, and even humor can resonate deeply. Educational content also does well on Reels – think snippets of a pastor sharing scripture or unpacking the sermon. Even so, the culture of Instagram is still somewhat centered around aesthetics. Because of this, it’s best to add eye-catching cover photos to your Reels and keep your grid somewhat clean. 

Facebook:

Content Type: Event announcements, community groups, streaming, and engaging content.

Demographic: Broadly 18-65+, with a significant portion being 40-54.

Why tailor your content: While Facebook is not as popular with younger generations, it is still a powerful platform for churches who want to foster community. With its large user base and diverse features, Facebook provides a great opportunity to connect with your congregation and engage with new followers. To optimize your church's presence on Facebook, it's important to create a professional and visually appealing page that accurately represents your church's mission and values. Then, utilize Facebook’s features, such as Groups, Pages, and Events, to promote your ministries and encourage community discussions. Additionally, utilizing Facebook Live to stream services or special events can further enhance your church's online presence and attract new members.

X (Formerly Called Twitter):

Content Type: Scripture of the day, short sermon insights, and church news.

Demographic: Primarily 18-29, a fast-paced crowd.

Why tailor your content: X’s rapid format means that concise messages, such as daily scripture or a poignant quote from last Sunday's sermon, can resonate. Churches can engage with contemporary issues or trends, offering a faith-based perspective and starting conversations. Retweeting and engaging with other users' content can help build relationships and connect with influencers in the faith community. Organized discussions around specific hashtags are another great way to connect with your congregation and followers on a deeper level. The late Tim Keller utilized this platform incredibly well. You can see examples of his posts here

Threads:

Content Type: Scriptural insights, stories, humor, church announcements, theological discussions, and unique observations.

Demographic: Primarily 18-25, more males than females thus far. 

Why tailor your content: I discussed Threads in detail here. To summarize, Threads is a popular new social media platform that focuses on text rather than images. While you can still post images and videos, it is primarily designed for longer text blocks and conversation starters. With Threads, your church can share everything from announcements to sermon notes to prayer requests, and the culture of the platform allows for longer nuanced discussions. Genuine and authentic conversations are the goal on Threads. Showcase your church’s unique personality and impact by using humor, sharing testimonies, and encouraging meaningful exchanges with your audience. 

YouTube:

Content Type: Full sermons, Shorts, podcasts, and church event highlights.

Demographic: Broad, but a major chunk is 18-44.

Why tailor your content: YouTube is a powerful platform for churches to share their message through video content. With its wide reach and accessibility, YouTube allows your church to connect with a global audience and reach individuals who may not have been exposed to your message otherwise. 

Your church’s YouTube channel is the best place to post videos of sermons, worship services, testimonials, video podcasts, and community events. Make sure to utilize the description box to provide additional information and links to your website or social media accounts. For people to find your video, they need to be able to search for it. By optimizing your video titles, descriptions, and tags with relevant keywords, you can improve your channel's visibility in search results and attract more viewers to your content. 

YouTube shorts function a lot like Instagram Reels or TikTok videos. Keep them short, based on trends, and engaging. Short-form educational videos also do well on YouTube Shorts.

TikTok:

Content Type: Trends, education, challenges, stories, and authentic discipleship content.

Demographic: Largely 16-26 but growing in older demographics.

Why tailor your content: TikTok is all about relatability, which is something the Church in the 21st century United States desperately needs! TikTok is a great place for you to jump on the trends and showcase your church’s livelier side, all while keeping true to your values and mission. TikTok is also a key educational space; rather than searching the internet for answers to their questions, TikTok users follow educational gurus on a variety of topics to have their questions answered. As such, TikTok is actually a genius place for digital discipleship. People are looking for voices to follow so they can sort out their beliefs about the world – and they’re looking on TikTok. 

LinkedIn:

Content Type: Church administration insights, community outreach programs, and volunteer opportunities.

Demographic: 25-54, professionals.

Why tailor your content: LinkedIn is a valuable platform for churches to connect with professionals in their community and share their mission and values. With a focus on networking and professional development, LinkedIn allows your church to reach a different audience than other social media platforms. Use LinkedIn to share updates on community outreach initiatives, highlight the professional accomplishments of church members, and engage in meaningful discussions about topics related to faith and spirituality. By utilizing LinkedIn effectively, your church can establish itself as a thought leader and forge valuable connections in the professional world. You can read tips on how to maximize your use of LinkedIn here.  

