Youth ministry publicity goes into hyperdrive in the fall. Autumn is prime outreach time for teen groups. It’s when students are injected back into their mission field. And I’ve learned that as youth ministers, one of our many jobs is to create a place where it’s easy for students to invite their friends. Especially their unchurched friends.
So here are five tips to help you create excitement around your youth ministry this fall. Plus, these youth ministry publicity tips will help students promote the program to friends, classmates, and teammates.
5 Tips for Fall Youth Ministry Publicity
1. Create a teaching schedule.
First, know what you’re teaching ahead of time. That gives you the opportunity to be super-creative with promoting each week’s activities to teens.
2. Create a fun theme.
Now, I’m not talking about a theme that’s super-insider or super-spiritual. I’m talking about out-of-the-box thinking. Use a seasonal theme that’s fun and relatable to all students, whether Christian or not. Here are a few ideas:
- Serving – Fill the coming months with small- and large-group serving projects to which students can invite their friends.
- Own it – Allow students to own an element of the youth gathering each week. It might be the program or a service event before or after the message.
- Rep your school – Highlight some great things happening at some of your students’ schools.
You can “theme out” in many ways this fall! It’s an easy way to create hype and help your core students invite non-churched friends.
3. Use social media.
Embrace social media and use it to your advantage. It’s the easiest way to get the word out about what’s coming up.
- Create a running hashtag for the fall for students to share.
- Create a schedule-related meme that’s funny yet informative.
- Hold a video contest for students that promotes upcoming events.
- If you haven’t noticed, you probably have fewer students and more parents on Facebook. Create something for parents to share, promoting the fall schedule.
- Create a 3-minute recap video you can post to social media to promote the next week.
