Meta on Wednesday introduced new updates to Instagram’s broadcast channels, aimed at improving interaction and collaboration between creators and followers.
The company highlighted that creators and their followers exchange over 1.5 billion messages each month on broadcast channels and stated that these updates are designed to “help you better understand and collaborate with your audience.”
New Updates to Instagram’s Broadcast Channels
Replies for Interactive Conversations
With the new replies feature, followers can now respond to messages and interact with each other. All replies are nested within the original messages, keeping discussions organized and easy to follow. Creators can also delete or report any reply to ensure the content remains appropriate.
- To enable replies, creators can go to their channel’s settings, tap on “Channel controls,” and select “Allow members to reply to messages.”
Kickstart Conversations with Prompts
Meta has introduced prompts to encourage followers to engage. Prompts allow creators to ask questions or post daily check-ins, sparking conversations and giving followers a chance to connect. Creators can choose from suggested topics or create their own prompts to fit their channel’s tone.
Followers can engage by responding with text or photos for up to 24 hours and liking their favorite responses, while creators can track these likes to gauge which content resonates most with their audience.
- To create a prompt, tap the “+” in the channel and select “Prompt.”
Track Growth with Insights and Best Practices
Meta is also introducing new insights and best practices to help creators optimize their channels. New metrics such as total interactions, story shares, and poll votes will allow creators to track their content’s performance. Based on these insights, Meta will provide personalized recommendations to help creators reach their goals.
For example, if a creator wants to expand their audience, Meta suggests sharing messages across both Instagram and Facebook simultaneously by updating the channel’s settings.
- To access insights and best practices, tap your channel name, select “Channel performance,” and then tap “See all” for detailed insights.
Availability
The new features—replies, prompts, and insights—are now available globally.