So, you’d like to promote your event, church resource, film, book, or service specifically to Pastors. When is the best time to reach Pastors?  What is effective?

Pastors have VERY busy schedules. The are the #1 in demand person at any church.  They are preparing messages, visiting church members, organizing their staff and volunteers, and doing other ministry-related tasks at odd hours and all weekend long.  Their weekend-heavy work schedules means they often don’t read or answer emails and phone calls on the same days as those of us who hold standard day jobs.

Over the past 13 years in our strategy development, media buying, and marketing inside FrontGate’s Web Network and Direct Email databases, we have worked on thousands of marketing campaigns connecting our clients to Pastors, including projects like conducting screenings for the Son of God movie, promoting new Bible translations and or segment specific Bibles for publishers like Tyndale, Thomas Nelson, or Zondervan; launching the evangelistic app for The Jesus Film with Cooke Pictures, orchestrating focus groups for church curriculum development, and doing direct email campaigns to our 60,000 conference/event attending Pastors via iTickets.

The best days for marketing to Pastors are on Tuesdays and Wednesdays.  That doesn’t rule out other days, but if you are in a pinch, these are the key days to focus on.

If you think about their church schedule, it makes sense.  Mondays are often the days when Pastors (and their families!) are recovering from busy Sundays, and by Thursday and Friday, they are knee deep in preparation for the weekend services.

Whether it was making direct phone calls, sending emails, or other advertising and promotional options, we have found that these two days remain consistently the strongest to connect with Pastors. By reaching out to Pastors on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, you not only have the best opportunity to get your message to them, you will also help free them up on the other days of the week to be more effective in their roles.

What is effective?
There are lots of things of standard things in your faith-based marketing tool kit that are effective, from direct email, to print and web advertising, to more custom things like calling campaigns.  Ultimately what makes or breaks your marketing campaign to Pastors is how much direct value it provides the Pastor.  You have to tune into what’s in it for them, and it better be a significant value.

Pastors are just like everyone else.  They have their own priorities, wants and needs, and likes and dislikes.  Just because you think something is a no-brainer for them or their church doesn’t make it true.  Because Pastors are the top gatekeeper to their church members, they get approached constantly with requests for help getting connected to their church members for the next big thing.  Instead of asking for their help, you should be seeking out how what you are doing is of direct help to them, and how you can provide a direct benefit to the Pastor.

Pastors are far more protective than proactive in what they see as beneficial for their church and its members.

FrontGate can help by developing your overall marketing strategy, creating a media buy, planning a PR campaign, or even with just a few key direct email or web placements through sites like BlueLetterBible.com, iTickets.com and more.  If you’d like to talk about your needs, please contact us.