Instagram has come a long way since the days of the Nashville filter. It’s now a full-fledged social media platform for content creators with a focus on visual mediums — many of the app’s features are designed to help creators build a dedicated audience and drive engagement. Instagram broadcast channels are just the latest addition to these features.
First launched in February 2023, Instagram broadcast channels allow creators to send direct messages to their followers, in a way similar to holding a megaphone at a rally. When first announced by Meta, the feature was referred to as a public “one-to-many messaging tool.”
Broadcast channels offer creators a more direct way to communicate with their audience. For example, you can use them to share a behind-the-scenes look at your content, share important updates, or get feedback from your audience. Creators can reach all followers who’ve joined their broadcast channels. And while followers can’t reply, what they can do is react to messages with emojis to show their support.
Wondering how exactly broadcast channels work and how you can create one? Read on for everything you need to know about this new Instagram feature.
How to create a broadcast channel on Instagram
You can easily create a broadcast channel on Instagram if you meet the following requirements:
- You have a professional account on Instagram (i.e. not a personal one).
- Your account isn’t private.
- You have at least 10,000 followers.
If that’s the case, here’s how you create your broadcast channel:
- Hit the messaging symbol in the top-right of your feed (either a chat bubble or paper airplane).
- Hit the new message icon in the top-right (the pen and paper).
- Hit Create broadcast channel and do the following:
- Give it a name.
- Choose an audience.
- Choose an end date for your channel.
- Choose if you want to show your channel on your profile.
- Hit Create in the top right.
And that’s it! You’ve just created your first broadcast channel. Need to make changes to an existing channel? Just hit the “message symbol” at the top right of your feed, then find Channels at the top of your screen.
How to invite followers and subscribers to your broadcast channel
From voice notes-style interviews to impromptu hangouts, broadcast channels offer a space for you to collaborate with other creators (up to 10 creators per channel to be exact!). Here’s how you can invite a collaborator to your channel:
- Tap the channel name at the top of your broadcast channel.
- Tap People.
- Tap Add next to Collaborators.
- Finally, select your collaborator from a list of suggested accounts, or search for someone’s username.
As the admin of your broadcast channel, you can remove any collaborators from your channel anytime. Simply tap Remove next to a person’s name from your list of channel collaborators.
How does an Instagram broadcast channel work?
Instagram broadcast channels are pretty simple to use. As long as you have a Creator account on Instagram, you can create a broadcast channel and start sending messages to your audience.
What makes broadcast channels unique is that they’re designed to help you reach followers who’ve chosen to join your channels. That means the content you share on your broadcast channels goes out to only a subset of your audience — generally those who engage with your account the most. This gives you a platform where you can connect with some of your most dedicated followers.
Broadcast channels are integrated directly into each Instagram user’s inbox, followers can quickly find new channels to join and keep up with your latest broadcasts from the same place they message their friends.
Benefits of using Instagram broadcast channels
Instagram creators already have plenty of ways to interact with their followers (Instagram Stories are a prime example), so what makes broadcast channels different? And why should you even bother creating one? Let’s dive into five benefits of using this new feature.
It’s one-way messaging
Imagine just how cluttered your DMs would get if you were to message back and forth with all your followers, individually. That’s where Instagram broadcast channels come in. They offer creators a one-way, streamlined communication method, allowing them to reach large groups of followers at once without overwhelming their inboxes.
You can send more than just text
The chat you start with your followers in an Instagram broadcast channel is similar to what you’d get in your DMs. You can send text messages, sure, but you can also send photos, videos, and even voice notes. What’s more, you can create polls to get your followers to vote on anything and question prompts to get specific conversations going.
It’s a great platform for collaborations
When you start a broadcast channel, you can invite other creators and collab with them. That way, you can create mini-events that feel a bit more exclusive — and a bit more special — than just publishing a single post with your collaborator. Since broadcast channels allow you to share videos and voice notes, you could even use them to record and share mini podcast episodes and interviews.
It brings you closer to your audience
Instagram can sometimes feel a bit impersonal. There’s always pressure to make every bit of content algorithm-friendly, which can hamper your creativity. With a broadcast channel, you can send whatever you like to your followers, without worrying about how it’ll affect your overall account. That’s a great way to create more meaningful experiences with your audience.
Supplement your Instagram Subscription with exclusive broadcast channels
If you’ve already been using Instagram Subscriptions to monetize, broadcast channels are a great way to give your subscribers even more bang for their buck.
You have the option to start exclusive broadcast channels (available only to your subscribers) or create channels open for all your followers. So, for example, you can have a channel with general updates for your followers, and one with exclusive behind-the-scenes content for your subscribers.
