This is a step-by-step guide to help figure out how to create your own broadcast channel on Instagram.
Table of Contents
What is an Instagram broadcast channel?
In February 2023, Meta introduced broadcast channels, a feature that creators can use to broadcast messages and notify a broad audience of followers of updates on Instagram. Followers will not be able to post in the channels, though they can emoji react to posts and vote in polls. For audiences, they are a great way to stay up-to-date with the latest.
Even CEO Mark Zuckerberg has a broadcast channel on which he shares “news and updates on all the products and tech we’re building at Meta.”
While Instagram can be accessed on a desktop browser, Instagram Broadcast Channels are only available in the Instagram app at the time being.
In addition to the global launch, Instagram announced experimental features, including the following:
- Question prompts for collecting feedback and AMA content.
- A dedicated tab in the inbox for easier access and discovery of joined and new channels.
- Collaborators to invite guests on your broadcast channel.
- Expiration dates and times for broadcasts.
- Addition of content moderators.
- Preview links to share with followers to encourage them to join a channel.
Eligibility criteria
To create a broadcast channel, you first need to make sure you have a creator account that is active with over 10 thousand followers. If you are a content creator with good quality, consistent content, but some elements like an optimized bio or profile picture are missing, you may not get access to this feature.
Read more: How to Create an Outstanding Social Media Bio in 2023
If you do not meet any of the aforementioned criteria, the option to create a broadcast channel will not appear.
How to create a broadcast channel
If you do meet all of the criteria, follow these steps to create a channel:
Step 1: Open Instagram, go to your direct message inbox in the app, and tap the icon to write a new message.
Step 2: Here, an option to ‘Create a broadcast channel‘ will appear. Click on that to start the process for your own Broadcast channel. From here you can:
- Enter a channel name.
- Choose an audience for your channel.
- Choose when your channel ends.
- Choose to show your channel on your profile.
Step 3: When you create a channel, remember that your followers or paid subscribers will be notified about it, so you don’t have to, but it’s always good to share your channel on your story in case someone misses it.
Broadcast channels can be set for followers or paid subscribers only and can be displayed for promotional purposes or hidden.
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