YouTube was created in 2005. Now, 16 years later, YouTube is the world’s second-most visited website, second-most used social platform, and the second largest search engine in the world.
Second place. That’s not too shabby in a world of Facebook and Google.
In fact, YouTube boasts over two billion monthly active YouTube users, and one billion total daily hours of video watched on YouTube. That’s a lot of people. That’s a lot of hours.
People are on YouTube.
In the United States, 81% of adults use YouTube. But who exactly are we talking about when we talk about these 81% of adults on YouTube?
YouTube is primarily reaching a young demographic. Research shows that 95% of 18-29-year-olds in the United States use YouTube, and 91% of 30-49-year-olds in the U.S. use YouTube. The vast majority of young to middle-aged adults in the United States are watching YouTube videos.
People are on YouTube.
The platform has been built. People have been coming to the platform. It’s up to Christian communicators to decide how they can use this platform to leverage their voices to proclaim the goodness of God and the hope of the gospel.
For church media teams dipping their toes in the water with YouTube, go ahead and jump in. YouTube makes a ton of sense for churches. A lot of churches figured that out during lockdowns and quarantines due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Churches learned to use YouTube in ways that they previously hadn’t seen a need for. Even as people return to in-person services, it’s crucial for churches to maintain a YouTube presence. The audiences that churches can reach on YouTube may never enter the doors of the church.
People are on YouTube. Who could churches reach if they were on YouTube as well?
Okay, so you know that YouTube makes sense for churches, but what kind of content should churches be publishing on YouTube?
In short: creative content.
While using YouTube as a platform to post Sunday morning sermons may be a good way to distribute that sermon content, churches that stop there are missing significant opportunities on YouTube.
YouTube was made for engaging, story-telling content. In a dark and broken world, churches can tell stories of light and hope.
Church media team, what story can you tell that ultimately tells the story of the gospel? How can you tell that story in a creative and engaging way? People are on YouTube, and they’re looking for answers to the questions that they’re wrestling with. How can you and your team meet these audiences where they are with creative content that gives them real and lasting answers?
YouTube is an incredible way to share the gospel.
Sixteen years ago, church media teams weren’t thinking about YouTube. Sixteen years ago, many churches didn’t even have a media team, and if they did, the team was working with very different technology than they are today. Sixteen years ago, this wasn’t a conversation. But over the last sixteen years, YouTube has grown exponentially. Now churches have creative opportunities that they only could have dreamed of sixteen years ago.
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YouTube Stats: https://www.omnicoreagency.com/youtube-statistics/
