As a church communicator, you know how important it is to post engaging content on your church’s social media accounts. But do you know how to evaluate the effectiveness of your posts? Using the PACT analysis can help you assess how well each post meets its goals and objectives. In this blog, we’ll discuss what PACT stands for and provide some strategies for using it in your church’s communications. If you are looking for a thorough guide to Church Social Media, you can find a longer post here.
What Is PACT and How Does It Apply to my Church Social Media Post?
PACT stands for Purpose, Audience, Channels, and Target. This framework can help you determine whether or not a post is likely to be successful (relative to your goals) by examining each of these elements in detail. In some ways, this framework is similar to the Storybrand framework but simplifies and excludes some elements to get down to an easy to remember four-part framework.
Purpose
Every post should have a clearly defined purpose; what do you want the post to accomplish? Are you trying to raise awareness about a particular event or ministry? Are you trying to encourage engagement on an issue or topic? Do you just want to remind your people to do something (like per-register for kids’ church)? Knowing what your goal is will help guide the rest of your decision-making process.
Audience
Who are you writing this post for? What are their interests and needs? Understanding who your audience is will allow you to tailor the content in such a way that it resonates with them. For example, if your target audience is young adults, then writing in a more casual tone may be more effective than formal language. On the other hand, if your target audience is people considering end of year IRA transfers, more formal language may be more appropriate. Beyond just language, though, your intended audience should always be on your mind with church social media posts. Don’t center your content around your needs but around their needs.
Channels
Where will this post appear? It’s important to consider which platform(s) make the most sense for this particular post—Facebook? Instagram? Email? Each platform has its own set of rules and conventions, so it’s important that you create content that is native to each one (try not to do copy/pasting from one platform to another). Additionally, understanding which platforms are best suited for reaching different audiences can help ensure that your message gets seen by the right people at the right time. Another thing you could consider is which platform makes the desired “next step” easiest. For example, a post that hopes for people to click a link will perform worse on Instagram than Facebook because you need to click through to someones bio on Instagram to get to a link. On Facebook, I can drop that link right in the post.
Target
Finally, what action do you want people take after reading this post? Do you want them to sign up for an event, donate money, or share the post? Make sure that whatever action item(s) you include are easy-to-find and simple-to-follow; complex instructions can easily turn readers away from taking any action at all.
Evaluate Every Church Social Media Post
Evaluating whether or not a social media post will be successful doesn’t have to be complicated—the PACT analysis can help simplify things by providing a straightforward framework for assessing posts before publishing them online. Remember: every post should have a purpose; create content tailored towards your target audience; understand which channels are best suited for reaching different audiences; and make sure any call-to-action items are easy-to-find and simple-to-follow. Following these guidelines will ensure that each of your posts reaches its intended goals!
Do you have questions? Drop them in the comments and I will be sure to write back.
Looking to consult with someone to get your church communications systems in place, let’s talk.
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