WhatsApp Channels for business: What they are, how to create them and best practices (2025 guide)
WhatsApp Channels deliver extensive reach and engagement. Learn how to create, optimize, and grow your own WhatsApp Channel to share updates, boost visibility, and connect your audience with deeper, two-way chat experiences.
If you need a simple way to broadcast updates at scale on a channel customers already use daily, WhatsApp Channels are built for maximum reach. With 3 billion users and open rates often near 98 percent, the visibility is hard to ignore. Channels are one-way by design, so they complement your conversational tools rather than replace them.
Use them for announcements and rich media, then guide followers into two-way chat journeys for support, sales, automation, segmentation, and analytics with Infobip’s WhatsApp Business Platform and API.
What are WhatsApp Channels?
WhatsApp Channels are one-way broadcast feeds that let admins share updates to followers at scale. Followers cannot reply in the channel but can react with emojis and vote in polls. Updates appear in the Updates tab, not in personal chats, and follower identities remain anonymous to admins.
How channels differ from groups and broadcast lists:
- Groups enable two-way conversations among members. They require more moderation and are best for smaller communities.
- Broadcast lists in the WhatsApp Business App send the same message privately to selected contacts, but reach is capped and discovery is limited.
- Channels are discoverable, scalable, and built for public one-way updates with lightweight interactions.
How channels compare to the Business App and API:
- Channels do not support two-way chat, automation, personalization, or chatbots inside a single channel.
- The WhatsApp Business App and WhatsApp Business API power real-time conversations, approved templates, segmentation, and advanced analytics. Pair channels with the API to move followers into support, sales, and transactional workflows when they want to chat or buy.
Core features
Channels keep broadcast simple while giving admins essential tools. Here are the highlights, with brief explanations to help you plan content.
- One-way messaging: Admins post updates. Followers can react with emojis and participate in polls. Replies are not supported.
- Rich media support: Share text, images, videos, stickers, links, audio, and polls for more engaging updates.
- Enhanced directory and discoverability: People can find channels in a searchable directory by category, country, and interests. Popular and active channels are highlighted.
- Reactions and polls: Gauge sentiment and collect quick votes without opening a full conversation.
- Editing and 30‑day history: Edit updates for up to 30 days. Channel content automatically disappears after 30 days.
- Forwarding: Followers can forward updates to chats or groups, with links back to your channel for easy access.
- Privacy and security: Follower identities and admin phone numbers remain hidden to protect privacy.
- Analytics and insights: Basic metrics include reach, top regions, follows and unfollows, and reaction or poll results. For deeper analytics, integrate two-way flows using the API.
- Verified badge: Authentic, active channels that meet WhatsApp’s policies can be verified with a badge. Verification boosts trust and discoverability.
How WhatsApp Channels work
Understanding how people discover and receive updates helps you plan promotion and posting cadence.
Discovery and subscription
Followers find channels via the directory, recommended lists, external invite links, QR codes, and in-app sharing.
Updates tab and notifications
Channel posts appear in the Updates tab instead of personal chats. Followers can enable notifications to avoid missing time-sensitive updates.
Preview and follow
People can preview recent updates and view your channel info page before they follow. They can follow from the directory with a single tap or on the channel page.
Admin controls and content lifecycle
Admins manage who can post, edit, and delete updates. Plan for the 30-day expiry by re-sharing evergreen content across your other touchpoints.
Step-by-step: How to create a WhatsApp Channel
Setting up takes minutes. Follow the steps for your device, then refine your profile so people instantly know why they should click Follow.
Web
- Open WhatsApp Web.
- Click the Channels icon.
- Click Create channel and follow the prompts.
- Add a recognizable name, upload an icon, and write a concise description.
- Click Create. To share, open your channel info and copy the channel link.
Mobile (Android or iOS)
- Open WhatsApp and go to the Updates tab.
- Tap the menu and select Create channel.
- Upload your icon, add the channel name, and write a short description.
- Tap Create.
Branding tips:
- Use a clear, consistent name and profile photo across your social profiles.
- Write a value-first description that tells people what they will get, how often you post, and why it matters.
Pro tip: When you’re ready to turn broadcast interest into conversations, add chat entry points and automate journeys with Infobip’s WhatsApp Business Platform and API.
How to attract and manage followers
Discovery is strong inside WhatsApp, but external promotion drives the biggest growth. Combine in-app findability with off-app promotion and a steady content rhythm.
Promote on all ends
Share your invite link on your website, social posts, and email newsletters. Add QR codes and wa.me links to speed up mobile follows.
In-app sharing
Encourage followers to forward updates or share your channel link inside WhatsApp to expand reach.
Optimize your listing
Keep your name, icon, and description laser focused. Choose categories and regional filters that match your audience.
Multi-admin management
Add multiple admins to post and moderate. Align on a content calendar and tone. Keep replies routed to a separate WhatsApp chat for service and sales with API-powered workflows.
