[UPDATED 23.1.24]
WhatsApp Channels is poised to become a truly game changing tool.
For the first time organisations can use Channels to use WhatsApp at scale to reach an audience.
This isn’t private messaging it’s provate broadcasting.
Given that more than 50 per cent of the UK population uses the messaging app this opens up a new vista of communication.
Yes, there’s an audience on WhatsApp
WhatsApp chugs on in the background being an entirely effective way of talking to a small group of people. It’s also widely used by everyone from families, work colleagues, professional networks and other communities.
It’s also not just young people or older people. It’s all demographics as Ofcom data shows.
Table 1. UK WhatsApp by demographic 2023 (source: Ofcom)
What WhatsApp Channels is
Basically, Channels is a new piece of functionality in a new area of WhatsApp. You’ll find it in updates.
With UK Government now joining WhatsApp Channels this gives a green light for other public sector organisations.
WhatsApp describes their Channels as:
“Channels are a one-way broadcast tool for admins to send text, photos, videos, stickers, and polls. Channels can be found in a new tab called Updates on WhatsApp – where you’ll find Status and channels you choose to follow – separate from your chats with family, friends, and communities.”
WhatsApp blog
It’s also one way and yes, its GDPR compliant
If you’re an admin fed-up of getting abused when you post something then this will be a pleasant change. It’s broadcast. It’s one way. So there’s no replies that others can see and nobody else can see the names and phone numbers like you can in a standard WhatsAp group chat.
So, it’s not going to offend GDPR.
Result.
Updates can be forwarded on
One part of the WhatsApp Channels functionality that hasn’t been highlighted is the ability for people to forward on a message. For me, this misses much of the point of Channels. An update about recycling really should have a call to action to forward to people who live in that area. This can hugely amplify the reach of a message.
There’s a layer of privacy
Interestingly, Meta have made great play about the privacy element. Updates stay on servers for 30 days and then disappear. Admins can stop people from taking screenshots directly from users phones.
This absolutely follows the trend of walled gardens
At first, social media was all about the town square where different voices could be brought together. Then people started shouting and people got a bit fed up of that. The trend has been towards walled gardens where people are happier to be. So, messaging tools have been part of this trend. For Meta to now launch Channels really puts the accelerator down on the walled garden idea. If they could move Facebook pages into a private space maybe they would. This is the next best alternative.
But how are brands using WhatsApp Channels?
Firstly, WhatsApp Channels is being limited to big brands right now so there’s no real public sector use.
The first few weeks has been a time of experimentation and I’ve taken a snapshot of football teams, news providers, arms of the UN and Meta themselves have been using the platform.
| Name | Posts | Followers | Text | Meme | Pic | Video | Links |
| UNICEF Supply | 1 | 231k | – | – | – | 0.1 | – |
| Newsweek | 44 | 822k | – | – | – | – | 0.02 |
| UNICEF Parenting | 2 | 723k | – | – | – | – | 0.19 |
| Politics Joe | 2 | 3.5k | – | – | – | – | 0.19 |
| Real Madrid | 13 | 14.1 million | 0.3 | 7.03 | – | – | – |
| Lad Bible | 15 | 89k | 0.8 | 4.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | – |
| BBC News | 6 | 542k | – | – | – | – | 0.3 |
| Manchester City | 8 | 7.7 million | – | – | 0.4 | – | 0.2 |
| LBC Radio | 2 | 18.3 | – | – | – | 0.2 | – |
| Sunderland | 11 | 11.2 | – | 1.7 | – | – | 1.4 |
| 1 | 22.3 million | – | – | – | 0.001 | – | |
| Mark Zuckerburg | 4 | 8.8 million | 0.6 | – | – | – | – |
Take a bow Real Madrid who have been acing it so far.
What works for them are images with text. I’ve used this as a definition of a meme. It’s quite loose, I know. But images with a message on have been working really well for them with an engagement rate of more than seven per cent. That’s an astounding figure and one that I think we can all learn from.
The images have set out starting XIs, celebrated a moment from the game or an achievement.
What’s striking for me is that clearly, Real Madrid seethis as a global channel. So, there are kick off times posted on an image that go around the world.
I’ve never seen that before.
