How To Article

WhatsApp Broadcast: How to Broadcast WhatsApp Messages [January 2024]

Román Filgueira
December 8, 2022
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If your customers are WhatsApp users, you should know how WhatsApp Broadcast works. In this article, you’ll learn how to create a WhatsApp broadcast list and how to send a broadcast message on WhatsApp. Whether you are using the WhatsApp Business App or WhatsApp API — also known as the WhatsApp Business Platform — you’ll learn how to use WhatsApp Broadcast to bulk message your audience. Plus, we’ll discuss how to raise your WhatsApp account’s messaging limit to broadcast to a larger audience.

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How does WhatsApp Broadcast Work?

More than 1.5 billion individuals use WhatsApp globally. With a 98% open rate, WhatsApp messages are one of the most effective ways to connect with customers today. For this reason, businesses are leveraging the wide reach of this messaging channel for large-scale communication via WhatsApp broadcast.

WhatsApp broadcast enables businesses to send a single message to multiple recipients simultaneously on WhatsApp. To send a broadcast on WhatsApp, you’ll first need to compile a list of recipients.

A WhatsApp broadcast list is a saved of recipients for your broadcast messages. These messages are delivered individually to each user within their personal chats, as opposed to a WhatsApp Group Chat setting. Importantly, recipients of the same broadcast remain unaware of the names and numbers of others, ensuring a high level of privacy, security and a user-focused experience.

WhatsApp broadcast is one of the best marketing and remarketing tools of today. And what’s better is that WhatsApp offers two solutions depending on your business size and messaging needs. Let’s first talk about WhatsApp broadcasts on the WhatsApp Business App.

WhatsApp Broadcast: Micro-Small Businesses

If you are a micro or small business, the WhatsApp Business App has the tools you need to send bulk messages to a limited list of contacts.

This image explains how micro-small should send broadcasts
WhatsApp broadcast service: WhatsApp Business App is popular among micro-small businesses

Micro and small businesses have a small number of customers per month, so they don’t handle a large volume of messages. For this reason, broadcasting with WhatsApp Business App is a good choice for them.

WhatsApp Broadcast Limit in the WhatsApp Business App

Broadcasting with WhatsApp Business App has several limitations. For starters, it’s not possible to import contact lists. Instead, phone numbers must be manually added one by one. But there’s more.

Contacts Must Save the Sender’s Number

WhatsApp broadcasts are not always guaranteed to reach their recipients. The WhatsApp Business Policy prohibits businesses from spamming, so contacts must save the sender’s number on their phones to receive broadcasts. Make sure all the contacts in the WhatsApp Broadcast list have saved your number in their address book.

This image shows the broadcast limit in WhatsApp Business App. The app doesn't allow importing broadcast lists and it's possible that WhatsApp broadcasts not delivered if contacts haven't added your number.
WhatsApp broadcast limit: Broadcast list on WhatsApp Business App

Limited Number of Contacts per Broadcast List

While there is no limit to the number of Broadcast lists you can create, you can include up to 256 contacts in each broadcast list. As your business scales, you will need an easy way to reach more than 256 people at once without creating multiple broadcast lists.

Lack of Broadcast Analytics

Plus, WhatsApp Business App doesn’t offer any analytics tools to measure the performance of WhatsApp broadcasts. You will not have insights into broadcast message delivery and other important metrics.

How to Send a WhatsApp Broadcast with the WhatsApp Business App

Broadcasting with WhatsApp Business App is free. This means you can send as many broadcasts as permitted without any costs. But keep in mind that contacts can block or report your number if they feel you are spamming them.

You can use WhatsApp Business App on a maximum of 5 devices at the same time. However, only one of those devices can be a phone.

To send a broadcast with WhatsApp Business App, select your recipients manually or using labels. Labels are tags that help users categorize contacts and messages. This way, users can broadcast to a specific audience, such as returning customers.

This image shows the features of WhatsApp Broadcast for Business App: It's free, only for one phone and one device and has built-in broadcasting functionality.
Broadcasting on WhatsApp Business App: Features

Simply create multiple labels and add them to contacts over time. Keeping contacts updated with the right labels will make broadcasting less time-consuming. Alternatively, you can tag the contacts one by one for every new broadcast you send.

