Have you ever wondered what your favorite celebrity’s close friend stories look like on Instagram? Well, now you can get a taste of it. Meta announced a new Instagram test on Thursday, February 16, that gives creators a streamlined way to interact directly with fans through polls, images, voice notes, and more on a special private DM thread . The test includes many sports stars, influencers, and creators, so if you don't want to miss out on a creator's broadcast channel, here's what you need to know about the new feature.
On Thursday, Mark Zuckerberg announced the launch of a broadcast channel via a series of IG Stories, which he described as a way to "get feeds from your favorite creators." Creators can open channels via DM inboxes and use broadcast channels to interact directly with followers. From there, followers who opt in to the channel will receive customized messages and updates from their favorite creators in the form of videos, private messages, voice notes, and polls. Only the creator behind the channel can send messages, so you won't be able to reply (even if it feels like you're chatting with a friend), but you can react to messages to show your support.
The broadcast channel is expected to expand in the coming months, so it might be a good idea to familiarize yourself with the new features before then.
What is an Instagram Radio channel?
Broadcast channels are a new way to interact with your favorite accounts and receive updates. Every time a creator posts to their broadcast channel, the message will appear in a thread dedicated to that channel in your DMs, and notifications will be sent so you never miss a moment. Basically, if you've ever wanted to exchange private messages with your favorite creator, this is pretty much the closest thing.
Because the feature is still in beta, broadcast channels are only rolling out to a handful of creators on February 16, including:
- Austin Splinz, content creator
- Chloe Kim, two-time Olympic gold medalist in snowboarding
- David Allen, content creator
- FaZe rug, gamer
- Flau'jae Johnson, basketball and rap star
- Gilbert Burns, mixed martial artist
- Josh Richards, media personality and entrepreneur
- Jialun Zheng, creative director
- Katie Feeney, content creator
- Lonnie IIV, Digital Creator
- Mackenzie Dern, UFC jiu-jitsu black belt
- Mikaela Shiffrin, two-time Olympic gold medalist in skiing
- Tank Sinatra, meme creator
- Valkyrae, creator and streamer
According to a blog post announcing the new feature, Instagram will add more features to broadcast channels, such as the ability to bring other creators into the channel and collect questions for "Ask Me Anything" (AMA) sessions through question prompts. The feature will also be rolled out to Facebook and Messenger in the coming months.
Who can create an Instagram broadcast channel?
As of now, the broadcast channel is only available to a handful of IG creators like Chloe Kim and Mikaela Shiffrin. According to the blog post, the channel will "begin rolling out to more creators soon."
If you want to be part of the next generation of creators with their own broadcast channels, you can sign up here (via mobile) to be considered for early access. Remember, spots are limited, but early access will be available on Instagram on a rolling basis.
IG accounts with subscriptions can open the broadcast channel to everyone by setting the audience to "All Followers." You also have the option to create a paid subscription broadcast channel.
How to join an Instagram broadcast channel
In order to access exclusive content, you need to join the creator's broadcast channel by clicking on the invitation link (which may be posted on their story or feed, or pinned to their profile) and then click "Join Broadcast Channel." ” You can also send an invitation link to the group chat, in case your friends want to join the channel with you. By the way, you need to follow the creator to receive notifications of new channel posts, although everyone will get the broadcast channel access rights.
If an account you already follow creates a broadcast channel, you will receive a one-time notification with a link to join.
Whether you’re joining as a creator or a follower, Instagram’s broadcast channel feature has something for everyone.
