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Communities: Announcement Channel and Notification

Learn how to create Announcement Channels in Communities, manage posting permissions, and understand the latest notification enhancements for members…

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On this page
  1. Key Benefits of Announcement Channels
  2. Before You Begin
  3. Quick Start: Create Your First Announcement Channel
  4. Configure Channel Visibility
  5. Public
  6. Private
  7. Post Your First Announcement
  8. Member Experience
  9. Role-Based Permissions
  10. Notification Enhancements
  11. Announcement Notifications
  12. Level Upgrade Notifications
  13. Level-Based Course Unlock Notifications
  14. Time-Based Course Unlock Notifications
  15. Frequently Asked Questions
  16. Related Articles

Learn how to create Announcement Channels in Communities, manage posting permissions, and understand the latest notification enhancements for members. This guide walks through setup, permissions, and how notifications work so you can keep your community informed without important updates getting buried in conversations.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What are Announcement Channels?

Announcement Channels are read-only community channels designed for important updates. Unlike standard discussion channels, only Community Owners and Admins can publish announcements while members can view, react, and stay informed without adding replies.

This makes Announcement Channels ideal for product updates, maintenance notices, onboarding information, event reminders, and other important communications.

Key Benefits of Announcement Channels

Announcement Channels help keep important information organized while reducing distractions from ongoing discussions.

  • Admin-only posting: Prevent members from posting in announcement channels.
  • Improved visibility: Keep important updates separate from conversations.
  • Public or Private access: Share announcements with everyone or selected members.
  • Pinned announcements: Highlight critical information at the top of the channel.
  • Flexible configuration: Convert an Announcement Channel back into a standard discussion channel at any time.

Before You Begin

Announcement Channels can only be created by Community Owners or Community Admins.

Before creating one, make sure:

  • You have Owner or Admin permissions.
  • You already have a Community created.
  • You know whether the channel should be Public or Private.

Quick Start: Create Your First Announcement Channel

Creating an Announcement Channel only takes a few minutes.

  1. Navigate to Communities and open the desired community.
  2. Open Channel Management.
  3. Click Create Channel, or edit an existing channel.
  4. Enable Announcement Channel.
  5. Choose whether the channel should be Public or Private.
  6. Save your changes.
  7. Publish your first announcement.
Quick Start: Create Your First Announcement Channel (image 1 of 3) What this shows Navigate to Communities and open the desired community. What this shows Illustrates the "Quick Start: Create Your First Announcement Channel" section of "Communities: Announcement Channel and Notification". This screenshot appears in the "Quick Start: Create Your First Announcement Channel" section of "Communities: Announcement Channel and Notification". The text alongside this image reads: Navigate to Communities and open the desired community. Open Channel Management. Click Create Channel, or edit an existing channel. Enable Announcement Channel. Choose whether the channel should be Public or Private. Save your changes. Publish your first announcement. Immediately after, the guide continues: Choose who can access the Announcement Channel. Image 1 of 3 Where to goNavigate to Communities and open the desired community. Open Channel Management. Click Create Channel, or edit an existing channel. Enable Announcement Channel. Choose whether the channel should be Public or Private. Save your changes. Publish your first announcement.
Buttons and menus referenced CommunitiesChannel ManagementCreate ChannelAnnouncement ChannelPublicPrivate
Next stepChoose who can access the Announcement Channel.
All 7 steps in this procedure
  1. Navigate to Communities and open the desired community.
  2. Open Channel Management.
  3. Click Create Channel, or edit an existing channel.
  4. Enable Announcement Channel.
  5. Choose whether the channel should be Public or Private.
  6. Save your changes.
  7. Publish your first announcement.

Configure Channel Visibility

Choose who can access the Announcement Channel.

Public

Visible to every member of the community.

Private

Visible only to members you invite.

Private (image 2 of 3) What this shows Visible only to members you invite. What this shows Illustrates the "Private" section of "Communities: Announcement Channel and Notification". This screenshot appears in the "Private" section of "Communities: Announcement Channel and Notification". The text alongside this image reads: Visible only to members you invite. For context, this section explains: Navigate to Communities and open the desired community. Open Channel Management. Click Create Channel, or edit an existing channel. Enable Announcement Channel. Choose whether the channel should be Public or Private. Save your changes. Publish your first announcement. Immediately after, the guide continues: Open the Announcement Channel. Create a post. Publish the announcement. Pin the post if you’d like it to remain at the top. Image 2 of 3 What this coversVisible only to members you invite. Next stepOpen the Announcement Channel. Create a post. Publish the announcement. Pin the post if you’d like it to remain at the top.

Post Your First Announcement

After creating the channel:

  1. Open the Announcement Channel.
  2. Create a post.
  3. Publish the announcement
    .
  4. Pin the post if you’d like it to remain at the top.

Only Owners and Admins can publish announcements.

Members will see the channel as read-only.

Post Your First Announcement (image 3 of 3) What this shows Members will see the channel as read-only. What this shows Illustrates the "Post Your First Announcement" section of "Communities: Announcement Channel and Notification". This screenshot appears in the "Post Your First Announcement" section of "Communities: Announcement Channel and Notification". The text alongside this image reads: Members will see the channel as read-only. Immediately after, the guide continues: Members cannot create posts inside an Announcement Channel. Image 3 of 3 What this coversMembers will see the channel as read-only. Next stepMembers cannot create posts inside an Announcement Channel.
All 4 steps in this procedure
  1. Open the Announcement Channel.
  2. Create a post.
  3. Publish the announcement.
  4. Pin the post if you’d like it to remain at the top.

Member Experience

Members cannot create posts inside an Announcement Channel.

Instead they can:

  • Read announcements
  • React to posts (if reactions are enabled)
  • View pinned announcements

They will not see a message composer.

Role-Based Permissions

Role-based permissions ensure only authorized users can publish announcements.

Role

Can Post

Can Pin Posts

Can Read

Owner

✓

✓

✓

Admin

✓

✓

✓

Member

✗

✗

✓

You can disable Announcement Mode at any time to convert the channel back into a standard discussion channel.

Notification Enhancements

The latest Communities update also introduces improved notifications that help members stay engaged with new content and achievements.

Announcement Notifications

When an announcement is published, members receive notifications based on their notification preferences.

Notifications may include:

  • In-App notifications
  • Push notifications

Members must have notifications enabled on their device to receive push notifications.

Level Upgrade Notifications

Members receive notifications whenever they level up inside a community.

Notification types include:

  • In-App
  • Push

Level-Based Course Unlock Notifications

When a member reaches the required level for a course, they’ll automatically receive:

  • In-App notification
  • Email notification
  • Push notification

Time-Based Course Unlock Notifications

Courses scheduled to unlock at a future date automatically notify members through:

  • In-App notification
  • Email notification
  • Push notification

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can members post inside an Announcement Channel?

No. Only Community Owners and Admins can publish announcements while the channel is configured as an Announcement Channel.

Q: Can I convert an Announcement Channel back into a regular discussion channel?

Yes. Disable the Announcement Channel setting in Channel Management to restore normal posting permissions.

Q: Can I create multiple Announcement Channels?

Yes. You can create multiple Announcement Channels within the same community.

Q: Can Announcement Channels be private?

Yes. Configure the channel as Private to limit visibility to invited members.

Q: Do pinned announcements stay at the top?

Yes. Pinned announcements remain at the top of the channel until they are unpinned.

Q: Are announcement notifications sent automatically?

Members receive notifications based on their notification preferences and supported notification channels.

Q: Will members receive push notifications?

Yes, if push notifications are enabled for both the community and the member’s device.

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