Here’s a step-by-step guide on how to create a broadcast list on WhatsApp:

  1. Go to WhatsApp > More options > New broadcast.
  2. Search for or select the contacts you want to add.
  3. Tap the check mark. This will create a new broadcast list.

To summarize, here’s how broadcasting works on WhatsApp Business App:

  • You can add up to 256 contacts to a WhatsApp Broadcast list
  • The recipients must save your number on their phones to receive broadcasts
  • On the recipient's end, the broadcast message would appear as a regular chat. That said, business accounts can see a loudspeaker icon next to a broadcasted message
  • No one in your broadcast list can see another person’s reply or contact details

Due to its broadcasting limitations, WhatsApp Business App may not be the right broadcasting solution for everyone. Read on to find out if WhatsApp Business App is the right broadcasting solution for your company.

WhatsApp Broadcast: Should Your Business Solely Rely on WhatsApp Business App?

It depends on your business size and needs.

Let’s consider a scenario: you are a small business owner with fewer than 200 customers. Most of them know you personally and have your WhatsApp Business number saved on their phones. In this case, the broadcast feature WhatsApp Business App would suffice.

However, if you are an SME and enterprise with a high number of customers, a limit of 256 unique broadcasts per list would not be convenient for you. Plus, not being able to import contact lists is definitely an issue. Due to the high number of contacts, you would also need an advanced WhatsApp solution for multiple users.

WhatsApp Broadcast API: SMEs & Enterprises

The best solution for SMEs and enterprises is WhatsApp API. Whatsapp API is designed for medium to large companies, and it comes with advanced multiuser capability. Unlike WhatsApp Business App, WhatsApp Api has no app or front-end interface.

This image shows the things you need to broadcast messages on WhatsApp API: A WhatsApp API account and a business messaging software.
Broadcast on WhatsApp Business: We recommend using respond.io for WhatsApp Business API as a messaging inbox

To effectively utilize the WhatsApp API for message broadcasting, businesses must have two essential components in place: a WhatsApp API account and a reliable business messaging software for seamless message exchange. Next, we explain how to get both things at once.

How to Apply for WhatsApp API through respond.io

Creating an API account via respond.io is hassle-free and only involves 3 simple steps:

  • Buy a phone number, or port an existing number
  • Sign up for a respond.io account — you can start with a free trial
  • Complete the application through respond.io

There are many WhatsApp Business Solution Providers (BSP) in the market offering access to WhatsApp API. So, how does respond.io stand out among the rest?

Why Get WhatsApp API from respond.io

Respond.io has been recognized as one of the leading AI-powered conversation management software in the market for a number of reasons.

  • Badged Meta Business Partner: Respond.io has been vetted for its expertise in handling Meta products, making it a highly recommended choice for a customer conversation software platform.
  • Smooth Onboarding and Support: Start with a seamless onboarding experience. For any blockers in your way, benefit from respond.io’s access to Meta’s high-quality support.
  • Exclusive Access to Cutting-Edge WhatsApp Features: Stay ahead with exclusive access to cutting-edge WhatsApp features, facilitated through a close collaboration with Meta.
  • No Setup and Hosting Fees: Get started without paying set-up and hosting fees or requiring a Facebook Developer Account.
  • Centralized Account and Fee Management: Manage all your WhatsApp accounts and fees effortlessly from one centralized platform.

Returning to the subject of WhatsApp broadcast, respond.io also has some strong value propositions for bulk messaging, which we’ll cover in the next section.

WhatsApp Broadcasts with respond.io: Benefits

Once you’ve set up your respond.io WhatsApp Business API account, you can take advantage of the many benefits of using respond.io WhatsApp API for broadcasts.

Get rid of broadcast limits

Unlock the capability to broadcast to a significantly larger WhatsApp audience all at once. Or even remove messaging limits to seamlessly accommodate your ambitious messaging requirements.

Personalize your broadcasts for better engagement

Create interactive message templates with call-to-action buttons or quick replies. Then, customize them with images, files and personalized customer data to hit home. Last, schedule your WhatsApp broadcasts for a specific date and time to boost open rates.

Message customers even if you are not on their contact list.

Import Contacts to respond.io and message them all at once. As long as you have their WhatsApp number, they will receive your message.

