The Pro Church Tools Show with Brady Shearer

Today on The Pro Church Tools Show you’ll learn exactly how the TikTok algorithm works. And when we say *exactly* we mean it. Because our friends at Life.Church called us up after they met with a TikTok engineer and they spilled the beans on how videos get ranked on TikTok. And by the end of this episode, your church will know what it needs to do to get started with TikTok on the right foot - and how to improve the chances of your videos going viral.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-does-the-tiktok-algorithm-work-5-secrets-you-need-to-know/     SHOW NOTES:     #1: It’s unusual to get this type of insight into a social media algorithm (2:30)   #2: What about those who say you shouldn’t be on TikTok because it’s not safe for kids? (4:00)   #3: TikTok starts with algorithms instead of friends (6:40)   #4: Each video gets pushed out to a small batch of users and then based on the results, it moves the medium batch test, gets a video integrity rating, large batch goes for about four days if it reaches that spot, then an account review team looks at the content and decides does this need to go super viral on FYP or expire (14:00)   #5: Each account has an authority ranking (17:45)   #6: Delayed Explosion (23:50)   #7: Limit your accounts login to one cell phone (28:00)   #8: Element of verticality (28:00)   #9: Life.Church thinks they’re probably going to go off-brand with this platform - and they already have permission to do that (29:30)   Top 5 (37:00)   Q&A (54:50)      

In my experience, the most overlooked and misunderstood digital communication platform that churches use is email. That’s right. Not Instagram or Facebook - email. So in this episode, you’ll learn everything you need to know about crafting an email strategy at your church that works and spurs on more next steps and life change across your entire church.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE:   https://prochurchtools.com/7-proven-church-newsletter-ideas-that-really-work/     SHOW NOTES:     #1: Amplify your best social content (5:10)   #2: Amplify your most listened to sermon (8:00)   #3: Amplify your most important next step (14:40)   #4: Plain text emails (18:00)   #5: Add a P.S. (20:30)   #6: Subject line is everything (21:20)   #7: Consistency with time and day (22:00)  

For the last several months, I’ve been seeing the signs. Instagram organic reach is dropping and the decline is considerable. It’s happening in the feed, but it’s even happening on IG Stories as well. So in this episode, we’ll take a closer look at this Instagram decline and what it means for your church going forward.     ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-troubling-signs-that-instagram-is-declining-2/     SHOW NOTES:   #1: Instagram engagement rates are down considerably (1:10)   #2: IG Stories engagement down considerably (5:50)   #3: No major new features in last 30-60 days; Aug-Sep 2019 (8:40)   #4: Manicured aesthetic is done (9:40)   #5: IG working on a TikTok copy called ‘Clips' (14:15)   What should you do? (17:05)  

In my home office, every wall is painted with chalkboard paint. And on one of those office walls is a series of five different leadership quotes written in chalk. For me, these are the five biggest lessons I’m trying to learn currently when it comes to leading my team and so I like to look at them regularly. But I also want to share them with you - not as virtues I’ve fully internalized - but as the principles I’m aiming for. So in this episode, I’ll take you inside my home office and into my own leadership journey as I share with you what each of these five leadership objectives are.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/5-leadership-reminders-i-have-written-on-my-wall/   SHOW NOTES:   #1: “This is a small problem compared to the bigger problems I hope to face." (4:45)   #2: “Everyone wants to be KNOWN and NEEDED." (7:15)   #3: “Talk to yourself more than you listen to yourself." (10:10)   #4: “Wherever I am is the big time." (12:00)   #5: “Stay sweet." (15:20)  

