Someone asked in a group I'm in over the weekend about getting analytics on how many people at their parish are using Formed.

And while I don't have the answer to that question, it got me thinking about how we promote these free Catholic media libraries.

Formed, Word on Fire, Ascension, Hallow...we have all of these great media options to share with our parishioners now, but how do we actually get them to engage with them?

Here are a few tips:

1. Make sure you're actually sharing them prominently!

These kinds of resources can easily fall to the back burner with the constant stream of time-sensitive events and announcements, that suddenly you look and realize they've been booted from the bulletin for three months without you even realizing! So make sure you have regular call outs in all your communication channels — bulletin, email, social media, etc. It's the perfect thing to fill room when you have that awkward space in the light summer bulletin!

2. Mix it up sometimes.

At the same time, make sure you mix up the graphics/call-outs, etc. every once in a while for it. If you have a standing ad for it at the bottom of each of your emails, for example, eventually people will just gloss over it. So mixing up the visual layout can help too!

Having signage in the pews and gathering spaces with QR codes for easy sign-up can also encourage engagement.

3. Use it as an incentive to give contact information.

These kinds of free resources make great incentives to get people to give you their contact information, which you can then use to send your own parish communications (make sure to be explicit that they'll be added to your parish's list as well). This can be a fantastic way to get people on your list who may not be at Mass every weekend — think Christmas, Easter, sacraments, etc.

4. Call out specific shows for specific times of year.

I think the big thing with these kinds of media libraries is that they can be overwhelming with the amount of content. It sounds like a great idea in theory, but I just kind of always forget that it exists when I'm looking for something to watch/listen to.

So when you're promoting it, take a few minutes to go through the libraries yourself and suggest some things! For example, if you're promoting it as a way to get people into your contact list at sacraments, suggest a related sacrament show. Or if there's a particular novena coming up, direct them to the app where they can participate together as a church community.

I worked with one parish that would even have parishioners review movies on Formed, and then we'd share their movie reviews on the parish blog, email, and social media. It grew community outside of Mass and gave people concrete suggestions of what to search for.

5. Include the content in parish programs.

Religious ed, baptism prep, men's and women's groups, Bible studies — have your parish groups use the content as the basis for their programs. It exposes parishioners to the platforms and gets them wondering what else might be on there.

Because honestly, I think that's the biggest hurdle — getting them to log in! Once they log into any of these platforms, they'll see the vast array of content and get hooked...but it takes that initial introduction to get started.

Off to go wait impatiently for Season 4 of Marcam on Formed with my kids! (If you don't know it, go look it up, you can thank me later.)

For His greater glory,

Emily

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