Handle high volumes of broadcast replies effortlessly

You can expect many replies after broadcasting to your WhatsApp audience, and that can be challenging to handle. With respond.io Workflows, you can set up automated replies to manage customer expectations or, even better, leave the conversation in the hands of an AI Agent to answer inquiries before assigning the conversation to a human agent.

This image shows a WhatsApp Broadcast decision tree. Knowing which WhatsApp product to use is important before learning how to broadcast message on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp API broadcasts come with multiple benefits for enterprises such as a higher broadcast limit

Now that you know what you need to get WhatsApp API, we’ll go through the steps to set up your broadcast on respond.io.

How to Set Up WhatsApp Broadcasts on respond.io

Setting up WhatsApp broadcasts on respond.io is simple, as it only takes three steps.

  1. Import a Contact list to respond.io
  2. Create a message template
  3. Broadcast your message with WhatsApp API

Let's delve into these steps with more comprehensive detail.

Step 1: Import a Contact List to respond.io

With respond.io, users can upload a contact list using a CSV file. They also can assign Tags to contacts in the CSV file to categorize them. Later on, these Tags will appear on the platform once the Contact list is uploaded. Make sure the phone numbers are in the international format, with a country code and area code.

How to Import a Contact List to respond.io
WhatsApp broadcast message sample: Importing a WhatsApp broadcast Contact list to respond.io

To import a contact list, open the Contacts Module and follow these steps:

  1. Go to Add Contact and click on the 🔽 button.
  2. Select Import Contacts.
  3. Download the sample CSV file if you don’t have it yet.
  4. Fill the file with Contact data.
  5. Drop the file or click on Browse Files to upload it.

When the import is complete, you’ll receive an email with the results. You can choose to download them if you wish. Once your WhatsApp broadcast list is ready, it’s time to create a Message Template.

Step 2: Create a Message Template

To initiate a conversation with a WhatsApp Message Template, your message has to fall within one of three conversation categories: Utility, Authentication or Marketing conversations.

All Message Templates must be approved by WhatsApp before they can be used. You can create and submit Message Templates for approval directly from respond.io.

Check the status of your Message Templates on respond.io by clicking the Sync Templates button to update the data. However, for respond.io WhatsApp Business API users, templates sync automatically.

Submitting Message Templates from respond.io
Users can view, submit and sync their WhatsApp broadcast message sample

A Message Template’s status can be Submitted, Approved or Rejected. In case of Message Template rejection, Users can edit and re-submit them for approval.

Using High-Quality Message Templates matters. Being blocked by Contacts affects a Template’s Quality Rating, which can drop to a Medium or even a Low-Quality Rating.

Low-Quality Message Templates will get a Flagged status. If their Quality Rating doesn’t improve in 7 days, the status will change to Disabled. Under this status, Messages Templates can’t be sent or edited.

This image shows a WhatsApp broadcast message sample you can use for WhatsApp Business Broadcast
Users can add interactive buttons and media files to their WhatsApp broadcast message sample

Users who broadcast respond.io WhatsApp Business API can create Media and Interactive Message Templates. What’s more, they can create a Message Template that combines both message types.

Interactive Message Templates include Call To Action or Quick Reply buttons. On the other hand, Media Message Templates let Users add a customizable header. This header can be a text, an image, a video or a PDF file.

Using variables to broadcast message on WhatsApp
Use variables in the WhatsApp broadcast message sample body

But the customization possibilities don’t end there. When writing the message body, Users can customize the placeholders with variables. Once your Message Template is composed and approved, you can broadcast it using the respond.io Broadcast Module.

Step 3: Broadcast WhatsApp Messages with WhatsApp API

To start a WhatsApp API broadcast, click on the Broadcast Module and then on the Add Broadcast button at the top. Name your broadcast and click Create. You also have the option to label (categorize) it for easier referencing in the future.

This image shows how to send en-masse messages on WhatsApp: Name it and add a label to it for future reference.
WhatsApp broadcast message sample: Label a WhatsApp broadcast and limit it to a specific Segment

By default, a broadcast’s audience is set to All. If you’d like to limit your broadcast to a specific group of people, select a Segment from the drop-down list. Segments are editable and creatable within the Contacts Module, providing users with the ability to categorize Contacts using filters.

