The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Latest Episodes:

How Much Should You Be Paid, Best Microphones & Video Recording Warnings | #AskBrady Episode 45 Dec 09, 2017

Show notes

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools

#TIMESTAMPS: 0:59 - I'm about to be hired as the director of media and communications for my church but neither of us really know what to charge. How does one go about figuring out the numbers? 5:24 - Do you have mic recommendations for announcements or interview videos? 12:53 - Do you think it's necessary to post signs throughout your building that video/audio recording will be going on in the service? 17:13 - How often do you change your church profile and cover photos? Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month. Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast. Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Single Event Advertising with Bold Conference: Coaching Edition #025 Dec 07, 2017

Show notes

Being a once a year event, Bold Conference is struggling to build a year round advertising strategy. Brady sits down with Carson to put some plans in place.

What's In This Session?

Church Name: Bold Conference
Church Location: Kansas City, Missouri
Church Age: Pre-planning
Church Size: Sponsor church is 500
On the coaching call: Carson Cooper - Creative Contract

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Be more than promotion. You want to be present in the lives of your audience, but this can be more than just advertising. It can be blog posts, behind the scenes content, podcasts, videos - anything that is valuable to your audience. Find ways to accomplish the vision of your conference in an online space.
Have a measurable goal. If your goal is too broad, it will make it difficult to work toward because so much can fit into it. By narrowing down your goal you can better focus your energy, as well as know when you're actually achieving it.
Put in effort that is equal to the size of your goal. Often churches use God as an excuse to not put in the necessary work. Yes. God partners with us, but we still need to do our part. If you choose a big goal - plan for hard work.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/single-event-advertising-bold-conference/.

191 - The 6-Step Story Structure with Adam Bush Dec 05, 2017

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/191 - One of the struggles when it comes to storytelling in your church is finding stories to tell. Adam shares his strategy, as well as storytelling structure in this session.

What's In This Session?

How to discover stories in your church (and why not everyone's story is worth telling) (14:13)
Convincing individuals in your church to share their stories on camera (17:59)
Church on the Move's story structure (21:37)
The best place to record a video interview (27:59)
Essential gear for story videos (30:55)
Pro video storytelling tips from the trenches (35:18)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

The key to stories worth telling is change. Every great story has a main character who changes. Use this as a guide when choosing stories from your congregation to tell. Look for someone who has changed.
What location will support this story? When choosing where to film your story videos, choose places that make sense to your story. This will help you tell the story visually before your subject even begins speaking. Choosing space that make sense for the story will also help the story feel authentic.
Audio first. When it comes to gear, start with quality audio. People are more likely to stop watching due to poor audio quality rather than poor picture quality. Put thought and money into a quality microphone and learn how to use it properly.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp191/.

Moving The Needle Forward Creatively, Ignoring Countdowns & Nursery Alerts | #AskBrady Episode 44 Dec 02, 2017

Show notes

► Subscribe to my channel here: http://www.youtube.com/subscription_center?add_user=ProChurchTools

#TIMESTAMPS: 1:03 - How do we measure if a creative project "moves the needle forward" enough? 9:48 - What's your opinion on website video background? 16:28 - Any suggestions to improve our countdowns so people in the lounge stop ignoring them? 23:38 - We are looking for a solution for sending nursery alerts to parents during our worship service. Any suggestions? Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month. Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast. Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer iTunes Podcast | http://prochurchtools.com/itunes

Moving To A Multisite Model with Peninsula Covenant Church: Coaching Edition #024 Nov 30, 2017

Show notes

Peninsula Covenant Church is just about to launch their second campus and are wanting to flesh out out what that means when it comes to structure and communications. Brady weighs in with his thoughts.

Meet The Church Being Coached

Church Name: Peninsula Covenant Church
Church Location: Redwood City, California
Church Age: 65 years
Church Size: 900 - 1,000
On the coaching call: Tony Gapastone - Worship Arts Pastor, Kristin Hernandez - Communications Director

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Keep your social together and streamlined. Splintering your audience apart based on campus location can dilute your online presence. It can also make it confusing for new visitors, or people searching for information.
Community trumps programming. What will make your outreach sticky is whether or not students can identify the group. As human beings we were created for community. We all want a group of people to call our own. Feeling like they fit in and belong with the group will keep students around.
Create a content marketing strategy. College age students spend a lot of time online, which is exactly why you need to be present online. This can be in the form of YouTube videos, podcasts, blogposts, etc. The key is to make sure you create content that fits the platform, and that this content is not just advertising, but instead is valuable on its own.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/moving-multisite-model-peninsula-covenant-church/.

190 - How A 50+ Pastor Dominates Instagram with Carey Nieuwhof Nov 28, 2017

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/190 - Carey Nieuwhof is a pastor who does Instagram well. He joins us to discuss learning Instagram when you're not a digital native, and his best Instagram tips.

