- How to create an Instagram Broadcast Community
Looking to connect and engage with your audience on a more personal level? Then Instagram Broadcast may be the answer.
- What is Instagram Broadcast?
Instagram Broadcast is a unique, one-way messaging system for creators to engage with their followers without having to respond to comments or likes. Kind of like a blog with your comments turned off, it allows creators and businesses to directly message followers in their DM’s as one large community group.
But why did Instagram start Broadcast? Well, with the rise of TikTok’s high-volume algorithm and Snapchat’s more peer-to-peer appeal, Instagram needed to make creator to follower relationships more personal. Zuck(erberg) realised that users send 18 times more messages, videos and images in DM’s than actual posting. Think about it. How many times do you send a funny meme or message a friend in DM’s rather than posting something on your grid?
The great thing about Broadcast is that users can only like, react and vote in polls – they cannot comment on any posts that appear, making it really easy for creators to control the flow of content without having to engage with their audience even further.
Please be aware, you must have at least 10,000 followers on Instagram to have a Broadcast channel and have a Creator account.
- Examples of how to use Broadcast
Brands and creators are becoming more and more obsessed with community building in 2024. Running clubs, creator update channels and even secret discount code channels on Broadcast are generating a lot of traction. But why and how are Broadcast channels being used in affiliate and ambassador marketing?
1. Notifying users about new content
UGC content is on the rise, and brands are looking for creators that have deep connections with their users instead of solely posting on reels or their grid. After all, Broadcast gives creators direct access to their followers DM’s and thus, making it perfect to give Broadcast followers a sneak preview or reminding them about a piece of content that’s just been published.
2. Sharing affiliate links and discount codes
Sharing affiliate links and codes underneath content specific to the brand is another great way of how to use Broadcast. Notifying users that you’re working with a brand and you a limited time discount code is a sure fire way to get the attention of a user. You could even scrap the content all together and just tell users you’ve been given a discount code to pass to your followers. After all, who are you more likely to be recommended a product by; someone who is directly in your DM’s and you follow, or a random influencer on the internet?
3. Updating users on your general activities
Users want BTS content. They want to see behind the curtain and understand how you operate; whether that’s what your training looks like, what you do on a day-to-day basis or even what your nutrition looks like. Voice notes have been a great way for creators to connect on a more personal level and have been shown to increase engagement by 44% over regular text updates.
- How to post affiliate links on Instagram
Instagram creators can create a Broadcast channel to share messages like announcements, discount codes and behind the scenes content with your followers. It’s like a one-way community where you can post and update your followers, but they can only interact with your content through likes or voting on polls – cutting out the need for responding to comments.
You’ll need 10,000 or more followers to create an Instagram Broadcast channel at this time, but this will slowly get reduced over the next 6-12 months.
1. Open your Instagram app on Android or iPhone
2. Tap the 
or 
in the top right of your feed
3. Tap 
in the top right
4. Tap Create broadcast channel. Once you’ve created your broadcast channel, you can:
- Enter a channel name, for example ‘access to discounts’
- Choose an audience for your channel
- Choose when your channel ends
- Choose to show your channel on your profile
or in the top right, then tap channel at the top.How to invite others to join your Broadcast channel
When you first set up Broadcast and send your first message, Instagram will immediately alert all of your followers to join your channel. This will appear as a notification both in app and on your iPhone or Android screen, like a push notification. You can also invite others to join your channel at a later date by sharing an invite link to your channel or adding the channel to your stories.
- Our top tips for using Broadcast channels
1. Be authentic
Broadcast isn’t there for polished collaboration posts and definitely isn’t the same as Instagram Reels or Grid posts. Broadcast is for giving users an insight into your day-to-day life and for posting more often updates. Keep it chilled out and the polar opposite of corporate.
2. Create multiple Broadcast channels
Multiple Broadcast channels allow you to tailor your content for your audience. Maybe you want a day-to-day updates Broadcast vs. a ‘secret discount codes’ Broadcast channel? Keep your audience engaged with what they’re interested in.
3. Don't overpost
Posting every five minutes is a bit much, let’s be honest. Whilst you’re solely there to engage your audience, you’re not there to post about every single thing you get up to. Make sure your content is interesting and engaging, otherwise you’ll start to lose your Broadcast participants.
4. Create polls for users to vote in
Polls are a wonderful addition to Broadcast and allow users to feel like they’re part of the community. For example, maybe you have two different colours of the same trainer but you’re not sure which to wear for the Berlin Marathon. Ask your community!
5. Collaborate with other content creators
Collaboration brings an exciting element to Broadcast which isn’t available on any other social platform. Invite other content creators to the chat and engage your community even further, or if you’re launching a specific piece of content with a brand and other content creators are part of the campaign, you could collaborate and invite them to bring their audience into the channel.