Instagram has announced some updates to its Broadcast Channels option for creators, which provides a private, one-way chat stream to keep your audience informed of important updates.

Broadcast Channels is available to all creators with over 10k followers, so it’s not a widely available option, as such. But if you are in that category, channels provides a simple means to maintain more direct connection with your biggest fans.

And now, you’ll have even more options at your disposal.

First off, you can now run IG Live broadcasts for channel members only, providing another incentive for people to sign up to your broadcast chat.

As you can see in this sequence, channel owners can now start a live stream within the channel, which only channel members will be able to engage with. Instagram says this will provide more opportunity to connect with your most loyal fans.

Instagram’s also adding custom themes for broadcast channels, enabling you to add any picture you want as the background for your chat.

Channel owners can also now choose which emojis their community can and can’t react with in the chat, while it’s also adding QR codes that connect people back to your channel.

That’ll provide another way to promote your update stream, which could help to grow your IG community.

Broadcast Channels has been a successful addition for the app, providing another way for creators to lean into the broader shift towards more private messaging. Which is where more Instagram users are now engaging, as opposed to posting to Stories or the main feed, and channels gives popular creators another way to stay front of mind, and keep their fans engaged in the app.