When you post something critical in a squad — a schedule change, a weekly challenge, a resource link — it disappears fast. New members scroll up, miss it entirely, and DM you the same question five times. Pinning announcements in a squad solves this by locking your most important messages to the top of the channel where everyone sees them, every time they open the chat.
This guide covers exactly how to pin messages in Coachful squads, how to manage multiple pins, and how to use pinned announcements strategically to keep your cohort or community engaged without repeating yourself constantly.
TL;DR
- Open the squad chat, long-press (mobile) or hover-click (desktop) the message you want to pin.
- Select Pin message from the message action menu.
- Pinned messages appear in the squad's Pinned tab so any member can find them instantly.
- Only coaches, editors, and admins can pin or unpin messages — members cannot.
What is a pinned announcement in a squad?
A pinned message is a chat message that gets promoted to a persistent, always-accessible location inside the squad. Instead of living only in the scrollable message timeline, it surfaces in a dedicated Pinned tab at the top of the squad channel. Members can tap or click that tab any time to review everything you've marked as important — no scrolling required.
Coachful squads run on real-time Stream Chat, which means the pinning mechanism is tightly integrated into the same messaging layer your clients already use. There's no separate "announcement board" to maintain — pinning is just a layer on top of normal conversation.
There are two squad types where pinning is relevant:
- Cohort squads — automatically created when clients enroll in a program. Use pins here to highlight week-by-week focus areas, Zoom links, and deadline reminders.
- Community squads — always-on group spaces for ongoing engagement. Use pins here for community rules, evergreen resources, and recurring event schedules.
Who can pin messages in a squad?
Pinning is a moderation action, so it's restricted to roles that carry coaching or administrative authority on the platform. The roles that can pin and unpin messages are:
- Super coach (owner)
- Admin
- Coach
- Editor
Regular members can read pinned messages and navigate to the Pinned tab, but they cannot pin new messages or remove existing pins. This keeps your announcements clean and prevents members from accidentally — or intentionally — pinning irrelevant content.
If you've added a virtual assistant to your workspace, note that the virtual_assistant org role does not automatically grant squad pinning rights. Check with your admin to confirm the VA's permission level if they're helping manage squad communications.
How to pin an announcement in a squad (step-by-step)
On desktop (coach dashboard or web app)
- Go to your coach dashboard and navigate to Squads in the left sidebar. Select the squad you want to manage.
- Find the message you want to pin in the chat timeline. You can search the channel using the search icon at the top right of the chat panel if the message is buried.
- Hover over the message. A small action toolbar appears on the right side of the message bubble — it includes emoji, reply, and a three-dot More options icon.
- Click the three-dot icon to open the message action menu.
- Select Pin message. The message is immediately promoted to the Pinned tab. A small pin icon appears on the message in the main timeline so members know it's pinned.
On mobile (iOS / Android)
- Open the Coachful app and navigate to the relevant squad. (Access the app at app.coachful.co/mobile or through the native iOS/Android shell.)
- Long-press the message you want to pin. A contextual action sheet slides up from the bottom of the screen.
- Tap Pin message. The action sheet dismisses and the pin icon appears on the message.
Viewing all pinned messages
- Inside any squad chat, tap or click the Pinned tab (shown near the top of the channel, alongside Members and other tabs).
- All pinned messages appear in reverse-chronological order — most recently pinned at the top.
- Tapping any pinned item jumps you directly to that message in the chat timeline, so context is preserved.
Managing a growing cohort or community? Coachful combines squad pinning with structured programs, built-in scheduling, and direct Stripe billing — so you spend less time on admin and more time coaching. Start your free trial.
How to unpin a message
Pinned messages don't expire automatically, so you'll need to manually unpin anything that's no longer relevant. Stale pins — like a link to a call that happened two months ago — erode trust in the Pinned tab. Members start ignoring it if it's cluttered.
- Navigate to the squad and open the Pinned tab, or find the pinned message directly in the chat timeline (look for the pin icon).
- Hover over the message (desktop) or long-press it (mobile).
- Select Unpin message from the action menu.
- The message remains in the chat timeline — it just loses its promoted status in the Pinned tab.
Best practices for pinned announcements
Keep the Pinned tab under 7 items
The Pinned tab works best as a quick-reference hub, not an archive. When you pin more than 6–7 messages, members stop scanning the list because it feels overwhelming. A good rule of thumb: if you're adding a new pin, ask yourself which existing pin it replaces and remove the old one.
Write the message for standalone reading
A pinned message might be read weeks after you posted it, by someone who has no context from the surrounding conversation. Write pins as if they're the only message in the chat. Include all the relevant details: dates, links, action items, and who the message applies to.
