WhatsApp Channel is a new feature that allows businesses and organizations to broadcast one-way messages to an unlimited audience. It’s similar to Telegram Channel, but WhatsApp channel offers a number of advantages.
đź“Ś Why WhatsApp Channel?
- Direct Access: Reach your audience where they spend most of their time – on WhatsApp. With over 2 billion monthly active users, it’s the perfect platform to connect with your customers.
- Instant Communication: Say goodbye to email delays and missed messages. WhatsApp offers real-time, instant communication to keep your audience engaged and informed.
- Personalized Engagement: Tailor your messages and content to specific user segments, ensuring a personalized experience that resonates with your audience.
- Rich Media: Share images, videos, documents, and more effortlessly. Engage your audience with visually compelling content.
- Dedicated “Updates” tab : WhatsApp Channels are now located in a dedicated “Updates” tab, providing a more optimized experience for users. This new tab makes it easier to find and follow the channels that you are interested in, and to stay up-to-date on their latest updates.
WhatsApp Channel Feature and Benefits
- Reach a wider audience: WhatsApp has over 2 billion active users worldwide, so channels offer a great way to reach a large audience with your messages.
- Increase brand awareness: Channels can help you to build brand awareness and promote your products or services.
- Drive traffic to your website: You can use channels to share links to your website or blog posts.
- Generate leads: You can use channels to collect leads by asking people to sign up for your newsletter or download a white paper.
How Business can use WhatsApp Channels
- E-commerce businesses: E-commerce businesses can use channels to promote their products, share discounts, and announce new arrivals.
- News and media organizations: News and media organizations can use channels to share news articles, videos, and podcasts.
- Educational institutions: Educational institutions can use channels to share course materials, announcements, and event reminders.
- Nonprofit organizations: Nonprofit organizations can use channels to raise awareness about their causes, recruit volunteers, and collect donations.
- Government agencies: Government agencies can use channels to share public announcements, provide information about services, and collect feedback.
How to Create a WhatsApp Channel
To create a WhatsApp channel, follow these steps:
- Open WhatsApp and go to the Updates tab.
- Tap the + button and select New channel.
- Enter a name and description for your channel.
- Add a profile picture for your channel.
- Tap Create channel.
Once you’ve created your channel, you can start sending messages to your followers. To do this, simply tap on the + button in the message box and select the type of media you want to send. You can also add captions to your images and videos.
How to share my Whatsapp channel
Sharing your WhatsApp Channel is quite straightforward. Here are the steps:
- Go to the WhatsApp Channels section and open the Channel’s page that you want to share.
- Tap the vertical three-dot icon at the top right and select Channel info from the menu.
- You will see the option to Forward or Share the particular WhatsApp Channel with your friends and family.
Alternatively, you can also share your channel by following these steps:
- After you have created a WhatsApp Channel, you will find it under the Updates tab.
- Open your Channel and tap on the Channel link button at the top right corner.
WhatsApp Channel Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Reach a wider audience
- Increase brand awareness
- Drive traffic to your website
- Generate leads
- Provide customer support
- Easy to use
- Free to use
Cons:
- Channels can be used to spread misinformation or spam
- Channels can be addictive
Overall, WhatsApp Channels is a powerful tool that can help businesses to reach their target audience and achieve their marketing goals. However, it’s important to use channels responsibly and ethically.
Difference between WhatsApp Channel and Telegram Channel
Like Telegram channels, WhatsApp Channels are a great way to broadcast one-way messages to an unlimited audience. However, there are some key differences between the two platforms.
Here is a table comparing WhatsApp Channels and Telegram Channels:
| Feature | WhatsApp Channel | Telegram Channel |
|---|---|---|
| Audience size | Unlimited | Unlimited |
| Message types | Text, images, videos, links, and documents | Text, images, videos, links, documents, polls, quizzes, hashtags, and more |
| Engagement features | Reactions, polls, and quizzes | Reactions, polls, quizzes, comments, and mentions |
| Discovery | Channels can be discovered by searching for them or by being shared in groups or chats | Channels can be discovered by searching for them, by being shared in groups or chats, or by being found in public directories |
| Privacy | Channels can be public | Channels can be public or private |
| Other features | Channels have insights that show how people are interacting with your content | Channels have insights that show how people are interacting with your content, as well as a variety of other features, such as bots and groups |
Overall, WhatsApp Channels and Telegram Channels are both powerful tools for broadcasting messages to a large audience. However, Telegram Channels offer a wider range of features, including more engagement features, more discovery options, and more other features to date. We hope to see more features in WhatsApp Channels in the upcoming days.
WhatsApp Channel FAQs
How Whatsapp Channel works?
WhatsApp Channels is a feature that allows you to effectively follow updates from organizations, creators, and communities through WhatsApp Channels without anyone else having to know that you’re doing so. Here’s how it works:
Creating a Channel: You can create a channel to share updates and connect with your followers directly through WhatsApp. You’ll need a WhatsApp account to get started. To create a channel, open WhatsApp Web, and go to Channels by clicking the Channels icon. Click > Create channel. Click Continue and continue through the onscreen prompts. Add a channel name to finish creating your channel.
Customizing Your Channel: You can choose to customize your channel now by adding a description and icon or wait until later.
Add a channel description: Write a few words to help potential followers understand what your channel is about.
Add a channel icon: Add an image from your phone or the web to stand out.
Joining a Channel: Once Channels go live in your area, you’ll be able to search a directory of Channels to join, filtered for your location or not depending on your preferences. When you join a WhatsApp Channel, while the Channel’s admins will get a notification, they won’t get access to your phone number or details.
Receiving Updates: You’ll then get new messages whenever admins post in the Channel, much as you would from a contact, except in a new tab at the bottom of WhatsApp called Updates. You can review these posts whenever you like.
Reacting to Posts: You’ll be able to react with emojis and see how others are reacting, but your contacts won’t be able to see your precise reactions, even if they’re in the same Channel.
Post Expiry: Messages, images and other posts disappear after 30 days, and admins can limit the forwarding of messages or files if they desire, to keep Channels more tightly controlled.
Please note that this feature might not be available in all regions yet and is being rolled out gradually.