Intrigued by intrigue...

A while back we introduced the concept of “disruption” to our media vocabulary. It’s a word that seeks to give a sense of urgency to our need to capture the attention of a lost world who largely doesn’t care about the things of the Lord. They don’t think they are lost, so they are not interested in being saved. We somehow need to disrupt their world in a way that opens their heart and mind to the things of the Lord.

I grew up in an era when people in America just “went to church.” A little promotion went a long way in bringing people to a place where they could learn of a loving God who had a specific plan for their lives…a plan to bring hope and joy in this world and the promise of eternity with Jesus. Today, we have so many distractions it is hard to get attention.

I also grew up in an era of about three television stations and a handful of radio stations in each market. It was expensive to own a radio or TV station, so there weren’t many in each market. And, therefore, it wasn’t hard to promote programs or reach an audience. Limited outlets meant limited options for the audience.

Fast-forward to today. In this digital age our media outlets are limitless. Online radio, IPTV, YouTube channels…the list is endless. So how do you promote or disrupt your potential audience to drive them to your programming…to drive them to God’s Truth?

Intrigue.

It sells books and movie tickets. People like intrigue. And we need to both understand that and use it as a tool to promote our important message. Matthew records Jesus’ words to his disciples about the day they lived in, and the need for them to be wise in their dealings with their culture.

[blockquote author=”Matthew 10:16 NLT” link=”” target=”_blank”]Look, I am sending you out as sheep among wolves. So be as shrewd as snakes and harmless as doves.[/blockquote]

The Expanded Bible gives us alternative words to use in place of “clever.” Wise…shrewd…cunning. And to me that speaks of the creative ways we need to intrigue our potential audience. Let me give some examples that can work on radio, television, online, social media, or other platforms.

You have a guest to talk about Easter. How do you promote it? You can say “Join Pastor Smith as he talks about the Holy Week and the importance of Easter…coming up next.”

Or…

“An innocent man is executed, and authorities are in an uproar. We have details on this amazing story just ahead.”

In her book Powerful Radio, Valerie Geller talks about giving a radio host the challenge to “make a movie” as a unique way to promote his talk show topic. The host had a noted author and expert on autism on the program. At Geller’s prompting, here’s how the talk show host began:

“Suppose you are on a train in Japan. You don’t speak Japanese. The conductor is talking to you. The other passengers are talking to you. The signs don’t make sense. It is total confusion to you. You have just entered the world of an autistic child.”

Wow. Powerful. Compelling. Intriguing. Disrupting.

Having an outlet for your programming is not a challenge any more. Disrupting your potential audience and getting them to listen…that is today’s challenge. Be wise, clever, shrewd, even cunning in your creative efforts to reach your culture with the life-giving Good News of Jesus.