Select the Specific Channel option. In the channel drop-down list, select the WhatsApp API channel you’d like to use to send the broadcast message.

Below, you’ll find a checkbox that reads: Only send to contacts who interacted with this channel before. The primary purpose of this tool is to exclude your recently imported Contact list from receiving the broadcast. Therefore, refrain from clicking on it this time.

This image shows how to send messages en-masse with respond.io
WhatsApp broadcast message sample: Selecting a Segment and Channel in the Broadcast Module

Next, select the relevant Message Template and fill in the details of your broadcast content. Once the WhatsApp broadcast is ready, schedule it for a specific date and time or test it by sending it to yourself or a Contact of your choice.

Something to remember: Not all messages will arrive at the exact same time when messaging a large WhatsApp broadcast list. Broadcasts are delivered according to country codes in sequence, with lower numbers going first.

This image shows the respond.io features to send WhatsApp API broadcast message
WhatsApp broadcast message sample: Three features you will find on respond.io

Now, the question is, how does WhatsApp guarantee that API users utilize the broadcast tool as intended? We’ll go into that in the next section.

WhatsApp Broadcast API: What You Need to Know

WhatsApp aims to ensure businesses do not spam their contacts and send only relevant messages. So, to broadcast with WhatsApp API, businesses must follow WhatsApp’s regulations.

When sending broadcasts, WhatsApp API users should be familiar with the following:

  • WhatsApp Broadcast API Messaging Rules
  • WhatsApp Message Template Category Guidelines
  • WhatsApp Broadcast API Messaging Limits
  • WhatsApp Phone Number Status and Number Quality Rating

We’ll break them down for you in the sections below.

WhatsApp Broadcast API Messaging Rules

WhatsApp Broadcast allows for non-transactional notifications, such as marketing announcements or account authentication. But as mentioned earlier, businesses must use pre-approved Message Templates.

This image shows two WhatsApp Broadcast rules to keep in mind when using WhatsApp broadcast API and respond.io
WhatsApp broadcast limit: WhatsApp Business API only allows some types of messages

Businesses must also abide by WhatsApp Business and Commerce Policies to broadcast on WhatsApp. Failure to do so may result in bans on business-initiated messages and responses to customer-initiated messages.

Similarly, strict adherence to WhatsApp’s Message Template Category guidelines is crucial to avoid penalties.

WhatsApp Message Template Category Guidelines

WhatsApp’s template category guidelines aim to provide businesses with a clearer framework for creating and using message templates, aligning communication with specific business objectives and customer needs.

WhatsApp Utility Templates Guidelines

WhatsApp is broadening the scope of utility templates to include managing user-requested opt-ins, order management, account alerts and updates, feedback surveys and continuing conversations initiated in other channels.

Notably, messages in these categories should not have the intent to upsell or cross-sell new products or services.

WhatsApp Authentication Templates Guidelines

Authentication templates empower businesses to verify users using one-time passcodes, typically 4-8 digit alphanumeric codes. These codes are utilized at various stages within the login process, such as account verification, account recovery, and integrity challenges.

WhatsApp Marketing Template Guidelines

Marketing templates are designed for various purposes, including awareness generation, sales promotions, retargeting, app promotion and building customer relationships.

These templates cater to various business goals, from increasing awareness to driving sales. Templates with mixed or unclear content are categorized as Marketing.

WhatsApp Broadcast: Messaging Limits

If you are a WhatsApp API user, perhaps you have the following question: How many contacts can be added to a WhatsApp broadcast list? This will depend on your WhatsApp account’s messaging limit.

A WhatsApp API account’s messaging limit determines the number of Contacts an account can message. The higher the limit, the more messages a User can send to unique Contacts in a rolling 24-hour period.

