Send WhatsApp messages and create templates
Create a WhatsApp template, get it approved, and send it to a group of contacts, with a text as a fallback.
WhatsApp lets a business write freely only within 24 hours of the customer's last message. Outside that window, and for any message you send to a group, it only delivers a template that Meta has approved in advance. So a WhatsApp campaign is two jobs: get a template approved once, then send it whenever you need it.
Before you start
- WhatsApp connected under Settings › Channels, with the sign-up finished.
- Contacts with phone numbers who have given WhatsApp consent. Only they receive a bulk message.
- For the text fallback, a phone number for texting as well.
Steps
Create a template
- Go to Contacts, tick at least one contact, and choose More bulk actions › Send WhatsApp.
- In the WhatsApp template section, click New template.
- Fill in the form:
- Name: lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only, for example
class_reminder. - Category: Marketing for offers and news, Utility for reminders and updates about something they asked for, Authentication for one-time codes. - Language: the language the body is written in. - Header (optional): a short bold line, up to 60 characters. - Body: up to 1,024 characters. Use {{1}}, {{2}} for the parts that change per person, for example "Hi {{1}}, your appointment is on {{2}}." - Example values: one realistic example for each variable. Meta needs these to review it. - Footer (optional): up to 60 characters, for example "Reply STOP to unsubscribe". - Check the Preview, then click Submit for approval. It appears under Waiting for Meta's approval.
- Come back later and click Sync to fetch Meta's answer. Approved templates move into the template list.
Send a WhatsApp campaign
- Go to Marketing › WhatsApp and click Send a message from Contacts.
- Tick the people you want and choose More bulk actions › Send WhatsApp.
- Type an Action name.
- Pick an approved template from Choose a template…. If it has blanks, type what goes in each, or click a merge field to fill it per person. The Preview shows it as the first person on the list will read it.
- Optional: turn on Fall back to SMS and write the Text to send instead. Anyone WhatsApp will not deliver to gets the text.
- Under Send, choose All at once, At a time or In batches.
- Check the counts and the cost, tick the consent box, and click Send messages or Schedule.
What happens next
- Marketing › WhatsApp lists each send with Template, Sent, By SMS (how many went as a fallback text), Failed and When. Point at a Failed number to see why.
- Each message is checked again as it goes, against opt-outs and WhatsApp's own rules. Anything refused counts as failed.
- Replies arrive in Conversations, where you can answer freely for 24 hours.
Troubleshooting
It says "WhatsApp is not connected". Connect your number under Settings › Channels and finish every step of the sign-up. Your approved templates appear once it is connected.
It says "No approved templates yet". Your templates are still waiting on Meta or were turned down. Click Sync once Meta has answered. If none exist, click New template.
Submitting says "Variables must be numbered from 1." The body skips a number, for example it uses {{1}} and {{3}}. Number the variables 1, 2, 3 with no gaps.
Meta turned my template down. The most common reason is a category that does not match the words: a message that reads as a promotion must be filed under Marketing. Create a new template with the right category.
Far fewer people will receive it than I selected. Only contacts who have granted WhatsApp consent receive a bulk message. Filtered out also counts people with no phone and people who opted out.
The cost line says it assumes every message falls back to a text. With Fall back to SMS on, the estimate shows the most the send can cost, as if nobody could be reached on WhatsApp.
Related
Email support@opusfunnel.com with the page you were on. A person replies, usually within one business day.