TikTok gets Instagram-style broadcast channels with new 'Bulletin Board' feature

TikTok announced on Thursday the launch of a new feature called “bulletin board,” which allows brands and creators to share public, one-to-many messages with their followers. Essentially, “bulletin board” is TikTok’s equivalent of Instagram’s broadcast channels feature, introduced in 2023.

Similar to broadcast channels on Instagram, only the creator of a “bulletin board” can post messages, while followers are limited to reacting with emojis. The feature supports text, image, and video posts.

“Bulletin boards” are available to creators who are at least 18 years old and have a minimum of 50,000 followers.

The purpose of this feature is to facilitate community building by enabling creators and companies to share news, updates, and exclusive content with their followers. Instead of posting updates through Stories or regular posts on TikTok, creators can use their “bulletin boards” for this purpose. Additionally, the feature enables accounts to promote their content by sending messages directly to their followers.

The launch of the “bulletin board” feature was anticipated, as TikTok was seen testing it in June.

During its beta testing phase, TikTok noted that artists and musicians utilized the “bulletin board” feature to share new music and encourage followers to pre-save forthcoming releases. The platform also saw use from organizations like People magazine and Paris Saint-Germain for sharing news and updates.

TikTok emphasized its commitment to safety, stating in a blog post, “Just like everything on TikTok, all content must adhere to our Community Guidelines, which we enforce using a combination of technology and human moderators.” To maintain a positive and safe environment, the “bulletin board” integrates existing safety tools, allowing users to mute, block, and report content and other users.

Creators can create a “bulletin board” by going to their inbox and selecting the option. They can toggle the “Show on profile” setting on or off to change the visibility of their “bulletin board.” Plus, they can select a name for their “bulletin board.”

Followers can join a “bulletin board” by navigating to the creator’s profile and clicking on the bulletin board’s name beneath their bio. By joining, users opt in to receive inbox notifications for every post the creator makes to that board.