What’s not effective… links aren’t effective
Newsweek have absolutely gone link crazy. There’s 44 posts over a four day period and a breakneck 10 or more a day on average.
That feels way too much.
While links can be posted onto the platform which ia real shift in approach from WhatsApp it’s clear that this strategy of volume and links isn’t working at all. There’s an engagement rate of 0.02 per cent.
Just because you can doesn’t mean you should.
It will be interesting to see how the platform evolves.
Using WhatsApp Channel as the public sector
As far as what type of channel tro create the jury is out.
The organisations currently using Channels are established and are using Channels in the same way they’d maybe use other channels.
I wonder if the public sector may fall into a bear trap if they use their corporate name. I live in Dudley. Do I want Dudley Council on my WhatsApp? Hmmmm. Local government with its 1,200 services struggles to get all residents in all what it does.
Besides, councils are pretty unpopular organisations.
So, to use the Dudley example, I’m not sure if I want all updates, thanks.
But Yorkshire Dales National Park, for example, I may sign-up for updates for visitors. Places to go, images, short video clips and events that’s maybe something I’d be interested in.
Do I want the date and time of the next national park meeting? Do I heck.
Give me video of waterfalls and landscapes.
Security and safety
One person on Facebook when UK Government went live with their Channel pondered how they had won the battle with IT. It’s always baffled me that IT should be the ones against innovation. Leaving that aside, there is plenty of explanation of WhatsApp’s privacy, safety and security.
There is also an overview from Meta to stop people from using WhatsApp Channels for nefarious reasons. I’m sure we’ll see how this works over time.
Creating a WhatsApp channel
Permission to create a WhatsApp Channel is being rolled out.
As a general tip, I’d find and join some WhatsApp Channels to see how they work.
You can do this on WhatsApp by scrolling from Chats to Updates and hitting the plus next to the Channels header. You can search for keywords or for the most popular Channels in your country. You can also create a channel from this point, too.
You can have up to 16 WhatsAppChannel admins. Admins’ identities are available to other admins but not the public.
For content, you can add an image, text or a URL but as we’ve seen elsewhere the URL is least effective. Mainly because WhatsApp by habit isn’t a URL kind of place. We’re not used to it. You can also create a poll on your WhatsApp Channel. There is also the functionality to share voice notes as you would using your own WhatsApp account with friends and family.
Content
When you post something to your WhatsApp Channel you will go to the top of the list of Channels people have, when they open their updates. However, for people to read your update they still have to open up your Channel and scroll through.
One thing you may consider doing is to restrict what emoji people can use as a reaction to your post. You can change in your Channel settings from any to default only. This gives a thumbs up, heart, laugh, shock, crying emoji and praying reaction.
For what works best, take a look at the research towards the top of the blog. Links? Not really. Images and text on images? Yes.
Insights
Right now there is no free way of getting WhatsApp Channel insights to see how an individual post is progressing.
There’s nothing on the WhatsApp blog that points to where you can go and nothing in the app itself. This is somewhat irritating. If you fork out for a tool like WebEngage you can start to use insights. Hmmm.
Getting followers
Right now, the direct route is for people to find your channel via their own WhatsApp with them navigating to updates and then searching.
That’s not the most obvious way for people to find you.
Interestingly, Real Madrid while they are kings of Channels don’t have a single link, follow button or reference to their Channel on their website.
The Daily Mail, who have a sport WhatsApp Channel, are promoting sign-ups via a link through a story which takes you through to the WhatsApp site.
Having a link feels like the way WhatsApp for Business generated followers with its link, QR code and the ability to synch a Facebook page to WhatsApp.
I deliver ESSENTIAL COMMS SKILLS BOOSTER workshops where I go into using channels like WhatsApp in more detail.
I have ‘Updates’ but not able to create channel. Presume this will follow ?
Pete
I am curious about how we could use this for internal communications. Are channels entirely open to anyone to join, or is it possible to make people request the ability to follow one? If they are fully open to any and all followers, I think it could still be useful for internal communications, but only for those messages that contain no sensitive information. For example, we’d be OK sharing a post saying we’re advertising some great new job vacancies, but less so saying that we’re considering a merger with another organisation.