Exploring WhatsApp Channels: What they are, and how to use them for marketing

Since their introduction in 2023, WhatsApp Channels have grown into a powerful tool for businesses to reach large audiences. With new options to help people discover, subscribe to, and follow Channels, WhatsApp is making it now easier than ever for companies to get in front of the right customers. 

So, what exactly are WhatsApp Channels? How do they work, and how can your business use them to share updates, announcements, or even newsletter-style content?  

In this guide, we’ll break down everything you need to know about Channels, highlight the latest important updates, and show you how they fit into a broader WhatsApp marketing strategy. 

WhatsApp Channels are a one-way broadcast feature that lets businesses share updates with a large audience all at once. Channels support multimedia content like videos, voice notes, images, and GIFs. This makes them ideal for sharing company news, product launches, special offers, or event announcements – all delivered in a direct and enticing way. 

For now, Channels are free to use, even for companies. Pricing may change in the future, but right now Channels offer businesses a no-cost way to experiment with WhatsApp marketing.  

Used well, Channels help companies boost brand awareness, keep customers in the loop, and strengthen loyalty with consistent, valuable updates. They don’t replace the full suite of WhatsApp marketing tools, but they’re a strong addition.  

WhatsApp Channels function a lot like broadcast feeds you may have seen on Telegram or Instagram. Users can follow influencers, creators, and – most importantly – businesses to get updates in real time. Channels don’t show up alongside regular chats. Instead, they live in the separate “Updates” tab. It’s the same tab where you can see status updates as well. 

Discovery is a big part of how Channels work. Users can browse a searchable directory to follow topics they care about, whether that’s their favorite sports team, a local community group, or a brand they love. Businesses can also share invitation links to make it easy for people to join from chats, emails, or even websites. 

In 2025, WhatsApp added new ways for people to find business Channels: 

• Promoted Channels put your channel in front of relevant users, helping you reach beyond existing followers. 
• Subscription options give people more control, helping them choose how they want to engage with updates, whether that’s always-on alerts or more occasional notifications. 

Channel history is kept for 30 days, after which older updates disappear. Admins can set rules like disabling screenshots or preventing forwards, giving businesses more control over how their content is shared. 

For marketers, these updates make Channels a practical way to reach and grow audiences without having to intrude into the more personal one-to-one WhatsApp messaging. 

Anyone can set up a WhatsApp Channel including private users, influencers, and businesses. Companies need the WhatsApp Business app or API and a WhatsApp Business account to create a new Channel, while individuals can use the standard WhatsApp app. 

Creating a Channel is straightforward: You can do it on iOS, Android, or even from your browser with WhatsApp Web. Just make sure you’re running the latest version of the app before you start. 

Once created, your Channel acts as a one-to-many broadcast space where followers can opt in to receive your updates. Our guide walks you through the process step-by-step. 

Insights 7 min

How to create a Channel on WhatsApp: A step-by-step business guide

Learn more

Verification is a WhatsApp Business feature that helps your business stand out and build trust with followers. A verified WhatsApp business account will also display the blue checkmark when using Channels, signaling to users that it’s the official account for your brand. 

Adding verification is especially important for businesses using WhatsApp Channels for marketing, as it reduces confusion and reassures customers that they’re engaging with the right brand. 

If you’re using the WhatsApp Business app, you need to pay for a monthly Meta Verified subscription to be able to get the verification badge. For API users, account verification is part of the WhatsApp Business Platform feature set and there are no extra costs involved in applying for a blue checkmark. If you use the free version of the WhatsApp Business app, you won’t be able to get your account verified.  

Admins should be mindful of the Channels guidelines that WhatsApp put in place.  

Channel admins should be respectful of their followers and avoid sending too many or low-quality updates which could lead recipients to unfollow their Channel. They should also provide a title for their Channel that reflects the Channel content and helps users make informed choices about which Channels they choose to follow. 

There are also guidelines around the kinds of content allowed in Channels:  

• Don’t share illegal content or engage in illegal activity of any kind. This includes content that exploits or endangers children, or content that supports criminal organizations or individuals.  
• Do not share intellectual property you don’t have the rights to use. 
• Do not share content that could cause serious harm to people. Channels should not facilitate the exploitation of people. 
• Do not engage in fraud. This includes activity or content that purposefully deceives, impersonates, or willfully misrepresents or otherwise scams, defrauds, or exploits WhatsApp or its users. 
• Keep content age-appropriate for WhatsApp’s user base.  

