# Channels

> Understand how to create and manage channels in Broadcast to organize your subscribers and content effectively.

Source: https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/channels

Channels in Broadcast, also known as a "list" in other email marketing software, is where you organize your subscribers. From within a channel, you can send three different types of emails:

Each channel has its own sender details (From name and address). A channel can also hold several [Sender Identities](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/sender-identities) (multiple From addresses selectable per email type) without splitting the subscriber list.

1. **Broadcasts** - Manual email campaigns sent to your subscribers
2. **Sequences** - Automated email sequences (DRIP campaigns) that trigger based on subscriber actions
3. **Transactional emails** - API-driven emails like password resets, order confirmations, etc.

## Overview

Each channel in Broadcast operates as a completely isolated environment with its own:
- Subscribers and subscriber data
- Email servers and sending configuration
- Broadcasts, sequences, and templates
- Opt-in forms and suppression lists
- Analytics and reporting

This isolation allows you to maintain separate audiences for different business units, brands, or customer segments while using a single Broadcast installation.

![Channel overview showing subscriber statistics and recent broadcasts](https://sendbroadcast.net/assets/docs/channels-overview-15fd1cb6.png)

## Creating a Channel

By default, your installation requires you to have at least one channel. You can create multiple channels to organize different parts of your business (eg. enterprise customers vs small-medium B2B customers), or different projects altogether.

### How to Create a New Channel

1. In the sidebar, click on the **switch channel icon** (↕️ arrow icon) next to your current channel name
2. On the Channels page, click the **"New Channel"** button in the top right

![Channel switching interface showing existing channels and New Channel button](https://sendbroadcast.net/assets/docs/channels-list-0c4224d1.png)

3. A setup wizard will guide you through channel creation:
   - **Step 1**: Enter a descriptive name for your channel (e.g., "My Newsletter", "Marketing Campaigns")
   - **Step 2**: Configure sender details
   - **Step 3**: Set up your email server
4. Click **"Continue"** to proceed through each step

![Create new channel wizard showing Step 1 - Name your channel](https://sendbroadcast.net/assets/docs/create-new-channel-e680e1e0.png)

## Switching Channels

To switch between channels:

1. In the sidebar, click on the **switch channel icon** (↕️ arrow icon) next to your current channel name
2. On the Channels page, click on the channel card you want to switch to

Each channel card displays key statistics including subscriber count, broadcast count, and last activity time.

You can always check which channel you are currently working in by looking at the channel name in the sidebar under "Current Channel", in the breadcrumb navigation at the top of the page, and in the page's address bar.

### Channel URLs

Every page in the dashboard includes the channel in its address. For example, the broadcasts list for a channel named "Acme Newsletter" lives at `/c/acme-newsletter/broadcasts`. This has a few practical benefits:

- **Each browser tab keeps its own channel.** You can work in two channels side by side in separate tabs. Switching channels in one tab no longer affects any other tab.
- **Links and bookmarks are unambiguous.** A URL you bookmark or share with a teammate always opens the channel it names. Opening a link that belongs to a different channel switches the whole interface to that channel automatically.
- **Old links keep working.** Bookmarks saved before you upgraded (without the channel in the address) redirect to the same page in the channel you last worked in, and visiting `/` takes you to your current channel's dashboard.

The channel portion of the address is generated from the channel's name when the channel is created, and it does not change if you later rename the channel. Existing links and bookmarks keep working after a rename.

If you open a URL for a channel you don't have access to, Broadcast will not silently switch you to a different channel. You'll be taken to the channel list with an explanation instead.

## Channel Isolation & Organization

All settings, subscribers, broadcasts, sequences, and transactional emails are channel-specific. This means that if you have a channel called "Enterprise", all of the settings, subscribers, broadcasts, sequences, and transactional emails will only apply to the "Enterprise" channel.

This channel isolation allows you to:
- Maintain separate subscriber lists for different audiences
- Use different email servers and sending configurations per channel
- Create channel-specific templates and branding
- Track analytics separately for each channel
- Configure different opt-in forms and suppression lists

### Example Use Cases for Multiple Channels

- **Business Segmentation**: Separate channels for B2B vs B2C customers
- **Brand Separation**: Different channels for each brand or product line
- **Geographic Regions**: Separate channels for different countries or regions
- **Customer Types**: Enterprise customers vs small business vs individual consumers
- **Content Types**: Newsletter vs promotional emails vs product updates

## Channel Settings

Each channel has its own settings page under **Settings → General Channel Settings**. From there you can change the channel's display name, unsubscribe behavior, language, and suppression handling.

### Channel Language

The **Confirmation Page → Language** dropdown controls the default language used on the [confirmation page](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/confirmation-pages) subscribers see after clicking a double opt-in confirmation link.

Today the dropdown only offers English. The setting is in place so future Broadcast releases can ship additional translations without requiring a code change for each customer. If you need non-English copy on the confirmation page now, customize the per-state heading and body fields on your confirmation templates rather than relying on language defaults.

Other localized surfaces (unsubscribe page, preference center) will inherit this setting as I18n support is added to them.

### Confirmation Link Expiry

The **Confirmation Page → Confirmation link expiry** dropdown sets how long a double opt-in confirmation link stays usable: 24 hours (the default), 48 hours, 7 days, 30 days, or Never. See [Confirmation Pages](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/confirmation-pages#link-expiry) for what subscribers see when a link has expired.

### Hard Bounce Suppression

Under **Suppression List**, the checkbox "Hard bounces also block transactional email" controls what email types are blocked by hard bounces from your email provider.