If you are a WhatsApp API user, perhaps you have the following question: How many Contacts can be added to a WhatsApp broadcast list? This will depend on your WhatsApp account Messaging Tier. A WhatsApp API account’s Messaging Tier determines the number of Contacts an account can message. The higher the Tier, the more messages a User can send to unique Contacts in a rolling 24h period. To broadcast to a larger audience, a WhatsApp account has to be promoted to a higher Messaging Tier. And to achieve that, businesses must send half the number of messages permitted in the current tier within a 7-day period. When attempting to raise your broadcast tier, tag your contacts ahead of time. This way,  you’ll have the exact number of contacts that you need to get to the next tier.
WhatsApp broadcast message sample: How messaging limits work in WhatsApp API

To broadcast to a larger audience, a WhatsApp account has to be promoted to a higher messaging lier. And to achieve that, businesses must send half the number of messages permitted in the current tier within a 7-day period.

When attempting to raise your broadcast messaging limit, segment your contacts ahead of time to know how many are in your broadcast list. This way, you can make sure you message the exact number of contacts that you need to reach the next messaging limit.

WhatsApp Broadcast Limit: Number Status and Number Quality Rating

Phone number status and phone number quality rating are two metrics used by WhatsApp to determine if a business is sending relevant, high-quality messages. They work in conjunction, as we’ll discuss next.

A phone number status can be Connected, Restricted, or Flagged. In order to send broadcasts without restrictions, a phone number’s status must be Connected. But what does it mean to get the Restricted status?

When Contacts report or block a number, this will result in a low quality rating. The restricted status occurs when a phone number sends too many low-quality message templates while reaching the Messaging Limit.

This image shows how Flagged and Restricted WhatsApp Accounts work when doing broadcast lists on WhatsApp
Beware of the Flagged and Restricted status before sending a WhatsApp broadcast message sample

While Restricted, a phone number will not be able to send broadcasts to any new unique Contacts, and can only respond to inbound conversations. If the quality rating drops too low, the phone number’s status will be changed to Flagged.

Businesses cannot upgrade messaging limit tiers while in the Flagged status. If the phone quality rating doesn’t improve in 7 days or fewer, the phone number status will return to Connected but it will be in a lower Messaging Tier.

To improve your number quality rating and reinstate your status as Connected, you’ll have to improve the quality of your broadcast or message templates.

Frequently Asked Questions

What do I need to broadcast messages?

If you’re a small business, you’ll need the WhatsApp Business App. If you are a medium or large-size business, you should instead use the WhatsApp Business API and connect it to a messaging inbox. Regardless of your choice, you must also have a list of WhatsApp contacts.

What does a WhatsApp broadcast message sample look like?

This depends on your goal, as promotional messages don’t look the same as, say, platform updates. Here’s an example of a WhatsApp broadcast message for new product releases: "🎉 Big News! Our latest product range launches this Sunday. Exclusive deals await our loyal customers. Don't miss out!"

How to send bulk WhatsApp messages?

For WhatsApp Business App users:

  • Open the app and tap on Broadcast Lists in the menu
  • Tap New List and select contacts from your list
  • Create your message and hit send

For WhatsApp Business API users:

  • Open your messaging platform integrated with WhatsApp API
  • Create a broadcast list or segment your contacts
  • Compose your WhatsApp template message and send it

What is the WhatsApp broadcast limit?

The broadcast limit on the WhatsApp Business App is 256 unique contacts per broadcast list. With WhatsApp API, it varies based on your phone number's messaging limits. However, upon meeting certain prerequisites, you can broadcast messages to unlimited contacts.

Unlocking the Power of WhatsApp Broadcasts with respond.io

In this article, we’ve covered everything you need to know to broadcast on WhatsApp. To segment customers easily, send WhatsApp broadcasts at scale and unlock features like advanced chat automation and analytics, get the respond.io WhatsApp Business API.

Respond.io customers have already experienced the benefits: Farmacia La Buena is now using respond.io WhatsApp API to broadcast 8,000 monthly catalogs and promotions to its contact list, while Moj for Creators effectively leverages respond.io to broadcast over 20,000 daily WhatsApp messages.

If you already have a WhatsApp API account, connect your API to respond.io to start sending WhatsApp broadcasts. We are constantly updating our platform with new features to make communication with your customers easy and effective.

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Further Reading

If you enjoyed this article and would like to learn more about WhatsApp API, check out the following articles:

Román Filgueira
Content Writer
Román Filgueira, a University of Vigo graduate holding a Bachelor's in Foreign Languages, joined the respond.io team as a Content Writer in 2021. Román offers expert insights on best practices for using messaging apps to drive business growth.
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