Get closer to your community with answers, prompts, and insights

Broadcast channels are one of the most popular ways for YouTubers to directly engage with their community on Instagram. Every month, YouTubers and their followers exchange over 1.5 billion messages on broadcast channels.

Until recently, followers of a broadcast channel could only participate by liking and reacting to messages. Today we’re excited to introduce updates to channels that will change that and help you better understand and engage with your audience. This is new:

• Answer: Give your followers the opportunity to engage with your messages and each other.
• Prompts: Start conversations in your channel with Q&As and daily check-ins.
• Insights and Best Practices: Understand what works and get helpful tips to achieve your goals.

Hear directly from your followers

With Replies, you can now have real, back-and-forth conversations on your broadcast channel. Your audience can respond to messages and each other while remaining focused on your content.

All replies are nested within your messages, keeping topics organized and making it easier for your followers to find their place in your channel. And just like with comments, you can delete or report any reply.

To enable replies, tap your channel name at the top of your channel. Then select “Channel Control” and enable “Allow members to reply to messages.”

Kickstart talks

It’s now easier to start the conversation with your audience. Prompts Create buzz on your channel by giving your audience something to respond to, thereby giving them the opportunity to connect with one another.

Break the ice by choosing from suggested topics or create a custom prompt that fits your channel’s vibe. Your followers can reply with text or photos and like their favorite replies for up to 24 hours. Keeping an eye on likes will help you understand what’s popular, what’s working, and what’s not.

To create a prompt, go to your channel, tap “+” and select “Prompt.”

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Whether you’re asking your followers to share their restaurant recommendations or a small moment from their day, prompts keep your channel collaborative. And if you reply promptly, your message will also be shared on the main channel, giving everyone a reason to check back and join in.

Grow with insights and best practices

New metrics like total interactions, story shares, and poll votes help you track your content’s performance and get an idea of ​​what’s resonating.

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With personalized guidance and best practices, we help you get the most out of your channel. Set a goal for your channel and we’ll suggest concrete actions to help you achieve that goal. For example, if you want to build your audience across platforms, try reaching all of your fans – on both Instagram and Facebook – at the same time. Simply update your settings to automatically share your channel messages to both locations.

To learn more about broadcast channels, including eligibility and features, visit our Help Center.