Audience: District Admins
Platform: District Web
📌 Mobile is not supported for sending Broadcast notifications at this time (though sent notifications can be viewed in the TalkingPoints for Admins mobile app).
📢 Broadcast notifications are only included in a partner's TalkingPoints plan with the purchase of the Admin Family Connect Plus package. If you're interested in adding this package, please reach out to partnersupport@talkingpts.org
What Are Broadcast Notifications? 📢
Broadcast notifications let District Admins send large-scale messages to many families at once. Unlike Emergency Alerts 🚨, broadcast notifications respect each family’s communication preferences.
Broadcast notifications are:
📱 Delivered through text or app (based on each family’s preference)
📧 Sent as emails, if enabled
📞 Sent as calls, if enabled
🌐 Can be posted to social media and your website, if your district has connected these channels
✔️ Best for district updates, reminders, event notices, and school closures
💡 Common uses: weather updates, school-wide reminders, district newsletters, event announcements.
Who Can Send Broadcasts 👥
✅ District Admins
🚫 School Admins
🚫 Teachers
📌 Permission to send Broadcast notifications is automatically included in district admin roles but can also be added to a custom role.
How to Send a Broadcast 📨
Go to the Compose page.
Select the Broadcast message type.
Choose your recipients.
Broadcasts can be sent to schools, regions, or district-wide.
Write your message in the Text Message section. ✍️
Character limit: 600 characters
Review delivery channels:
Text/App (always included) 📱
Call (if enabled) 📞
Email (if enabled) 📧
Social Media + Website (if enabled) 🌐
(Optional) Set up email subject, call audio, and external platforms
Review your message
Click Send
Below is a screenshot of the compose modal, with the Broadcast notification option selected:
📌 You can also save Broadcast notifications as templates for future use.
Features by Delivery Method 🔧
Some features work differently depending on which delivery channels are included.
Text Message + Email
When your Broadcast includes Text Message and/or Email, you can use:
Video
Document
Image
Merge fields
Background color
View templates
Save template
You cannot use:
Audio
Polls
Email behavior:
Email body uses the same text as the Text Message
Email subject can be customized
Call Options 📞
If calls are enabled, you can send a Broadcast that includes a phone call.
For Call messages, you can choose:
🗣️ Record your own voice
🗣️ Text-to-speech (system reads the message you typed)
🎧 Preview Message to generate the audio before sending
👤 Choose a female or male voice for English and translated audio
🔧 Transcript editing rules:
If you edit more than 5% of the transcript, the system asks you to:
Revert to the original text OR
Re-record your audio
If you continue without re-recording, the system will ignore your voice recording and regenerate audio using text-to-speech so translations stay consistent.
When Call is included, you can use:
Video
Document
Image
Background color
View templates
Save template
You cannot use:
Merge fields
Polls
Audio uploads
External Platforms (Social Media + Website) 🌐
If your district has connected external platforms, you can send Broadcasts to:
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Your district or school website
You will see the External platforms section only if at least one platform is configured.
When External platforms are included:
You can use:
Image
Background color
View templates
Save template
You cannot use:
Audio
Video
Document
Merge fields
Poll
📌 If the External platforms section is visible, you must select at least one platform to post there.
🔗 For full setup steps:
Admins must set these up before they appear in the Broadcast composer.
Where to Find Sent Broadcasts 📂
District Admins can view Broadcast notifications in:
📋 All Messages
📨 Sent box
🧵 Student threads (labeled “Broadcast”)
Each message includes:
📄 Message content
🏷️ Message type (Broadcast, Emergency, or Standard)
📊 Delivery details for App, Text, Call, Email
Delivery data can be downloaded for your records.
Family + Student App Experience 📱
Families and students may experience Broadcasts in different ways depending on their communication preferences:
📞 Calls — they hear the Broadcast if they answer
▶️ In the App — calls are playable inside the app
📢 Announcements section — Broadcasts appear permanently
📧 Emails — delivered to inboxes (not displayed inside the app)
Notes + Limits 📝
⚖️ Broadcasts follow each family’s text/app/email/call preferences
📧 Emails can only be sent through Broadcasts or Emergency alerts
🗒️ Transcript editing is available only when voice is recorded
📊 Delivery details are viewable and downloadable
👉 Looking for Emergency Alerts? Read this article → for urgent, high-priority messages.