If you’re like us, you have a special place in your heart for the haters.
You know, the cynical people who have been burned by religion and don’t want to have anything to do with the church?
I’m talking about people like Adrian. Well, sort of. Adrian is a fake person. But he has a lot to teach us about how to reach people like him.
Adrian is a fictional persona who experienced the ugly side of the church firsthand. He followed that charismatic pastor for years—the one who believed in him and invested in him. Only to find out that this pastor turned out to be a different person entirely. This pastor abused the people who were serving him, and manipulated those who trusted him the most.
And let’s not mention the thing with the secretary…
Fed Up.
Adrian is done. He’s had enough of the hypocrites in the church. He prefers real people who aren’t pretending to be good.
How can we reach people like that?
For Lathan Craft, owner of “The Other Side of the Church Podcast,” people like Adrian need a place to have their stories heard, and pursue hope and healing. That’s what his podcast is all about.
First, Know Your Persona.
When we partnered with Lathan Craft with “The Other Side of the Church Podcast,” we learned about his heart for Adrian. Lathan described Adrian in detail, and knew that he was called to connect with all of the other Adrians out there. The real ones.
When you’re a church or other organization who is called to reach people, it’s helpful to get clear on a single persona—the person to whom you are speaking. Know the hopes, fears, tastes, and challenges of your persona. By doing this, you will be able to connect with people. You’ll cut through the noise with your message.
Next, Attract Your Persona.
During our first video call with Lathan, as we discussed The Other Side of the Church Podcast, we were forced to make a challenging recommendation. You see, Lathan told us all about this “Adrian” persona. Adrian is fed up. His tastes are edgier than those of most Evangelical believers. Anything that smells like “Christian?” He’ll probably scroll faster. This brings us to the question we had to ask during the call:
Lathan showed us the logo that he invested in for his podcast. It was a professional job, for sure. It looked sharp. But it also looked…Christian. So we asked him, “If Adrian saw this logo in his feed, would he pause, or would he scroll faster?”
A beat passed. Lathan made his realization.
“He would scroll faster,” Lathan said.
The moment was a bit painful.
Here this new client of ours had invested his hard earned money into a nice logo design for his podcast. But we have to “attract the persona.” We have to connect with Adrian, whatever it takes.
From that moment on, Lathan and our team at ArtSpeak had a fresh excitement about crafting a message and a brand design that would attract Adrian, and not repel him. We can’t have him scroll away if we want to reach him.
Attract Your Persona With the Right Message
We had quite a challenge on our hands. How can we simultaneously be edgy enough for Adrian and be honest about the podcast at the same time? After all, the podcast seeks healing and hope. It’s not a “trash the church” podcast. We had to be careful to craft a message that would resonate with Adrian, and simultaneously be authentic about our Christianity and positivity.
We thought that putting honesty front-and-center was our best bet. Lathan was going to “dance with skeletons in the closet” to borrow from the rapper Propaganda. He was going to bring out the uncomfortable truths. With this in mind, we crafted a new podcast intro phrase:
“Welcome to The Other Side of the Church Podcast
Where we bring back out what’s been swept under the rug,
Where healing is better than cancel culture,
And where your story matters, whether you’ve caused pain or been hurt.”
The podcast intro phrase acknowledges Adrian’s experiences. He knows all too well the feeling of not being able to talk about the damage done by Christian leaders. He knows what it feels like to be in a fake culture where important things get swept under the rug. Maybe Christians haven’t listened well enough to Adrian’s story. Maybe now is his chance to talk about his pain and pursue healing.
Attract Your Persona With the Right Visuals
We wanted to keep the visuals for this project raw and edgy. As we said before, anything that seemed connected to evangelical Christianity would not resonate with Adrian. He wants raw, honest, and real. And he wants to be heard and validated.
We designed a brand and set of illustrations that would intrigue Adrian. We wanted to give him pause and invite him to ask, “What’s that about?” We ended up with a unique look. When the design is paired with the message, we have a way to cut through the noise and reach Adrian.
What about you?
Are you ready to craft a message and visuals in a way that will resonate with your “Adrian?”
Fill out the form below to move the conversation forward.
