A channel, which Instagram first called a broadcast channel, is a one-to-many chat. You post messages, photos, voice notes and polls, and everyone who joined gets them in their inbox. Members can react, reply and vote, but they can't start their own messages in the channel.
Who can start a channel
Channels are still rolling out and aren't available to every account. Instagram says a channel can be started by a public account with more than 1,000 followers. Channels are public, so anyone on Instagram can find them, and members can see who else has joined.
How to create one
- 01Open Messages and tap the compose button in the top right.
- 02Tap Create channel.
- 03Name the channel, choose the audience, choose when it ends and whether it shows on your profile.
- 04Tap Create.
Getting people to join
When you send your first message, all your followers get a notification inviting them to join. After that, share the invite link, add the channel to a story, share a channel message to your story, or show the channel's QR code. The invite link can't be turned off, but you can reset it.
Who does what
| Role | What they can do |
|---|---|
| Admin (the creator) | Everything: rename the channel, invite collaborators and moderators, unsend messages, manage reactions and replies, delete the channel |
| Moderator (up to 4) | Send and remove messages, add or remove collaborators, reset the invite link, hide reactions |
| Collaborator | Send messages to the channel |
| Member | Read, react, reply and vote in polls |
What to post
- Announcements and launches, before they go anywhere else.
- Behind-the-scenes photos and voice notes.
- Polls and prompts that ask members for their opinion.
- Event details and reminders.
Channels vs DMs
A channel is for talking to everyone at once; members can't message you there. For one-to-one conversations, such as sending a link to everyone who comments a keyword, use DMs. MuChat automates those: see Instagram DM automation.
Turn comments into conversations
MuChat answers Instagram comments, story replies and DMs automatically. The Free plan needs no card.