TikTok tests feature like Instagram's broadcast channels

TikTok is testing a new messaging feature called “bulletin boards.” It allows brands and creators to share public messages with their followers.

Posts can include text, images, and videos, while followers can react using emojis.

Similar to Instagram’s broadcast channels launched in 2023, only the creator can post updates.

Early testers include People Magazine, Paris Saint-Germain FC, and the Jonas Brothers.

The feature helps creators and brands share updates, behind-the-scenes content, and promote material directly to followers.

TikTok has not confirmed a wider rollout or additional functionality yet.

🔗 Source: TechCrunch

🧠 Food for thought

1️⃣ Social platforms embrace direct messaging tools to counter algorithmic uncertainty

TikTok’s bulletin boards feature follows a growing trend where platforms create tools that bypass their own algorithmic feeds to guarantee creator visibility.

Instagram’s broadcast channels, launched in 2023, and now TikTok’s bulletin boards both solve the same problem: helping creators reliably reach followers without being subject to unpredictable feed algorithms 1.

These features create a delivery system for creator content, addressing a long-standing frustration where even followers who explicitly chose to follow an account might miss posts due to algorithmic filtering 2.

For creators, these tools represent a shift in how they can maintain consistent audience connections, offering a more direct communication channel that doesn’t depend on constantly adapting to changing algorithms 3.

This approach acknowledges the limitations of algorithmic distribution while still maintaining the one-to-many communication model that defines social platforms, creating a hybrid between private messaging and public posting.

2️⃣ Feature cloning remains a dominant competitive strategy in social media

TikTok’s bulletin boards continue the well-established pattern of major social platforms adopting each other’s successful features rather than focusing solely on unique innovations.