MySpace:

Just kidding! We’re leaving MySpace (and its stressful “Top 8” friends list) in the past! This platform is now reserved for music. 

Bonus Tip: 

Content can be repurposed across different platforms. For instance, a TikTok video might also fit well on Instagram Reels or YouTube Shorts. However, when cross-posting, it's essential to avoid platform-specific watermarks. Instead of recording directly on TikTok and then reposting the watermarked video on Instagram Reels, it's better to film on your phone and share the clean version across multiple platforms.

Conclusion

With a clearer understanding of which content works best on each platform, you're all set to start posting. As you delve deeper into each platform and experiment with your posts, you'll naturally grasp these nuances even better. Consider this your initial roadmap! For more insights and guidance on enhancing church communication, don't forget to explore the Breeze blog

Discover how our Groups tool can help you organize and manage one-on-one meetings effectively.

Explore Groups Tool

Looking for an easy-to-use software to help manage your church?

We'd love to show you what we built!

Join 10,000+ happy churches using Breeze ChMS™.

Name
loves Breeze

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Name
loves Breeze

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Name
loves Breeze

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit. Suspendisse varius enim in eros elementum tristique. Duis cursus, mi quis viverra ornare, eros dolor interdum nulla, ut commodo diam libero vitae erat. Aenean faucibus nibh et justo cursus id rutrum lorem imperdiet. Nunc ut sem vitae risus tristique posuere.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
David P.
loves Breeze
St. Pauls United Methodist Church

Breeze has been incredible. Their customer service, commitment to innovation, and their product are top-notch. I love the features, the ease of use and the mobile applications.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Karen M.
loves Breeze
Hillcrest Church

All of our database needs have been more than met, it's easier to use than the last database we had, and the price is amazing - what a value this has been to our church! All of our staff can use this software and they do regularly. We use it to track…literally anything a church could possibly need to track regarding it's attenders.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Chris K.
loves Breeze
Crossroads United Methodist Church

Breeze has been a great asset to our church and congregation. Especially from an administrative standpoint, it has been the most adaptable and easiest church database I have ever used. The features from blast emails to giving on-line, and texting have been one of our greatest assets. Thank you!

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Ed R.
loves Breeze
Church Admin

We switched from a major, web-based ChMS to Breeze and our decision is confirmed every day. We are a medium size church and we use Breeze for contributions, member management, event checkin and a few other applications custom to our church. I had trouble getting any staff to use our previous ChMS but almost all staff are using Breeze. The product is very well designed, extremely easy to learn and use and customer service is incredible.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Ellen G.
loves Breeze
Grace Church

Breeze has opened the communication highway for our congregation and staff, with very little training. Because members can update their own records and search easily for other members - and map their locations, send emails and text right from Breeze, they love it and our data is more real-time accurate. Our ministries are stronger, because they can trust the data in Breeze, which is easily accessed anywhere, anytime.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Steve H.
loves Breeze
First Presbyterian Church of Ramsey

Breeze is the first ChMS my volunteers have actually embraced. That's because it's so easy to use. The software is very flexible and gives us the opportunity to make decisions based on actual data we've collected and not just hunches or stories we believe to be true.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Allicia B.
loves Breeze
Ellel Ministries Canada

I cannot say enough about Breeze. Their customer service is so friendly, you feel like you have friends and family helping you get started, they're prompt to reply and will do whatever they can to help you get things sorted out. It's been so easy to learn, our staff is loving it and best of all even our staff who are not computer savvy find it a breeze (pun intended). We are just thrilled by our choice.

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!
Kevin D.
loves Breeze
Central Baptist Church

From the start of our process looking for an online solution, Breeze has exceeded all our expectations. Fast data import, fast and friendly customer support, and we can’t say enough about how much we like the program itself. Very well designed and user friendly. On a scale of 1-10, Breeze gets a 15 from us!

Try a demo of Breeze for yourself!

Rated 4.9 stars – 700+ reviews