How to Send WhatsApp Marketing Messages: What You Need

How do you create and get a marketing template approved?

Create the template in your platform, choose the marketing category, add sample values for every variable, submit it, and wait for Meta's review. Meta says decisions can take up to 24 hours.

Formatting rules that cause rejections

• Variables use the form {{1}}, {{2}}, in sequence with no gaps.
• A template cannot start or end with a variable.
• Variables need sample values at submission.
• The text must not duplicate another template's body and footer.
• Do not ask for sensitive identifiers such as full card or national ID numbers.

After approval, Meta rates each template's quality (green, yellow, red, or unknown for new templates) from customer feedback and read rates. New or lower-rated marketing templates can be paced: Meta releases the first messages, waits for early feedback, and holds or drops the rest if the signals are negative. A paused template cannot send until you restore it.

Use our WhatsApp template preview tool to check how the message looks and browse ready-made message templates.

What limits apply to WhatsApp marketing?

Two separate limits apply: how many people you can start conversations with, and how many marketing messages each person receives.

When you hit a per-user limit, wait at least 24 hours before you retry, and send fewer, more relevant messages next time. Read messaging limits and quality rating for the full mechanism.

How much do WhatsApp marketing messages cost?

Meta charges per delivered message, by category and by the recipient's country, and marketing is a paid category. Since 1 July 2025 this per-message model replaced conversation-based pricing. Messages sent inside a Free Entry Point window, opened by a reply to a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, are not charged for 72 hours.

We pass Meta's charge through at Meta's rate with zero markup, and rates differ by country. Do not copy figures from articles: use our WhatsApp pricing by country, the price index and the pricing calculator, then confirm in Meta's current rate card. More in WhatsApp Business API pricing.

How do you send your first WhatsApp marketing campaign?

Start small, send to engaged customers, and watch quality before you scale. A repeatable procedure:

1. Define the goal and the audience. One offer, one segment, for example customers who bought in the last 90 days.
2. Check opt-in for every number in the segment and remove anyone without a record.
3. Draft the template with a clear offer, a call-to-action button and, if you wish, a quick-reply button for opting out.
4. Submit it and wait for approval. Plan a day of buffer.
5. Upload the list (CSV or Excel), map variables, preview, and remove duplicates.
6. Send a test to your own team numbers.
7. Send in batches inside your limit, during local daytime hours.
8. Monitor delivered, read, replies, opt-outs and template quality. Stop and fix if quality drops.
9. Reply fast to customers who respond; replies open a 24-hour service window.
10. Follow up only with people who engaged, and suppress anyone who opted out.

Worked example: a Dubai clinic

A synthetic clinic, "Marina Smile", has 3,000 patients who opted in at reception. Its new portfolio starts at 250 unique users per moving 24 hours. At that limit, the first send to all 3,000 would take 12 days of daily batches. If Meta raises the limit to 2,000 after verification, the same send takes two days. The clinic sends the first batch to the 250 most recent patients and checks read rates and opt-outs before the next one. The lesson: plan the schedule around your limit, and lead with the best segment.

What do good marketing templates look like?

Good templates are short, specific, helpful and end with text rather than a variable. Adapt these samples to your business and wording rules. Variables are shown as {{1}} and so on.

Clinic: recall

Hi {{1}}, it has been six months since your last check-up at {{2}}. Tap Book now to choose a time that suits you.

Buttons: Book now (link), Stop promotions (quick reply).

Retail: weekend offer

Hi {{1}}, our weekend sale at {{2}} runs until {{3}}. Use code {{4}} at checkout to save on your favourites. Tap below to shop.

Buttons: Shop now (link), Stop promotions (quick reply).

Real estate: new listing

Hi {{1}}, a new {{2}} in {{3}} just listed that matches what you asked for. Tap below to see photos and book a viewing.

Buttons: View listing (link), Talk to an agent (quick reply).

Each template names the business or location, offers one action and avoids pressure language. Arabic-speaking customers should receive an Arabic version of the same template, submitted as a second language. See Arabic customer messaging.

What mistakes get marketing campaigns blocked or ignored?

Most failures come from the list and the content, not the software.

• No real opt-in. Purchased lists produce blocks and reports, which lower quality and limits.
• Utility-looking promotions. Mixing an offer into a confirmation gets it reclassified as marketing.
• Too frequent. Heavy sending to the same people raises blocks and lowers read rates, which feeds the per-user limit.
• Ignoring opt-outs. Honour every request, on or off WhatsApp.
• Retrying capped messages immediately. Wait 24 hours after error 131049.
• Sending at night. Use local daytime hours, and follow SMS quiet hours if you use SMS fallback.

Also read sending bulk WhatsApp messages without getting banned.

How OmniChannels.ai helps

BroadNet is an official Meta Business Solution Provider. We onboard you through Meta Embedded Signup, help with business verification and display name approval, and give you template creation with variables, media, buttons, phone preview and approval tracking. Campaigns support Excel or CSV upload, preview, scheduling and duplicate filtering, with delivery reports and a shared inbox for replies. Approval decisions stay with Meta. See the WhatsApp Business API and campaigns, then book a demo.