By default, hard bounces block marketing emails (broadcasts and sequences) only. Transactional emails (password resets, order confirmations, etc.) still go through, since your email provider also enforces its own suppression on transactional mail.

Enable this setting if you want hard bounces to also block transactional emails from this channel. The change applies immediately to existing hard-bounce suppressions. It never affects spam complaints or provider suppressions, only hard bounces.

## Channel Deactivation

To preserve your data, you cannot permanently delete a channel. However, you can deactivate a channel when you no longer need it.

### How to Deactivate a Channel

1. In the sidebar, click **"Settings"**
2. You'll see the Channel Settings page with **"General Settings"** selected by default
3. Scroll down to the **"Danger Zone"** section
4. Under **"Channel Deactivation"**, read the information about what happens when a channel is deactivated
5. Click the **"Deactivate Channel"** button

![Channel general settings showing Channel Information and Danger Zone with deactivation options](https://sendbroadcast.net/assets/docs/channel-general-settings-0275fe9c.png)

### What Happens When a Channel is Deactivated

When you deactivate a channel:
- All scheduled broadcasts will be cancelled
- Any active sequences will be paused
- No transactional emails will be sent
- The channel becomes inactive and cannot send any emails

**Important**: You can reactivate a channel at any time to restore its functionality.

## Email Servers

Each channel requires at least one email server to send emails. You can configure multiple email servers within the same channel, and Broadcast will automatically load balance between them when sending broadcasts, transactional emails, and sequences. When a server reaches its hourly limit, its emails wait for room on that server. Broadcast does not move them to another server. Plan one server for each email type, with a limit that fits that type.

![Email servers configuration page showing server list and add button](https://sendbroadcast.net/assets/docs/email-servers-c1fda441.png)

### Managing Email Servers

To manage your email servers:

1. In the sidebar, click **"Settings"**
2. Under the **"Email"** section in the settings sidebar, click **"Email Servers"**
3. View your existing servers with their status, configuration, and rate limits
4. Click the **"Add email server"** button to configure a new server

### Adding an Email Server

When you click "Add email server", a slide-over panel will open with the configuration options:

![Email server configuration form with Label, Vendor, Delivery Method, and SMTP settings](https://sendbroadcast.net/assets/docs/add-email-server-form-9cacd58a.png)

#### Basic Configuration

- **Label** (Required): A friendly name to identify the server (e.g., "AWS SES Production", "Postmark Newsletter")
- **Vendor**: Select from supported email service providers:
  - AWS SES
  - SendGrid
  - Postmark
  - Mailgun
  - Inboxroad
  - Resend
  - SMTP.com
  - Other (for custom SMTP servers)
  - Test Server (for testing without sending real emails)
- **Delivery Method**: Choose between SMTP (traditional) or API (advanced). API delivery provides better error handling and access to advanced features for supported providers.

#### SMTP Connection Details

- **SMTP Address** (Required): The SMTP server hostname
- **SMTP Port** (Required): Usually 587, 465, or 25
- **SMTP Username** (Required): Your SMTP username/access key
- **SMTP Password** (Required): Your SMTP password/secret key
- **SMTP Authentication** (Required): Choose from Plain, Login, or CRAM-MD5

**Important**: Some hosting providers block outgoing traffic on common email ports (25, 467, 587). If your test connection fails, verify that the port is open on your server.

#### Advanced Configuration

##### Custom Headers
Add custom headers to all emails sent through this server. This is useful for:
- Custom tracking headers
- Organization-specific metadata
- Integration with third-party analytics tools

##### Email Types
Control which types of emails are sent using this server. This powerful feature helps maintain deliverability and IP/domain reputation:

- **Broadcasts** - Manual email campaigns
- **Transactional emails** - API-triggered emails (password resets, receipts, etc.)
- **Automated sequences** - DRIP-style email sequences

We recommend two email servers: one for **Broadcasts**, and a separate one for **Transactional emails** and **Automated sequences**. See [Email Server Rate Limits](https://sendbroadcast.net/docs/email-server-rate-limits#use-a-separate-server-for-broadcasts) for the reasons and the setup.

##### Custom Unsubscribe Settings
Configure unsubscribe behavior for this server:

- **Include unsubscribe header**: Adds `List-Unsubscribe` email header (recommended for deliverability)
- **Include unsubscribe link**: Adds unsubscribe link to email footers
- **Customize unsubscribe link**: Override the channel's default unsubscribe URL

**Note**: Some ESPs automatically include unsubscribe headers and links, which may override these settings. These settings only take effect if your channel has an email footer configured.

##### Availability
- **Enable server to send emails**: Toggle to temporarily disable the server without deleting its configuration

This is useful for:
- Server maintenance periods
- Troubleshooting deliverability issues
- Gradually rolling out new server configurations

### Email Server Status

Each email server displays important status information:

- **Server Name**: The label you assigned (e.g., "Primary SMTP") with an "Enabled" or "Disabled" badge
- **Vendor Type**: The ESP category (e.g., "Sendgrid", "AWS SES")
- **Server Details**: SMTP address and port (e.g., "smtp.sendgrid.net:587")
- **Rate Limits**: Displays configured limits (e.g., "Rate is limited to 10000 emails per hour")
- **Email Types**: Colored badges showing which types use this server (Transactionals, Sequences, Broadcasts)

### Best Practices

1. **Test Connections**: Always test your SMTP connection after configuration
2. **Monitor Performance**: Keep an eye on delivery rates and bounce rates per server
3. **Separate by Purpose**: Use one server for broadcasts, and a separate server for transactional emails and sequences
4. **Rate Limiting**: Configure appropriate rate limits based on your ESP's restrictions
5. **Backup Servers**: Consider configuring multiple servers for redundancy