Benefits of WhatsApp Channels for businesses
Channels help you reach a broad audience fast, with strong engagement and low friction. They work best as the broadcast layer in your customer communication stack.
- High engagement and reach: Broadcast posts land where people spend time, with strong open and view rates.
- Targeted communication and real-time updates: Create separate channels by region, language, or product line to maintain relevance without per-user personalization. Share announcements, launches, maintenance alerts, and flash sales instantly.
- Improved trust and algorithm-free delivery: Privacy by design and verified badges build credibility. Followers get all updates without algorithms limiting reach.
- Cost-free posts: Posting to channels is free, making them ideal for frequent updates.
- Complementary to two-way tools: Use channels to attract and inform. Move interested followers into two-way chat for support, sales, and guided journeys with automation, segmentation, and advanced analytics through Infobip.
Use cases and creative ideas
Channels are ideal for broadcast. Add conversion paths to chat when followers want to engage or buy.
Marketing, community, and customer engagement
Announce new products, run polls and giveaways, spotlight users, and share newsletters to strengthen relationships.
Customer support alerts
Post known-issue fixes, service maintenance windows, and policy updates to reduce inbound tickets.
Internal communications
Use private channels for employee updates, training schedules, and company-wide announcements.
Influencer or partner collaborations
Co-host channels with creators or partners to amplify reach and credibility.
Lead nurturing and cross-sell
Broadcast special offers, bundles, and loyalty perks. Add a call to chat for personalized recommendations and payments with Infobip bots or agents.
While there are many ways to use Channels, following the best practices will help you maximize engagement and eliminate any foreseeable issues.
Best practices for managing WhatsApp Channels
Treat the channel like a lightweight newsletter with fast, scannable posts that deliver value every time.
1. Segment your audience
Create separate channels for regions, languages, product lines, or interests to keep updates relevant.
2. Deliver value in every post
Prioritize exclusive offers, useful tips, and educational content over pure promotion.
3. Stay consistent and promote actively
Post 3–5 times weekly, feature invite links and QR codes on websites and emails, and create exclusive content to drive sign-ups.
4. Comply with guidelines
Avoid harmful or illegal content, impersonation, fraud, and age-inappropriate material. Keep communication respectful and accurate. Read up on how to keep your account compliant here.
5. Monitor performance
Track reach, follows and unfollows, and reactions or poll results. When you need segmentation, testing, and conversion tracking, integrate two-way journeys with Infobip’s WhatsApp Business Platform and API.
Even the most effective tools have limitations. Understanding these early will help you set the right expectations and put the best strategies in place.
Limitations and challenges
Set clear expectations so teams know when to use channels and when to switch to chat. Channels are powerful for broadcast, but they are not a conversation tool.
- One-way conversation: Followers cannot reply. Route them to a WhatsApp chat for support or sales when needed. Visit our WhatsApp for customer service blog for more on this.
- Limited visibility: Updates live in the Updates tab. If followers do not enable notifications, they may miss messages.
- No in-channel personalization or automation: All followers see the same content; there is no scheduling or chatbot functionality, and analytics are basic.
- 30-day message history: Posts expire after 30 days, so plan re-posts or evergreen reminders.
- No monetization features: Channels do not include ads or paid subscription options.
Think of WhatsApp Channels as your megaphone: quick, free, and powerful, to broadcast important updates and get your message heard by many. But a megaphone can’t start a meaningful conversation.
That’s where Infobip’s WhatsApp Business Platform and API come in to help you turn those listeners into engaged customers through personalized, automated chats that really connect.
Ready to start reaching and engaging your audience like never before? Talk to us and build your full WhatsApp customer experience with Infobip today.
FAQs about WhatsApp Channels
Channels are one-way broadcast feeds. Followers can react and vote but cannot reply. Groups enable two-way chats among members. Broadcast lists send private messages to selected contacts and have reach limits.
On mobile, open WhatsApp, go to Updates, tap Create channel, add a name, icon, and description, then publish. On web, open WhatsApp Web, click the Channels icon, choose Create channel, complete profile details, then publish.
Followers cannot reply. They can react with emojis and participate in polls.
Yes, posting channel updates is free.
Through the directory, recommended lists, invite links, QR codes, wa.me links, and in-app sharing by existing followers.
Verified channels display a badge that signals authenticity and improves trust and discoverability. Verification depends on meeting WhatsApp’s criteria and policies.
Yes, you can add multiple admins to post and manage content. Native scheduling is not available, so plan a content calendar.
30 days. Content expires automatically.
No. Use WhatsApp Business API and agent or bot workflows for service and sales conversations.
Channels offer basic insights only. For automation, segmentation, testing, and full-funnel analytics, integrate with Infobip’s WhatsApp Business Platform and API.
