My church just wrapped up Vacation Bible School, and the social media strategy behind it worked so well I have to tell you about it. We got 78,270 views in 28 days, a 1,329% increase in 1-minute views, and 67.8% of those views came from people who don’t follow us.

I’m a fractional CMO for service providers and coaches, and done-for-you social media management is one of my main services.

My church hired me to manage their social media, which means we’re very strategic about launches and promotions. Keep reading for a behind-the-scenes look at how we hit our VBS goal, plus the plan, the posts, and the actual numbers.

TL;DR — What Happened

• We had VBS (a week-long kids’ church event) to promote, and I wanted to reach local families outside of our normal audience.
• I worked backwards from the date, started promoting two months out, ramped up two weeks before, and posted every single day the last week.
• During the event, I shared a recap from the night before, which turned out to be one of our most-viewed posts.
• Everything I created was meant to be shared, because shares are what Instagram rewards most right now.
• Result: we hit our sign-up goal of 115 kids, nearly triple last year’s turnout — plus 78,270 views in 28 days (up 154%), a 1,329% increase in 1-minute views, and 67.8% of views from non-followers.

What I Posted, and When

VBS is a week-long kids’ event, and we wanted more families to sign up, including ones who had never visited our church.

For the first phase, promotion was light: I shared an occasional “registration is now open” post. Then two weeks out, I ramped it up. The week before, I posted about VBS every single day.

By then, most parents had already come across VBS three or four times, so the daily posts were reminders. People already knew what it was and when it was; all I had to do was get them to sign up.

The Post That Did the Most Work

During the week of VBS, I shared daily recaps from the night before. Sometimes, it would be a carousel post with photos, other times it would be a recap reel or a trending reel I wanted to recreate. It gave people a sneak peek and encouraged them to sign up for the rest of the week.

It was easy to show people how special the church’s VBS is, because these kids had a blast. I heard that one child literally begged his parents to come back the next day. (He’s in good company. I remember loving VBS when I was little. Our theme one year was “God’s Big Backyard,” and I swear to you that I still know the dance moves from the main song.)

Why It Reached So Many People Who Had Never Heard of Us

The number one metric Instagram cares about in 2026 is whether your content gets shares. (Instagram is open about how ranking works if you want to read their own explanation of it.)

So I built the promotion posts and recaps to be shared, and people did exactly that, on their stories and on their feeds. When your audience shares your content, you reach people who’ve never heard of you. And like I said earlier: 67.8% of our views came from people who didn’t follow us.

The Results

Here are the numbers and results behind the launch:

• 78,270 views, up 154%
• 1,329% increase in 1-minute views
• 67.8% of those views from people who don’t follow us
• We hit our VBS sign-up goal of 115 kids, nearly triple last year’s turnout

I know we’ve talked about this already, but again: that 67.8% number is really telling. Most accounts reach the same people over and over, but ours reached new families. And for a church that means more people who might show up on a Sunday after VBS is over. For your business, it means someone hearing about you for the first time because a person they trust vouched for you without being asked.

Want an overview of what the actual process of working with me looks like — from how content gets off your plate to what changes in the first 30 days? Click here to read a short blog post about it!

Frequently Asked Questions About Social Media Strategy for Events

What did your social media strategy for VBS actually look like?

Two months of promotion, working backwards from the event date. Light posting early, a ramp-up two weeks out, daily posts the final week, and a recap every day during the event itself.

How do you promote an event on social media?

Work backwards from the date. Start light weeks or months out depending on how cold your audience is, ramp up around two weeks before, and post daily the final week. While the event is running, share behind-the-scenes moments and recaps so people see what they missed. Build every post to be shared, since that’s what reaches people who don’t follow you.

How far in advance should I promote an event on social media?

Work backwards from the date. A cold audience or a bigger commitment means starting earlier, and two months was right for VBS. The early posts aren’t necessarily doing much on their own, but they mean your audience has heard of the thing several times before you start posting daily.

Why do shares matter more than likes on Instagram?

Shares are what reach people outside your following. A like mostly stays inside the audience you already have, while a share puts your content in front of someone new, which is how our VBS week reached 67.8% non-followers.

Does this work for a launch instead of an event?

Yes. A launch, a workshop, a webinar, or an open house all revolve around the same idea. You’d adjust the timeline to fit the offer and how warm your list is, but you’d still start early, ramp up, go daily at the peak, and share content people want to pass along.

Do I need a big following for this to work?

No! A big audience doesn’t necessarily mean a warm one, and a small audience doesn’t necessarily mean a cold one. A great way to get more reach is from other people’s followers. Over half the views for VBS on our church’s social media account came from strangers.

Can a fractional CMO run this for my business?

Yes! That’s what I do. I build the strategy, set the timeline, write and create the content, and handle the posting, so the promotion actually runs while you’re busy building your business and being the CEO.

The Bigger Picture

The hard part about promoting events or launches yourself is you’re trying to hype it up on social media at the same time you’re getting everything ready for the event itself.

For VBS, I was posting daily but the rest of the team focused on lining up volunteers, prepping crafts, and decorating the building.

Marketing and social media are what I take off people’s plates. I did this for a church, and I’d love to help you do it too, whether it’s for a launch, an event, or just standing out online so people find your services. My social media management services are built for service providers and coaches who’d rather have this handled by someone who does it every day.