Broadcast channels are coming to Instagram

Instagram just launched a new feature that creators and brands may find appealing: One-way broadcast channels are coming to an inbox near you.

Meta head Mark Zuckerberg announced the update in his Instagram Story, calling channels a “broadcast chat feature” that will allow creators to share text, images, and more with followers.

While broadcast messages will appear in followers’ inboxes, they won’t work like traditional DMs. The “one-to-many” messaging system means channel followers can read and react to messages but won’t be able to reply.

Once you have access to the feature, you’ll be able to create your own broadcast channel from your Instagram inbox. When you post your first message, your followers will receive a one-time notification that invites them to join your channel.

But while you can request early access to broadcast channels on Instagram, you don’t have to wait to start exploring the feature now. If you want to see how they work, head over to Mark Zuckerberg’s Instagram account (@zuck) and tap on the profile link to the Meta broadcast channel.

If you don’t already follow Zuck (whoops), you’ll be prompted to do so:

Then, you can preview the broadcast channel’s contents before joining.

Once you’ve joined the channel, new broadcasts will appear in your inbox alongside your other messages.

We’d recommend getting familiar with the feature now — in his announcement, Zuckerberg noted that channels will be coming to Facebook and Messenger soon.