How specific wording improves church communication

TL;DR

Replace vague appeals with concrete details about the person, activity, commitment and next step. Specific wording helps people picture what you mean and decide whether it is relevant to them.

This will re-write all your comms...

This week I was delving back through one of my favourite old comms books, How to Write a Good Advertisement from 1962.

And as I was flicking through, one particular idea stuck out to me as I was thinking about church media.

Be more specific.

Today I want to show you how being more specific can improve almost all your church media and comms.

Being more specific is a simple copywriting techinque that can be the difference between someone reading your post, acting on your announcement, or ignoring it completely.

I know that sounds almost too obvious, but I think a lot of church communication is far too vague.

We say things like:

• “Join us this Sunday.”

• “We need more volunteers.”

• “Come along to our summer activities.”

• “Get involved.”

• “Coffee morning on Wednesday.”

They're easy to ignore because they don’t give people much to grab hold of.

They don’t tell me who it’s for, why it matters, what’s actually happening, or what I’m being asked to do.

Specific words do that much better.

There’s an old advertising idea from Victor Schwab called “the attraction of the specific.”

His point was that specific headlines in newspaper ads often pull people in more than general ones.

He uses an example of an old tyre ad:

“Pierced by 301 Nails…Retains Full Air Pressure.”

The specificity helps to create a picture in my mind. It feels more real. It also adds curiosity, because you want to know how it does it.

And I think the same idea applies to church communication.

Make volunteer appeals specific about the commitment

“We need more volunteers” is fine, but it’s vague and doesn’t help me imagine myself helping.

“We’re looking for five people to join the tech team once a month” is much better.

Now I know what you need, how many people you need, which team it’s for, and roughly what the commitment is.

That kind of detail helps people imagine themselves doing it.

And I think that’s the key.

Specificity doesn’t just give people more information. It helps them picture themselves taking the step.

Give families concrete details about church events

“Fun activities for children this summer” is vague.

“Three mornings of games, crafts, snacks, and Bible stories for children in Reception to Year 6” is clearer.

And that matters because with children’s events, you’re not only speaking to the children.

You’re usually speaking to the parents.

The child might need to think, “That sounds fun.”

But the parent is thinking about drop-off times, age ranges, who is running it, whether they need to book, whether it’s safe, and how much it costs.

Specificity helps both.

It can make the event sound fun for the child, while still giving the parent enough information to make a decision.

Create curiosity with specific social media wording

A post that says, “Here’s a clip from Sunday’s sermon” is very easy to scroll past.

But “Why did Jesus ask this question before He spoke?” gives me something to be curious about.

Explain what your prayer gathering will focus on

Which of these feels more likely to get people interested?

Option A:

• “Don't forget to come along to our prayer night this week.”

Option B:

• “An hour to pray for our childrens' work, our schools, and the people we’re inviting this Easter.”

I think it’s clearly option B.

It gives me something to picture. It tells me what we’re praying for. It gives the evening a focus.

And if I’m a parent, teacher, school governor, youth worker, or just someone who cares about the local community, it gives me a more obvious reason to come.

It doesn’t shut anyone else out either.

It just makes the invitation stronger.

That’s the point of being specific. You’re helping people understand why something matters.

Specifics create interest. They also create clarity.

But there’s another benefit. Being specific forces you to decide who you’re actually talking to.

The clearer the audience, the more specific the message can be.

That’s why not every piece of communication should be treated like a noticeboard for the whole church.

One audience. One message. One next step.

So before you send the email, make the poster, write the notice, or post the caption, ask yourself:

Could this be more specific?

Not longer. Just more specific.

• Who is it for?

• What exactly is happening?

• What exactly do we need?

• When is it?

• What will it feel like?

• What should someone do next?

• What makes it different from everything else they’re being asked to notice?