Short answer: An Instagram channel, often called a broadcast channel, lets you send updates to every follower who joins, one to many. A public account with more than 1,000 followers can start one from Messages. Members can react, reply and vote in polls, but they can’t send messages of their own.
What an Instagram broadcast channel is
In this guide, a broadcast channel is a one-to-many chat: you write, and everyone who joined reads. Instagram calls them channels and keeps them under Messages.
Instagram says channels are being released slowly and aren’t available to everyone yet. A public account with more than 1,000 followers can start one, and people join from the Instagram app for Android, iPhone and iPad.
Who can do what in a channel
| Who | What they can do | Our note |
|---|---|---|
| You, the creator and admin | Send messages and polls, share the channel to a story, invite collaborators | The invite link can’t be turned off, only reset |
| A collaborator | Send messages to the members, like the admin | Their messages are public even if their account is private |
| A member | Read, react, reply and vote in polls | Can’t send messages, and their replies are public |
| Anyone on Instagram | Find the channel, because channels are public | They can find it without an invite |
From Instagram’s help pages on creating and joining a channel; the third column is ours.
How to create a broadcast channel on Instagram
- Check that your account is public and has more than 1,000 followers.
- In the Instagram app, tap Messages at the bottom, then Compose in the top right.
- Tap Create channel and enter a channel name.
- Choose the audience, when the channel ends and whether it shows on your profile.
- Tap Create in the top right.
- Send a first message that says what members will get and how often.
- Share the invite link, a story or the channel’s QR code.
Steps 2 to 5 follow Instagram’s help; the others are ours. When you send the first message, all of your followers get a notification inviting them to join. Your channels sit under Messages, in Channels at the top.
How people join your channel
Besides that first notification, Instagram lists other ways in: an invite link, the channel shared to your story, a message from the channel shared to a story, and a QR code that people scan with their phone’s camera. The invite link can’t be turned off, but you can reset it to get a new one. Members can share the channel the same ways: the link, the QR code and a message shared to their story.
A printed QR code works on a counter or a flyer, and our QR code guide covers making one. The invite link can also go in your profile, as our link in bio guide explains.
What to send in a channel
Instagram’s own examples are announcements, behind-the-scenes content, event details and upcoming collaborations. Some ideas of our own for a small business: new arrivals, open booking slots, a reminder the day before an event, or a poll on what to stock next.
A channel works when members expect something worth reading, so send when you have news rather than every day. Keep the longer pieces for your feed and use the channel to point to them.
Rules and privacy
Channels are public. Anyone on Instagram can find them, and members’ reactions, replies and poll answers are visible to anyone on Instagram. People who open a channel see a list of those who already joined. Messages a collaborator sends are discoverable even if that person’s account is private.
If a message is branded content, Instagram requires the paid partnership tool to show the commercial relationship, and branded content is only available to professional accounts. Our Instagram business account guide covers switching to one, and our collab posts guide covers posting with another account.
Before you start a channel
- Your account is public and has more than 1,000 followers.
- The channel’s name says what members will get.
- The first message explains what you’ll send and how often.
- The invite link is in your bio or a story.
- Branded messages use the paid partnership tool.
- Nothing you send would be a problem as a public post.
RememberA channel is a public, one-to-many chat. Start it from Messages and say in the first message what members will get. Invite people with a link, a story or a QR code, and write each message as if anyone could read it.
Our social media service plans, designs and posts on your Facebook, Instagram and TikTok, in English and Spanish. On Pro, it also answers the comments and messages on your pages.
Common questions about Instagram channels
Who can create an Instagram broadcast channel?
Instagram says a public account with more than 1,000 followers can start a channel, and that channels are being released slowly, so they aren’t available to everyone yet. If you don’t see Create channel under Messages, your account may not have it yet.
Can members send messages in a channel?
No. Members can read, react and reply to messages and vote in polls, but they can’t send messages. The admin can invite collaborators, who can send messages to members like the admin does.
Is an Instagram channel private?
No. Instagram says channels are public and anyone on Instagram can find them, and that members’ reactions, replies and poll answers are visible to anyone on Instagram. Write every message as if it were a public post.
How do people join my channel?
Your followers get a notification when you send the first message. You can also share an invite link or add the channel or one of its messages to your story. In person, show its QR code for people to scan with their phone’s camera.
Can I end a channel?
Yes. When you create it, Instagram lets you choose when the channel ends, along with its audience and whether it shows on your profile. A channel for one event or one launch can end when that is over.
Sources
Sources read on November 6, 2026: Create a channel on Instagram and Join a channel on Instagram (Instagram Help Center).