Instead of pinning "Don't forget — link is in the last email!", write a self-contained message: "📌 Week 3 group call — Thursday June 12 at 11am ET. Zoom link: [link]. Bring your habit tracker."
Use a consistent format for announcements
Coaches who run tight squads typically open pinnable messages with a 📌 emoji and a bold heading. This makes them visually distinct in both the main timeline and the Pinned tab. For example:
📌 WEEK 4 KICKOFF
Focus: Deep work habits
Task: Complete the "Distraction Audit" worksheet (linked below)
Call: Tuesday 2pm ET — [Zoom link]
Questions? Reply in this thread.A consistent format trains your clients to recognize important messages instantly, which increases the chance they actually act on them.
Pin your community rules on day one
For community squads, pin your participation guidelines and expectations before the first member joins. A "Community Guidelines" message as the first pin sets the tone immediately and gives you something to point to if moderation issues arise later.
Use pins alongside program tasks — don't duplicate them
If you're running a cohort squad tied to a Coachful program, the program itself handles structured task delivery through its weeks/days/tasks framework. Pins are best reserved for time-sensitive, conversational announcements — not a replacement for program content. Avoid pinning the same content that already lives in the program module, or your clients end up with two competing sources of truth.
Common mistakes and troubleshooting
The "Pin message" option doesn't appear in my menu
This almost always means your account doesn't have a role that allows pinning. Ask your workspace owner (super coach) to confirm your org role. If you're a coach on someone else's workspace, you need at least the coach org role — not just the member role — to access pinning controls.
I pinned a message but members say they can't see it
Check that members are looking in the Pinned tab, not just the main timeline. The pin icon on the message is subtle on some screen sizes, and first-time users often don't notice it. Send a quick message pointing them to the tab: "Check the Pinned tab at the top of this channel — I've added this week's resources there." Once they discover the tab, they'll return to it naturally.
The Pinned tab is empty even though I pinned something
If you pinned a message and it's not showing in the Pinned tab, try refreshing the page (Cmd+R on Mac, Ctrl+R on Windows) or force-closing and reopening the mobile app. In rare cases, a slow connection can cause the pin action to appear successful on screen while failing silently in the background. Check the message in the timeline — if the pin icon is missing, the action didn't save and you'll need to repeat it.
I can't find the message I want to pin — it's too far back
Use the squad's search function to locate old messages. On desktop, click the magnifying glass icon at the top right of the chat panel and search for a unique phrase from the message. Once the search result appears, click it to jump to that point in the timeline, then hover to access the pin action.
Members are pinning irrelevant messages
If regular members have been given elevated roles (for instance, to help moderate a large community squad), review their org role assignments. Members assigned the member role cannot pin. If you've given someone a coach or editor role to help moderate, consider whether that access level is appropriate, and establish clear internal guidelines about what should and shouldn't be pinned.
Pins from an old program cohort are showing up in a new cohort's squad
Cohort squads are created fresh for each enrollment period, so pins should not carry over between cohorts. If you're seeing unexpected pinned messages, confirm you're inside the correct squad for the current program enrollment — squad names and dates are shown in the Squads list. You can unpin any carry-over messages manually using the steps above.
Pinning vs. other announcement strategies in Coachful
Pinned messages are powerful, but they're one tool in a broader communication toolkit. Here's how pinning fits alongside other Coachful features:
- Program tasks — Structured, scheduled content tied to a client's program timeline. Use for curriculum, exercises, and habit tracking. Not conversational.
- Pinned squad messages — Time-sensitive, conversational announcements. Use for calls, challenges, resource drops, and community rules.
- Direct messages — 1:1 follow-ups with individual clients. Use when an announcement requires a personal response.
- Booking & scheduling notifications — Automated reminders for upcoming 1:1 or group sessions. Use Coachful's built-in booking notifications rather than a manual pin for session reminders.
- Email via Michelle — For announcements that need to reach clients who haven't opened the app recently, use Michelle, Coachful's AI assistant, to draft and send email updates to your squad members.
The most effective coaches use all of these layers together: the program handles the curriculum, pinned messages handle the real-time pulse of the group, and Michelle handles off-platform outreach when needed. See Squad communication best practices for a deeper look at building an engaged cohort.
Ready to run a more organized squad?
Pinning announcements takes about three seconds, but the compounding effect on client experience is significant. When your squad members can always find the schedule, the resources, and the current week's focus without asking you — they feel more confident, more supported, and more likely to stick with the program. That translates directly into better results and higher retention.
If you're not yet using Coachful to run your coaching programs and squads, you're managing all of this across scattered tools. Start your free trial at Coachful and see how much simpler it is to run a structured, engaged coaching community in one place. Already a member? Sign in to your workspace and put your first pin to work today.