How to Promote Your Church's Alpha Course Online and Fill Every Seat
Aug 03, 2026Alpha is one of the most proven tools for evangelism available to Australian churches. It is low-pressure, conversational, and designed specifically for people who are curious about faith but not ready to commit to anything. Hundreds of thousands of Australians have attended an Alpha course — and many of them came because a friend invited them.
But here's something most churches running Alpha haven't fully considered: the same digital tools that help a church grow their Sunday attendance can be used to fill an Alpha course with people who don't have a friend in the church to invite them.
In this post I want to show you exactly how to use digital marketing — including the Google Ad Grant, social media, and a simple landing page — to promote your next Alpha course to the people in your community who are genuinely searching for what Alpha offers.
Why Alpha Is Uniquely Well-Suited to Digital Promotion
Most church events are difficult to promote digitally because they require significant prior knowledge of and trust in the church before someone will attend. A Sunday service, a church camp, a members' meeting — these are events for people who already have a relationship with your church.
Alpha is different. It is explicitly designed as an entry point for people who are curious but uncommitted. The whole premise — "a chance to explore the big questions of life in a relaxed, friendly environment" — is something that resonates with people who would never describe themselves as churchgoers.
This means Alpha can be promoted to a general audience through search advertising and social media without the barrier of church identity. Someone who types "questions about Christianity" or "is there a God" or "meaning of life discussion group" into Google is exactly the kind of person Alpha is designed for — and the Google Ad Grant can put your Alpha course in front of them for free.
The Alpha Digital Promotion System
Step 1 — Create a Dedicated Alpha Landing Page
The most important digital asset for your Alpha promotion is a dedicated landing page — a single focused page on your church website specifically about your Alpha course. This page should not mention your church's wider programme. Its only job is to answer the questions a curious, unchurched person would have about Alpha and invite them to register.
A good Alpha landing page includes: a clear headline that speaks to the visitor's curiosity rather than your church's brand ("Big questions. Real answers. No pressure."), a brief description of what Alpha involves, a video (Alpha's own promotional videos work perfectly), the dates and location, and a simple registration form.
Step 2 — Run Google Ad Grant Campaigns Targeting Alpha-Adjacent Searches
Using your Google Ad Grant, create a campaign targeting keywords that people searching for Alpha-adjacent topics would use. These include: "Christianity explained Australia," "questions about faith [suburb]," "Alpha course [city]," "is Christianity true," "meaning of life course," "exploring Christianity," and "what happens when you die."
These are real searches that real people make every day — and your ads can appear at the top of those search results pointing people directly to your Alpha landing page. For free.
Step 3 — Create a Short Form Social Campaign
Four weeks before your Alpha course begins, start posting short form content on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook that addresses the big questions Alpha explores. "What do you think happens after we die?" "Is it possible to know if God exists?" "What's the point of suffering?" These questions generate genuine engagement from people who are open to the topic but not necessarily connected to your church.
End each post with a clear invitation: "We're running an Alpha course starting [date]. A relaxed place to explore these questions together. Link in bio to register." The link goes to your Alpha landing page.
Step 4 — Set Up an Automated Registration Sequence
When someone registers for Alpha through your landing page, they should immediately receive a confirmation email with the details they need — date, time, location, what to expect, and a warm personal welcome. Over the following week they receive one or two short reminder emails that build anticipation and answer common questions.
This automated sequence means no registrant falls through the cracks and every person who signs up feels genuinely welcomed before they walk through the door.
Your promotion plan
Alpha Course Digital Promotion — 6 Week Timeline
| 6 weeks out | Build your landing page — create and publish your dedicated Alpha registration page with all course details and registration form |
| 5 weeks out | Launch Google Ad Grant campaigns — target Alpha-adjacent searches and drive traffic to your landing page |
| 4 weeks out | Begin social content campaign — post big question content on Instagram, TikTok and Facebook three times per week |
| 2 weeks out | Congregation email + announcement — invite congregation members to bring a friend and share the registration link |
| 1 week out | Final push — reminder posts, final Google Ad budget push, personal follow up with registered attendees |
| Alpha begins | Alpha launches — your automated registration confirmation sequence has already warmed up every attendee before they walk in |
The Google Ad Grant Keywords That Work for Alpha
Based on search data, here are the types of keywords that perform well for Alpha course promotion in Australian cities:
- Alpha course [city] — high intent, directly relevant
- Christianity explained [suburb] — strong intent from curious non-churchgoers
- Questions about God [city] — broad but relevant
- Exploring faith Australia — good for national campaigns
- Is there a God discussion group — very specific high intent
- Meaning of life course — surprising volume, excellent conversion
- Christian course for beginners — very direct match to Alpha's positioning
Note that single-word keywords like "Alpha" or "Christianity" are not permitted under Google Ad Grant policy — all keywords must be two words or more and mission-specific.
Convert curious visitors
The 5 Elements of a High-Converting Alpha Landing Page
|
1
|
A headline that speaks to curiosity, not church membership "Big questions. Real conversation. No pressure." — not "Join us for Alpha at [Church Name]" |
|
2
|
Alpha's own promotional video embedded prominently Alpha's videos are well-produced and speak directly to the unchurched. Use them — they convert well. |
|
3
|
Clear course dates, times, and location Uncertainty is a barrier. Be completely specific — include parking, catering, and whether it's free. |
|
4
|
A simple registration form — name and email only Every extra field reduces registrations. Name and email is all you need to begin the relationship. |
|
5
|
No navigation menu — distraction-free layout Remove the main menu from this page. The only action you want visitors to take is registering. Every link is a potential exit. |
How DEO Ministry Helps Churches Promote Alpha Digitally
At DEO Ministry, building a complete Alpha promotion system — landing page, Google Ad Grant campaigns, social content, and automated registration sequence — is something we do as part of our Harvest Package. We've helped churches use their Google Ad Grant specifically to reach people who would never have heard about their Alpha course through word of mouth alone.
If your church is running an Alpha course in the next few months and you'd like to fill it with people from outside your congregation, book a free 30-minute strategy call.
Book Your Free Strategy Call →
Written by Daniel Jackson — The founder of DEO Ministry and a commissioned elder at Soma Blue Mountains. He holds a Master of Divinity from Christ College Sydney and a Master of Arts in Theology from SMBC. He has helped scale businesses to over $1,000,000 in annual turnover and is passionate about helping Australian churches use digital tools to reach more people with the gospel.