On the web, WhatsApp is working on a new feature which will allow users to know how many people have viewed a channel update. Whatsapp Web Channel Viewers is a feature that will be able to give channel admins as well as followers useful information about engagement. By showing the number of viewers for each update, the WhatsApp wants to give the creators an edge in terms of developing their content strategy as well as knowledge about the audience reach.
Whatsapp Channel Update Viewers is indeed a feature which was developed for Android, however, now it seems as though WhatsApp wants to bring the feature to the web client as well.
What Is the Channel Update Viewers Feature?
In this case, we only show the total number of views an update has had on the Channel Update Viewers feature. In the message bubble of the template, view count will be shown so for the admins it will be easy to view engagement at one place. This in contrast is a different type of engagement product, which will have a view from the user’s view as well as an actual search for a channel by a user which may not has followed channel yet.
This broader channel means that owners will be able to see how many potential followers can see their updates, aside from those who already follow their channel.
Why This Feature Matters for Creators and Businesses
If you are a content creator or a business using WhatsApp Channels, you’d be looking for viewer insights. Since Channel admins will be able to Enquire ‘How many people have seen a particular update?’, they will be able to start understanding which type of content resonates more with their audience.
Say, if a business finds that the updates related to its product are getting more view than the announcements, then they can alter their content strategy as per that need. This feature would also entice admins to upgrade the quality of their posts, as they can already know the real impact.
Privacy Considerations and User Anonymity
The main concern regarding tracking engagement metrics is privacy. Nevertheless, WhatsApp has acted to make sure that this feature respects user anonymity. The Channel Update Viewers feature will reveal only the total number of views, and will not show the name or phone number of those who view an update.
It means that you will not be concerned about who is watching your channel updates, and your identity will not be revealed.
Expected Rollout and Availability
At the present time, the Channel Update Viewers feature is still in development and has not been officially released. However, users will not see this feature even if they update their WhatsApp Web client. It has however been spotted during beta testing and that means that WhatsApp has already started to work on bringing it up to a potential future update.
Whether or not it will be available only to channel admins or to followers of the channel is still yet to be determined. It’s also being speculated if view count will be limited to admins exclusively or the there is a possibility that WhatsApp may provide everyone with view count in the manner in which engagement metrics are working on other social platform.
Conclusion
The perspective that WhatsApp will bring to channel owners via its Whatsapp Web Channel Viewers is that of some very valuable engagement insights which channel owners can use to refine their content strategies. Transparency is balanced with security to show the number of views per update and maintaining privacy of users when using the application in WhatsApp Web Channel Viewers. More details of what WhatsApp’s upcoming features will be are to be revealed in the days and weeks ahead!
