If you’re running sales contests, sharing company news, or just need to get a message in front of your team, announcements in Hoopla channels can help. This guide is for anyone who’s tasked with keeping teams in the loop—whether you’re a sales manager, HR, or the unofficial “hey, can you post this?” person. We're skipping the hype and getting right to what actually works, so you can stop shouting into the void and start getting your announcements seen.
What Are Hoopla Announcements (and Who Actually Sees Them)?
First off, Hoopla is a platform for broadcasting updates, metrics, and recognition—mostly on screens around the office, remote dashboards, or even TVs in the break room. Announcements are short, eye-catching messages you can schedule to show up in these channels.
Good to know: - Announcements aren’t emails. They show up on digital displays already set up with Hoopla channels. - If someone’s not looking at a Hoopla screen, they’ll miss your message. Use this for quick blasts, not critical, must-read info.
If you need a paper trail or can’t afford for people to miss it, use email or chat too. But for celebrating wins, reminders, or making the team feel heard—announcements work.
Step 1: Decide What Belongs in an Announcement
Not every message is announcement-worthy. Hoopla is for stuff that’s short, timely, and benefits from a little fanfare.
Works well for: - Company-wide shoutouts (“Congrats, sales team crushed Q2!”) - Quick reminders (“Town hall at 4pm in the big conference room!”) - Motivation (“Donuts in the kitchen. No, seriously.”) - Hitting a big milestone (“100th ticket resolved!”)
Doesn’t work for: - Policy updates that require action or signatures - Sensitive info (HR, layoffs, anything confidential) - Anything that needs to be read and remembered later
Keep it simple. If it’s not something you’d put on a lobby TV, it probably belongs elsewhere.
Step 2: Get Your Announcement Ready
You want to grab attention, not annoy people. Keep it short, positive, and clear.
- Headline first. Make your main point obvious in the first few words.
- Be direct. No jargon. If it sounds like a memo, rewrite it.
- Use names or teams. Shoutouts work best when specific.
- Limit the length. Hoopla truncates long messages, so keep it tight (think tweet, not essay).
- Skip the clip art. Use images only if they add real value—otherwise, they’re just clutter.
Pro tip: Draft your message in a doc, then paste it into Hoopla. This helps you spot typos and keeps things tidy.
Step 3: Log In and Navigate to Announcements
Let’s get into the nuts and bolts.
- Log into Hoopla. You’ll need admin or content manager access. If you can’t find “Announcements” in your menu, you probably need a role with more rights.
- Go to the “Announcements” section. Usually, this is in the left-hand navigation. If you don’t see it, check “Content” or use the search bar.
- Click “Create Announcement.” The button might say “New Announcement” depending on your version.
Heads up: The interface changes now and then. If you don’t see these options, check with your admin—sometimes, permissions are locked down by default.
Step 4: Write and Format Your Announcement
Here’s where you add the details:
- Title: This shows up big—keep it short and bold.
- Message: One or two sentences, max. Use plain language.
- Choose an image (optional): Only if it’s relevant. Company logo, team photo, or event graphic—it needs to fit the message.
- Pick a color theme: Use your company colors or something that stands out, but don’t go neon unless you’re announcing a rave.
Formatting tips: - Emojis can help, but don’t overdo it. 🎉 is fine; five in a row is just noise. - Avoid ALL CAPS unless you want it to sound like you’re yelling.
Step 5: Choose Where and When It Shows Up
Here’s where Hoopla gets flexible (and a bit confusing).
Selecting Channels
- Pick your channels: Channels are basically playlists for screens. You can send the announcement to one, some, or all channels.
- If you’re not sure which channels go to which screens, check with whoever set up your Hoopla displays.
- Don’t blast everything to every screen unless it’s truly company-wide. Nobody likes screen spam.
Scheduling
- Set start and end times: You can schedule announcements in advance, down to the minute.
- Use this for things like “Lunch at noon!” or reminders before a meeting.
- If it’s evergreen (“Welcome to the team, Priya!”), you can leave it up longer.
- Duration: Most announcements run 10–30 seconds at a time. Don’t make them linger.
- Recurring announcements: If your version of Hoopla supports it, you can set something to recur (like a daily countdown or weekly reminder).
Reality check: Over-scheduling announcements just makes people tune them out. More isn’t better—be selective.
Step 6: Preview and Save
Before you send your masterpiece out into the world:
- Preview the announcement. Hoopla usually has a “Preview” button—use it. What looks good in the editor might look weird on a big screen.
- Check for typos. Seriously. There’s nothing more embarrassing than a “Congratuatlions!” in 72pt font.
- Save or schedule. If you’re happy, hit save. If you’ve scheduled it, double-check the times.
Step 7: Monitor and Adjust
After your announcement runs, don’t just forget about it.
- Watch for feedback. Are people mentioning the announcement? Did it spark action or conversation?
- Check display logs. Some versions of Hoopla let you see what played when—useful if someone claims they missed it.
- Remove stale announcements. Don’t let old messages clog up your channels. Nobody needs to see “Q1 all-hands this Friday” in June.
If you’re not getting the engagement you want, try tweaking your timing, message length, or even which screens you use.
What Actually Works (and What Doesn’t)
Here’s the honest take after seeing this in the wild:
- Less is more. One good announcement a day beats a flood of noise.
- Timing matters. Schedule reminders before people actually need them. “Lunch in 10 minutes” is helpful; “Lunch is over” isn’t.
- Recognition gets noticed. Celebrate people and wins—these get more attention than generic updates.
- Don’t use announcements for everything. If everything’s urgent, nothing is.
What to ignore: Any advice that says “just set it and forget it.” Announcements work best when you adjust them to your team’s actual habits. If nobody looks at the break room TV, that’s not your best channel.
Quick FAQ
Can I add video to announcements?
Some versions of Hoopla support video, but it’s often buggy or only works on certain hardware. Stick to images and text unless you’ve tested video playback on your screens.
Can I target individual users?
Not directly. Announcements go to channels, not people. If you want to reach a specific person, find another way.
How do I know if people saw it?
You don’t, really. Announcements are for eyeballs, not for tracking. If you need confirmation, use email or chat.
Bottom Line
Don’t overthink it. Keep your announcements short, relevant, and timely. Use Hoopla for what it’s good at—quick, visible blasts to keep energy up or get a message in front of the team. Everything else, save for another channel. Try it out, see what sticks, and don’t be afraid to tweak your approach as you go.