A challenge for every single church and every single church leader is that Sunday is only a few days away - which means another sermon. Another gathering. Another moment where we as church leaders need to speak in front of others. And if you don’t have a framework to fall-back on for this, you’ll likely struggle to come up with new ideas. So in this episode, you’ll learn three public speaking mechanisms to keep your church’s attention - said differently, you’ll learn how to talk and never be boring.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/3-public-speaking-mechanisms-to-keep-your-audiences-attention/   Show Notes:   One of my biggest struggles as a content creator is shared by many church leaders as well... (0:40)   We need a framework for how to put together our talks (2:20)   Story/Stats/Steps (4:10)   Make it personal; make it provable; make it practical (4:45)    

Because of Christmas bonuses, tax deadlines, and general holiday generosity, a huge portion of church giving comes in the final months of each year. But just because folks are willing to give, doesn’t mean they’ll automatically follow-through. It’s still incumbent upon your church to provide every opportunity for generosity and to inspire your church to these next steps. So follow along, and by the end of this episode, you’ll have a framework that your church can follow to maximize year-end giving.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/7-ways-to-maximize-year-end-giving-at-church-in-2019/   Show Notes:     #1. End-of-year giving is considerable (00:50)   #2. Don’t simply rely on your church’s willingness to give (1:35)   #3. Focus on the big four end-of-year dates (4:00)   #4. Inspire giving with campaigns (4:55)   #5. Setup custom giving trigger links for the easiest giving experience (9:35)   #6. Put a card on the homepage (13:35)   #7. Go all-in on the final three days (15:00)    

TikTok is the newest emerging social platform and like all social media evolutions: it’s weird, it’s unfamiliar, and young people love it. So in this episode, we’ll be giving you a primer on everything you need to know about TikTok so you can begin exploring it with your church and student ministry.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/tiktok-13-things-your-church-needs-to-know/   Show Notes:   If IG Stories and Vine had a baby (1:40)   Most videos are 15-60 seconds in length (4:30)   Sound autoplays (6:20)   The content creation tools are mind boggling (7:00)   It’s unfamiliar and disorienting (7:56)   It’s repetitive (11:35)   Virality is probable (14:56)   Machine learning (18:00)   How often should you post? (20:00)   The demo is young now, so people will disparage it (20:10)   TikTok is prime real estate (22:20)   TikTok is driving the music charts (25:50)   Theforyoupage.com (27:50)    

Every subculture has its own set of insider language and jargon - and the Christian subculture is no exception. We lovingly call our insider language Christianese (see how self-aware we are?). And in this video, we’re going to present to you our power rankings of the best Christianese words and phrases.      ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/the-ultimate-christianese-power-rankings-top-7-christian-phrases/     Show Notes:   What is Christianese? (0:35)   Bootstrapping, MVP, Ramen profitable (1:55)   #7. Narthex, lobby, foyer (4:20)   #6. Partake (7:00)   #5. Baby Christian (8:10)   #4. The Anthropomorphics (10:00)   #3. Love offering (11:35)   #2. Fellowship (13:15)   Honorable mention (16:20)   #1. Problematic Prepositions (20:10)  

When you’re serving in a church, you inevitably find yourself in situations where you need to speak in front of others. Maybe it’s a prayer, maybe it’s announcements, or maybe you were asked to preach! Whatever it is, for most of us in church, public speaking is a necessity in some capacity. So in this video, you’re going to learn my best tips on how to become a confident and comfortable speaker.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/how-to-become-a-confident-comfortable-speaker/   What's In This Session?        #1. Listen and watch yourself (0:40)   #2. Use stories as your cheat code (5:00)   #3. Pace and pitch (7:20)   #4. Smile (9:50)   #5. Find your style (11:35)  

Today, you’re going to learn what option is best for your church when it comes to announcements - video or live? There are pros and cons to each of course, but my final answer on this may surprise you. So let’s dive right in.   ***VISIT THE FULL POST HERE: https://prochurchtools.com/church-video-announcements-vs-live-whats-best-for-your-church/   What's In This Session?      Pros of video announcements (4:35)   Cons of video announcements (7:00)   Pros of live announcements (9:00)   The goal of announcements (10:15)   Cons of live announcements (12:25)