What's In This Session

The origins of the name Connexus Church (11:34)
Why an older pastor would dive into Instagram (17:01)
Using social platforms aspirationally (21:44)
How to learn Instagram when it feels foreign to you (25:35)
The best way to use Instagram Stories to drive results for your church (32:03)
Carey's favorite moments on Instagram (36:57)
Best advice for Instagram rookies from an older pastor (39:41)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Do market research. When Carey was first starting Connexus he took the time to poll his target audience and understand his community. This research enabled him to set his church up for success, and a great first impression, by listening to the people he planned to serve.
Use social media aspirationally. If your target audience is on a specific platform - why wouldn't you be there? Even if for the first month you just create an account and observe. Figure out the culture and rules of the platform, but be present where your people are. It really does come down to whether you truly want to connect with them or not.
Don't let your conflict simmer. Use Instagram stories to share your life. One of the major complaints against churches and church leaders is that they're fake, so allow them to know who you are. Be authentic. Allow people to know what it's like to live as a Christian, and as a leader. Be a real human being.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp190/.

Non-Creepy Social Media Invites, Background Music & Announcing Every Event | #AskBrady Episode 43 Nov 25, 2017

Show notes

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools

#TIMESTAMPS: 1:04 - How can we pray for you? Also, what are your top five things that are quality content that a mobile church can offer to their community that could convert into a non-creepy invite? 13:34 - Why is 'hello@whatever' better than 'office@whatever' or 'info@whatever'? 15:57 - Where can you get cheap, quality background music? 18:53 - Everyone thinks their event is the most important. Can you share some strategies on how to deal with the inevitable conflicts that will arise? Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month. Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast. Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

Building A Unified Brand with Calvary Apostolic Church: Coaching Edition #023 Nov 23, 2017

Show notes

Calvary Apostolic Church wants to project a unified welcoming message across everything they do, but aren't sure how to get everyone on the same page. Brady talks with their Creative Director about their current new visitor follow up sequence, and how they can improve their retention.

Meet The Church Being Coached

Church Name: Calvary Apostolic Church
Church Location: Columbus, Ohio
Church Age: 100 years
Church Size: 350
On the coaching call: Isaac Cowden - Creative Director & Band Leader

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Takeaways

Have consistent handles across every platform. Consistent handles make it easy for your audience to find you on every platform. Where as needing to remember multiple handles can be confusing and can keep people from following your church on social media.
Develop a true sense of community. With the coming of the digital age people have access to education, music and ideas at the click of a button, but are often left feeling lonely. The church was designed to be an integrated community, and living this out can fill a need for the people who visit you and can help them decide whether or not to stay.
Base your small groups around activities. Having a common activity helps dissipate awkwardness and gives people common ground to bond over. This common ground can lead to deter connections and conversation.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/building-unified-brand-calvary-apostolic-church/.

189 - How A Christian Vlogger Gained 40K YouTube Subscribers In 18 Months with Justin Khoe Nov 21, 2017

Show notes

http://prochurchtools.com/189 - Justin is a digital missionary, and joins us to discuss how to make the most of YouTube. He shares tips on YouTube keywords, what it takes to grow your followers, and the perfect YouTube video.

What's In This Session?

Why Justin turned to YouTube to become a digital missionary (7:34)
The true definition of the word "vlog" (12:36)
How Justin grew from 0 to 40,000 subscribers in 18 months (15:00)
Dissecting what it takes to get 100,000+ views on a YouTube video (20:39)
Pro tips for YouTube keyword research (24:03)
The perfect anatomy of a YouTube video (31:38)
The most important metric that YouTube tracks (and why it's so important) (35:21)
Best strategies for YouTube titles & thumbnails (39:51)

Show Notes & Resources Mentioned

3 Instant Take Aways

Millennials disproportionately trust individuals over institutions. Logging gave Justin a great platform from which to share his faith because it was him, an individual, talking about it and living it out. This helps millennials connect more willingly with his message.
Be relevant to your target audience. This doesn't mean avoiding truth or "watering down" the gospel. It means making the truth of who Jesus is applicable to the situations people find themselves in every single day. Some of Justin's most viewed videos were on dating, and the reason for this is that dating is something millennials spend a lot of time thinking about because it is a part of their day to day life.
Ask yourself why someone would want to watch a video. Is it because they're asking a specific question? Are they looking for a different perspective on an issue? It might be different for different videos, but by being aware of this you can give your videos focus. Remember to promise the value you will be offering up front at the beginning of the video.

Find the full transcript for this session of the Pro Church Podcast at http://prochurchtools.com/pcp189/.

Purging Social Media Accounts, Slide Graphics & When Not To Use Stock Video | #AskBrady Episode 42 Nov 18, 2017

Show notes

Watch the video version of this episode of The #AskBrady Show here: https://www.youtube.com/user/ProChurchTools

#TIMESTAMPS: 1:04 - Should I get rid of the past history of our social media posts? 6:50 - Are there circumstances when we should not use stock video? 14:18 - What is the difference in style between a social graphic and a church slide graphic if they're both announcements? 19:27 - When your church is able to grow their communications department, what are some key positions to fill? Brady Shearer is the CEO of Pro Church Tools Inc., a company helping churches communicate better. Through weekly videos, podcasts, and articles, Pro Church Tools reaches more than 25,000 churches every month. Brady is the host of The #AskBrady Show, a church communications focused Q&A video show and podcast, as well as the Pro Church Podcast, a weekly interview audio podcast. Follow Me Online Here: Instagram: http://instagram.com/bradyshearer Facebook: http://facebook.com/prochurchtools Website: http://prochurchtools.com Twitter: http://twitter.com/bradyshearer

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