Meta Launches Instagram Broadcast Channels for One-to-Many Messaging with Followers

Meta, the parent company of Instagram, has announced the launch of a new one-to-many messaging tool that enables creators to communicate with their followers on a larger scale. The tool, known as broadcasting channels, allows creators to send a message from their Instagram inbox to their followers, who receive a one-time notification to join. However, followers will not receive any further notifications about the broadcast unless they add the channel to their inbox. Once added to their inbox, the channel will appear among other message threads, and notifications will function similarly to any other chat.

Creators can also encourage their followers to join the broadcast by using the “join channel” sticker in Stories or by pinning the channel link to their profile when the channel is live. This new feature allows creators to engage with their followers more directly and at scale, which can be beneficial for businesses, influencers, and other creators.

In other news, Meta is testing a subscription bundle that provides verified account status for Facebook and Instagram, while LinkedIn has introduced the ability for users to star important conversations in their inbox for easier retrieval. Additionally, Twitter has made text message/SMS 2FA available only to Twitter Blue subscribers, and YouTube is experimenting with allowing a small group of creators to create and measure podcasts in Studio.