This month I’m giving churches a number of easy ways to “kick start” the new year . . . this week we’re talking about how to add video announcements to your weekend services.

We’ve found that there are a few critical ingredients that we need to ensure that our video announcements are working for us . . . and that we’re not over investing in this one time use creative project.

Excellent On Screen Talent // Lauren hosts our “411” spots and is pretty amazing at it.  She can basically take the script and crank it out in one or two on screen reads.  She’s easy going and engaging on screen.  You need to find the right person to have on screen . . . this will make or break your project!

Gear That Supports Quick Production // If you are going to be doing this every week . . . you need to invest in gear that is going to make it as quick as possible to do. At the core of the video announcement system is a Canon 7d.  Not only does this camera take amazing, high quality video . . . it was a step up in the ease of capturing the video and getting into the editing system.  We also added some new mics to the mix to improve the quality on that front.

Solid Writing // Ten days before the video announcement is going to air . . . we pass the point form notes of what we need to cover in that week’s video to Dave Adamson to pull together a script and shooting direction for our video team.  He then mulls it over and provides a script on the Monday before it’s going to be aired.  [Dave blogs! Check out Aussie Vibe.]  We shoot it typically on the Tuesday before it’s seen by our people.

Snappy Animated Opener // I love the opener that was a part of our 2011 videos . . . it’s quick and energetic . . .gives a sense that we are up to something as a church.  Making a snappy animated opener does the same thing as a standard opening does on a television show . . .it makes sure that people are ready for the show!  I’d resist updating this too much . . . TV shows keep their openers the same over an extended people to time for a reason.  We’re updating ours after a year . . . that feels about right.

Limit What You Say // Like all announcements . . . you need to narrow the focus so people remember what you are saying.  We keep our announcements on any given weekend to just two items . . . we work that out through a master calendar to make sure that people aren’t overwhelmed and they have a chance of remembering.  Video announcements is not a chance to cram more data into your people . . .it’s a chance to better highlight the one or two things you need your people to know!

Stick to it. // If you are going to venture into video announcements . . . commit to it as a form to learn.  It will take you 4-6 months of regularly producing them to see the benefits and to figure out the flow.

If you are producing video announcements at your church – what have you learned that makes it easy and effective for you? [Share your wisdom!]

Looking for more help with your announcements? This FREE 3-part video series is for you.

Are you looking to improve the hosting of your weekend services?

Have you already tried improving this area but aren’t sure what to do next?

Are you ready to take the next steps to increase engagement in your announcements and ultimately your church? I’m releasing a FREE three-part video series designed to help your church with better weekend hosting. The lessons in this series come from my practical experience of hosting hundreds of services in multiple contexts and coaching many other leaders in this area. The three videos are:

• Video #1: 5 Reasons People Aren’t Listening to Your Hosting. Your first video will clearly define for you why people aren’t paying attention to the announcements in your services.
• Video #2: The One Best Practice to Ensure Higher Engagement with Your Announcements. In this video, you will understand what the single most important practice thriving churches change about their announcements to improve engagement.
• Video #3: 3 Church Hosting Myths Debunked. Finally, you will dive into three misunderstood myths about hosting announcements that move people to action.

[Click here to learn more and enroll for FREE today.]