Bible Plan FAQ's
Do I need to give you the entire Plan up front? Or can I give you the first month and then keep adding to it a month at a time?
The entire Plan, including all of its references and content, is required at the time of submission. Adding days, content, or changing the order of existing content could make for an inconsistent experience for subscribers.
Is there a limit to the number of Scripture references each day?
Every day should have at least one (1) reference. And because most users are reading on a mobile device, we recommend no more than eight (8) references each day. Keep in mind how long it will take to complete a day’s reading. Some Plan Days include full chapters or even entire books of the Bible—practice common sense when filling your content blocks.
How long can the devotional content be? Is there a word limit?
Because most users are reading on a mobile device, the devotional content should be limited to four hundred (400) words or fewer per day. Beyond that, people are less likely to engage consistently and complete the reading.
How many days should my Plan be?
Great content trumps length. Your content should be as substantive and as consolidated as possible. We believe those two work in harmony in great Plans.
Your Plan must be at least 3 days, which is our minimum. It can be as long as 365 days! We are accepting fewer 365-day Plans (especially in English) because we see our users more likely completing shorter Plans, which is what we track most for engagement. We generally see spikes in completion success between 3 days and 21 days.
However, if your Plan makes the most sense at 30 days long, don’t cut it down to 21. If it’s at its very best at 10 days, don’t make it 12. Make it as long as it needs to be for a complete Bible experience.
Can we put images, videos, audio, or links in the Plan?
Yes! We know that people learn in different ways, so we are now expanding to include videos, images, and rich text to enhance the plans you find in the Bible App. Full details can be found through the Plan Formatting Instructions.
What about licensing? Do I still own my content?
We have a very straightforward licensing agreement that we can provide you at the time you submit your file. You will still fully own your rights and content.
Once I submit my Plan, how long before it is live?
In order to make your Plan available on time, we recommend allowing at least two weeks of lead time. If your Plan needs to go live by a certain date or is a season-based Plan (like Christmas, New Year’s, or Easter), then we highly recommend allowing four weeks from submission to live date for processing.
Should I include the full Scripture text for the day in the devotional text of my Plan?
In print devotionals, it’s common to include the full Scripture text for the daily devotional at the beginning or end of the devotional text. Because we desire to measure deeper engagement with Scripture, we’ve decided to format our Bible Plans to start with your devotional or study content, and then end the daily reading with the days’ Bible verse(s). This way, the reader can fully engage with the Bible text, creating Highlights, Bookmarks, Notes, Verse Images, Compare Versions and share the text.
We recognize that there may be times when quoting Scripture within the study is necessary. While this is allowed, we ask that you limit this inclusion and try to keep Bible verses as part of the “daily readings” verse section. We’ll also make recommendations in this area if we feel the reader’s experience could be better by removing any quoted Scripture from the devotional content.
Can I make changes to the Plan after it is on YouVersion?
We can correct minor errors, but any significant changes (passages to be read, inserting days) would negatively impact those users who have already subscribed to your Plan. Those edits cannot be made. We’d encourage you to make sure the Plan is fully finalized before you submit it, just as you would with a printed version.
How will I know my Plan is live?
You will receive an email once your Plan is live with a direct link to the Plan. The confirmation email will be sent to the Partner email used in your account.
Once I have Plans in the app, can I get data about my Plans' engagement?
Yes! Partner Portal, your one-stop-shop for all your partner needs, will provide you with all of the analytical data we collect on Plans: completions, subscriptions, Plan ratings, annual and monthly engagement, and completion rate.
I have a Plan in more than one language. How do I share translations to a Plan?
First of all, TERRIFIC! Our app is fully translated in several languages, and we love providing great content for multiple language communities. Consider each translation as its own Plan, since each translation represents one independent Plan for our users. Submit every translation as a new Plan, indicating the language during submission.
