• by Colin Kirkland , 4 hours ago

Like Instagram’s “Broadcast Channels” feature, TikTok’s newly launched public messaging channel “Bulletin Board” is designed to help creators and brands share content directly with their followers in a “one-to-many broadcast” style, according to a company statement. 

TikTok is essentially trying to make it easier for brands and creators to inform their fans about important news, updates, exclusive content, deals and more with a larger audience. 

In June, TikTok invited artists, publishers and professional sports teams to test Bulletin Board as part of the feature’s beta phase. The company’s statement describes these early testers using the channel to share newly released songs or albums with fans, or inviting them to pre-save an upcoming release. 

People Magazine and Paris Saint-Germain also used the feature to share news with their TikTok followers.

Whereas ecommerce brands can use the channel as a way to highlight product launches, events, special savings codes, or deals, especially during the upcoming holiday season. 

To start a Bulletin Board, creators who are at least 18 years of age with 50,000 followers or more can find the feature in their TikTok inbox. From there, they can turn the “Show on profile” setting on and select “Create” to open the channel, with the option to name it. 

Followers who click the Bulletin Board’s name under the creator’s bio will then receive notifications whenever that account posts an update, with the ability to react to each post with an emoji. 

Similar to Instagram’s three-year-old feature, Broadcast Channels, TikTok’s new channel supports text, photo, and video formats. 

According to a recent report by Marketing Brew, Instagram’s Broadcast Channels -- which originally launched in 2023 -- have delivered positive results for some major brands, including Shake Shack, Cava, and Tony’s Chocolonely, which use the one-to-many messaging approach to offer channel members exclusive deals and updates, fostering a more insular social media community around their brand. 

With the holiday season approaching, TikTok Shop -- the company’s ecommerce arm -- is already planning a wide range of Black Friday brand deals, shoppable videos, and livestreams. Bulletin Board may provide brands with another way to reach their most loyal and curious customers.