Examples of Instagram broadcast channels
You might have seen broadcast channels pop up in your notifications, but if you haven’t had the chance to start your own, you might be wondering what you can use them for. Need some inspiration? Let’s take a look at how some creators are using their broadcast channels.
1. Tank Sinatra
The self-proclaimed “Michael Jordan of memes,” this creator delights his audience with jokes about pop culture and those strange little situations everyone’s been through, like trying to save those last little bits of soap from the soap dish.
So how does this creator use broadcast channels? At this point, it’s to give his followers a sneak peek at his new merch before it goes live on his main feed.
2. Lonnie IIV
Lonnie IIV is a digital creator who makes short, humorous clips and hosts the IIV League Podcast. His content covers all sorts of topics, from what arguing with siblings is like to how to identify which Starbucks low-key hates you.
Lonnie IIV has been pretty active on his broadcast channel, where he’s using one of its most popular features: voice notes.
He also uses this channel to announce new episodes of his podcast to members before letting his broader audience know.
3. Mikaela Shiffrin
Mikaela Shiffrin is one of the most decorated alpine skiers in the world and is generally considered one of the best to ever do it. She uses Instagram to share updates about her training, behind-the-scenes clips of her media appearances, and footage of some of her best runs.
She uses her broadcast channel in a few ways, including promoting some of her posts before putting them on her main feed and sharing more casual snapshots of her life.
4. David Allen
David Allen (aka ToTouchAnEmu) is a variety content creator, who went viral for his video where he dances to The Kid LAROI and Justin Bieber’s “STAY” while a drone circles him.
So how does a massively viral TikTok creator use Instagram broadcast channels? He mainly uses them to share behind-the-scenes clips of his top-performing content, and to promote his collabs with other creators. These are the kinds of content you might not necessarily want to share on your main feed, but that a subset of your audience still finds valuable.
5. Karen Cheng
Karen Cheng (aka @karenxcheng) is a creative and artist with 1.3M followers on Instagram. She shares what she dubs “creative experiments” with her followers on her main account.
She uses broadcast channel content to share a behind-the-scenes look at her main content, including some vulnerable glimpses into her experience as an artist creating for social platforms.
6. Stephanie Lau
Stephanie Lau (or @stephh_lau) is a food content creator who shares recipes, meals, and other cooking content on Instagram. She has just a little over 27K followers.
She uses her broadcast channel to promote paid events called Cookbook Club, in which she invites her followers to potlucks themed around popular cookbooks. This allows her to keep promotional posts to a minimum on her main Instagram feed, while keeping her followers in the loop as she shares dates for her upcoming events.
Broadcasting live
Broadcast channels allow creators to start conversations that feel a little closer and a little more exclusive with their followers. If you’ve got the follower count to be eligible, try making one and seeing what conversations you can create!
FAQ
Who’s eligible to create an Instagram broadcast channel?
To create an Instagram broadcast channel, your account needs to meet these requirements:
- It’s a professional account (i.e. not a personal one).
- It isn’t private.
- It has at least 10,000 followers.
Can you create multiple broadcast channels?
You sure can! More than that, creators can create both public broadcast channels, as well as private channels limited to paid subscribers of their Instagram Subscription.
Can you collaborate on a broadcast channel?
Absolutely! If you have a broadcast channel (and by default you’re its admin), you can invite up to 5 other Instagram creators to collaborate with you on your channel. That’ll give them the ability to send messages to members of your channel.
If you want to collaborate on someone else’s broadcast channel, you’ll have to ask them to invite you. Right now, only a channel’s admin (aka the creator who started said channel) can invite collaborators. So watch your notifications to find the invitation and accept it.
How do I join a broadcast channel on Instagram?
Instagram creators have a lot of ways to share broadcast channels on Instagram, meaning there’s a lot of ways you can join them:
Scan a QR code shared by a creator.
When creators send the first message in a new broadcast channel, you’ll get a notification you can tap to join in.
Watch a creator’s stories. They might share a message from a broadcast channel there. Tap it to join the channel.
Follow a link to a broadcast channel in a creator’s profile.
Image credit: Meta
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Further reading
- How To Get More Followers on Instagram in 10 Steps
- What Are the Best Times to Post on Instagram?
- How Does the Instagram Algorithm Work?
- Instagram Subscriptions: How to Launch Your Own and Get Paid Monthly
- Instagram Money Calculator: Estimate How Much You Can Earn as an Influencer
This article was originally published in April 2023, and updated in September 2024 with additional information.
