# Slack channel naming conventions for agencies

> A copyable Slack channel naming convention for ad agencies: client-, int- and ext- prefixes with -leads and -alerts, filled in for three example clients.
- **Author**: Marxx
- **Published**: 2026-11-06
- **Category**: Agencies
- **URL**: https://marxx.ai/library-templates/slack-channel-naming-conventions-for-agencies

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A Slack channel naming convention tells everyone what a channel is for before they open it. For an agency, three prefixes do most of the work: client- for your team's room on one client, int- for agency-only topics, and ext- for channels shared with a client. Add -leads and -alerts when a client needs separate rooms for those.

## The convention

Copy this into a pinned message in #general.

```
SLACK CHANNEL NAMES: [Agency name]

Format: [type]-[client]-[job]
Lowercase. Hyphens, no spaces. Client short name, one word.

TYPES
client-   Our team only, about one client
int-      Our team only, not about one client
ext-      Shared with a client (Slack Connect or guests)

JOBS (add to client- channels when needed)
-leads    One message per new lead
-alerts   Ad alerts and account problems
-comp     Competitor and keyword ad digests
-creative Briefs, drafts, approvals inside the team

AGENCY CHANNELS
int-standup   Daily buyer posts
int-creative  Creative team work
int-finance   Invoices and billing
int-random    Everything else

RULES
1. Never put a client in a client- or int- channel.
2. One short name per client, used everywhere.
3. Owner and backup in every channel description.
4. Archive, do not delete, when a client leaves.
```

## Filled in for three clients

Say your agency runs three clients: Northwind Escapes (a travel brand with many leads), Mango Lane Foods (an online food store) and Orbit Fitness (a small studio).

| Client | Short name | Channels |
|---|---|---|
| Northwind Escapes | northwind | client-northwind, client-northwind-leads, client-northwind-alerts, client-northwind-comp, ext-northwind |
| Mango Lane Foods | mangolane | client-mangolane, client-mangolane-alerts, ext-mangolane |
| Orbit Fitness | orbit | client-orbit |

That is 9 channels for 3 clients. Type "northwind" in Slack's channel search and all five Northwind rooms come up together.

## Why this order works

- **Type first** means a sorted channel list groups all client- rooms, then all ext- rooms. You never confuse a shared room with an internal one.
- **Client second** means a search for the client name finds every room for it.
- **Job last** means you only add it when a client needs it.

The same idea runs through a good [ad naming convention](/glossary/ad-naming-convention). If you name ads with our [ad naming convention template](/templates/ad-naming-convention-template), use the same client short names in both places.

## Tips

- **Pick short names you will not regret.** Renaming later means updating every tool that posts to the channel.
- **Use ext- for every shared room**, whether the client joins through [Slack Connect](/glossary/slack-connect) or as a guest.
- **Keep -leads private** if lead messages carry names or phone numbers.
- **Write it down before the second client.** Fixing ten badly named channels takes longer than naming them well.

The [agency Slack setup guide](/guides/how-to-set-up-slack-for-an-ad-agency) shows where these channels fit. We make Marxx. [Marxx in Slack](/features/slack) lets you send each kind of message, per client, to the channel you name for it.

## FAQ

### Should the client's full name be in the channel?

Use a one-word short name. Long names get cut off in the sidebar on phones.

### What about clients with several brands?

Treat each brand as a client if it has its own ad account and team: client-northwind-goa, client-northwind-kerala.

### Should freelancers get int- access?

Only to the channels they work in. Add them to client- rooms one by one, not to all int- rooms.

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- [More Agencies articles](https://marxx.ai/library-templates/category/agencies)
- [All articles](https://marxx.ai/library-templates)