What's the Best Communications Channel for Your ERG?
There's no universal "best" channel for ERG communications — the right answer is wherever your members already are. Here's the decision framework.
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The short answer
The best ERG communications channel is whatever your employees already check every day. For most companies that''s Slack or Microsoft Teams. Don''t stand up a separate platform "just for ERGs" — adding a tool nobody opens is the fastest way to kill engagement.
Then layer a low-frequency email or newsletter on top for the people who don''t live in chat.
The decision framework
Step 1: Default to the dominant internal channel
If your company runs on Slack, ERGs go in Slack. If it runs on Teams, ERGs go in Teams. Don''t fight the existing habit — extend it. (And yes, you can measure engagement directly inside Slack and Teams without bolting on another tool.)
Step 2: Add a low-frequency push channel for non-power-users
Chat reaches the people who already participate. Email reaches everyone else. A monthly ERG digest or simple newsletter covers anyone who hasn''t opened the ERG channel in three weeks. Keep it short. Keep it consistent.
Step 3: Use platform-native features before buying anything
- Slack/Teams: dedicated channels per ERG, plus an all-ERG announce channel
- Calendar invites for events
- Company intranet page per ERG (one-pager — see the blueprint template)
Step 4: Only add a dedicated ERG platform when you''ve outgrown the basics
"Outgrown" means: you can''t track engagement across ERGs, programming coordination is breaking, or leadership wants reporting the native tools can''t give you. Before you buy software, ask: would better processes solve this instead?
What NOT to do
- Don''t make every ERG pick its own channel. Three ERGs on Slack, two on Discord, one on a private Workplace group = nobody can find anything.
- Don''t over-communicate. Daily ERG announcements train members to mute the channel.
- Don''t treat the channel as the program. A busy Slack channel is not a functioning ERG — message volume is one of the metrics you shouldn''t be tracking.
A simple cadence that works
- Daily — open Slack/Teams channel for organic conversation
- Weekly — one structured post per ERG (event reminder, prompt, recap)
- Monthly — program-wide email digest with what each ERG did + what''s coming
- Quarterly — leadership update tied to your measurement framework
That''s it. Don''t complicate it.
What to do this week
- List every channel your ERGs currently use.
- Pick ONE primary chat channel + ONE monthly email format.
- Sunset the rest (or repurpose them for working groups).
- Tell members where to find what going forward.