WhatsApp reserves the right to take action on Channels, such as using automation, manual reviews, and user reports to detect violations. Users can also report violations directly. If WhatsApp notices violations, they can, for example, warn admins, suspend updates on a Channel, remove content, suspend or ban a Channel, ban the Channel creators from WhatsApp, and even report issues to authorities. 

WhatsApp Channels let you share updates with an audience of any size. Posts appear in the Updates tab, not private chats, so they feel less intrusive but still reach the right people. In 2025, discovery features like Promoted Channels and new subscription options make it easier for businesses to grow their following and even offer exclusive content. 

Today, businesses are using Channels to: 

• Share company updates, product launches, and special offers 
• Announce and recap events 
• Deliver newsletter-style content directly in WhatsApp 
• Partner with influencers or creators to expand reach 

For businesses, the draw is simple: You post once and instantly reach thousands of followers in a trusted, distraction-free space.  

Campaigns 6 min

Netflix, Times of India, and the Indian cricket team: Examples of successful WhatsApp Channels

Learn more

While WhatsApp Channels are a new way to broadcast on the world’s most popular social media network and increase your reach, there are still plenty of limitations. For example, there’s: 

• No targeting or personalization possible. You must send the same message to everyone. There’s no segmentation available. 
• No interaction. You can broadcast messages, but users can’t comment or follow up with a one-on-one chat. Only emoji reactions are possible.  
• Lower visibility. Unless users choose to get your updates as push notifications (the default setting is to have push notifications turned off), users have to go to their Update tab to see your message, and there, Channels are set up in chronological order. So if you’re not among one of the last ten updates they received, they won’t even see your content right away. 
• No automation. WhatsApp Channels don’t have any automation features like automated messages, scheduling chatbots, or templates you can use to scale a campaign. 
• Worse performance. Performance may also fall short compared to one-to-one WhatsApp broadcasts or marketing messages, where open rates often exceed 90%. Channels, on the other hand, resemble a crowded inbox, which means your updates may not always stand out.  
• No insights. As of now, there’s no clear way to track the performance of your WhatsApp Channels posts. 
• No end-to-end encryption. WhatsApp Channels currently don’t offer end-to-end encryption, which makes them less secure than private chat messages on WhatsApp.  

Despite these limitations, Channels can still be used as an effective part of your marketing mix. If you just want to push content (without measuring results) or increase your reach as a company or influencer, this might be a good tool, and some businesses are already using them successfully. The most promising approach is to use Channels alongside your regular marketing messages that you send out through the WhatsApp Business app or API.  

For a better understanding about the differences between the WhatsApp Business app, the WhatsApp Business Platform (API), and Channels, check out our side-by-side comparison.  

WhatsApp Channels are great for broadcasting updates, but they have limits like no two-way conversations, limited analytics, and fewer options to personalize content.  

If you think Channels don’t fit your marketing needs or if you want to complement your Channels strategy with a scalable campaign tool, dedicated marketing tools like Sinch Engage are a better fit. 

They’re just as easy to use as Channels, you can be up and running in minutes, and you get access to the full WhatsApp marketing toolkit (including automations, performance insights, and integrations with other tools like HubSpot or Shopify). 

With Sinch Engage, you can: 

• Build full WhatsApp marketing campaigns with segmentation and personalization 
• Track performance with detailed analytics 
• Add other Channels like SMS, MMS, and RCS 
• Integrate digital platforms you already use 
• Manage everything in one shared inbox 

And you don’t need to know how to code or hire developers. Sinch Engage is an intuitive out-of-the-box solution designed for businesses that want to go beyond simple broadcasts, and create meaningful, measurable customer interactions.  

Not sure if it’s right for you? You can try it out for free. 

FAQs about WhatsApp Channels

Still have questions? Here are quick answers to some of the most common things businesses want to know about WhatsApp Channels. 

Author: Marinela Potor Marinela Potor is a Senior Content Marketing Manager at Sinch. With a background in tech journalism, she specializes in messaging and AI.