Among the various announcements and updates at Meta’s “Conversations” business messaging conference in São Paulo today, one usage note stood out in particular.
WhatsApp Channels, a one-way broadcast messaging option that allows users to sign up for topic-based groups to stay up to date, currently has 500 million users.
Channels, which WhatsApp launched a year ago, are similar to Instagram’s Channels option and offer a new way for creators and brands to stay connected with their audiences in a more direct way.
Of course, this was previously the domain of social media pages, but more and more people are interacting through messaging, and Channels offer a way to focus on this by facilitating a messaging connection with your most engaged fans.
This could also open up a range of new opportunities for brands.
For example, you could run a promotional channel with special offers for your channel members or maintain a DM broadcast stream for product launches.
Either way, having 500 million users could mean huge potential, offering more ways to align with evolving engagement behaviors.
WhatsApp Channels is not yet available in all regions, but you can sign up to the Channels waitlist here.
