Create a WhatsApp campaign
To create a campaign, open Campaigns → WhatsApp.- Click Create. If you have no campaigns yet, click Create new campaign.
- If the panel shows two options, click Start from scratch.
- Enter the Campaign name.
- Select the Language of your message.
- Click Save.
Choose the language of a WhatsApp campaign
You select the Language when you create a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp. The campaign pages have no field to change it later. To use another language, create a new campaign. The language also decides who gets the campaign. By default, a contact gets the campaign only when the country of the phone number matches the language. For example, Italian (IT/CH) reaches numbers from Italy and Switzerland, and English (US) reaches only numbers from the United States. If you select Other, the campaign does not go to numbers from Italy, France, Portugal, Spain, Germany, Poland, Romania, Hungary, the Netherlands or Switzerland. To send to every country, turn on Send to all countries in the Recipients step. If 5% or more of your recipients have a number from another country, the window Send to all countries? opens when you click Continue. Click Skip them or Send to all countries.Choose the audience of a WhatsApp campaign
You choose who gets the message in the Recipients step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp.- Under Include, select one or more lists or segments. You must select at least one.
- Under Exclude, select the lists or segments to leave out.
- To make a new list, open the selector and click Create new list. Then click Fixed list or Smart list.
- Click Continue.
See how many contacts a WhatsApp campaign reaches
In the Recipients step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, the Recipients card shows the count, for example “1,250 unique recipients”. This count leaves out contacts without a WhatsApp-reachable number and contacts that your filters exclude. Each contact counts once, also when the contact is in more than one list. If the exact count takes too long, the card shows “About 1,250 recipients”. This quick estimate can be a little high. It does not subtract opt-outs, blocked contacts, recently messaged contacts or duplicates. The Review step shows “Estimated N total recipients”. Some of these contacts can still be held when the campaign sends. See “Why a contact in the audience did not get a WhatsApp campaign” on this page.Skip contacts you messaged recently
In the Recipients step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, use Skip recently messaged. Enter a number of days. The campaign leaves out every contact that you already messaged in that number of days. Enter 0 to skip nobody. This is the default. The Review step then shows, for example, “Skipping contacts messaged in the last 7 days.” Use this setting when you send a similar campaign again. It stops a second message to the contacts who got the first one.Who does not get a WhatsApp campaign
When a campaign from Campaigns → WhatsApp sends, TextYess leaves out these contacts:- Contacts with no phone number.
- Contacts in a list or segment under Exclude.
- Contacts who opted out, for example with the stop button or a STOP message. These contacts are on your blacklist.
- Contacts that you blocked in the Inbox.
- Contacts who unsubscribed from your WhatsApp marketing.
- Contacts whose phone number is from a country that does not match the campaign language, unless Send to all countries is on.
- Contacts messaged within the days of Skip recently messaged.
- If your number is also used in the WhatsApp Business app: contacts imported from the app who did not opt in.
Why a contact in the audience did not get a WhatsApp campaign
Some contacts in the audience of a campaign from Campaigns → WhatsApp do not get the message for these reasons:- The contact got another outbound message from you in the last 3 hours, for example a campaign or an automation message. Two campaign messages so close together read as spam.
- Your team handles the contact’s conversation in the Inbox. After a takeover, campaigns hold this contact for up to 48 hours, or until the AI is active again.
- You ran out of outbound credits during the send.
- The message uses the first name, the contact has no first name, and the variable has no fallback text.
- The number is not on WhatsApp or cannot receive messages.
- Meta’s daily sending limit of your number was reached.
Delivery options of a WhatsApp campaign
The Delivery options card in the Recipients step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp has three switches:- Smart sending (on by default): if Meta pauses your template during the send, TextYess holds the remaining messages and tries again later. When the switch is off, those messages fail.
- UTM tracking (on by default): when you send the campaign to review, TextYess adds UTM parameters to the button links. To set the values, click Edit settings. The UTM tracking card is on the Organization settings page.
- Send to all countries (off by default): the campaign goes to every selected contact, also when the phone number is from a country that does not match the campaign language.
Choose the type of a WhatsApp campaign
In the Content step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, select one of three types:- Classic: one message with an optional image, video or PDF, a footer and buttons.
- Carousel: a message with up to 10 cards that customers swipe. Each card has an image, a short text and a link button.
- Limited offer: an offer card with your discount code and a live countdown to the end of the offer.
Write the message of a WhatsApp campaign
In the Content step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, type your text in the Message field. A Classic message can have up to 1,024 characters. The counter under the field shows how many you used. Use the toolbar above the field for bold, italic, strikethrough and emoji. Emoji are allowed in the message, but not in the button text or the footer. To get a draft text from AI, click Generate with AI under the message:- Answer What is the campaign about? and Who is the target audience?
- If you offer a coupon, describe it.
- Click Generate.
Add the first name of the contact to a WhatsApp campaign message
In the Message field of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, click Variables under the text and select First name. First name is the only variable for campaign messages.- Enter the Fallback text (required). A contact with no first name sees this text instead, for example “Friend”. It can have up to 60 characters.
- Click Insert.
{{ in the message and select First name. Then open Variables again and add the fallback.
A contact with no first name and no fallback does not get the message. The Review step warns you how many recipients this affects. To include them, add a fallback in the Content step.
Message rules that Meta rejects
When you click Continue in the Content step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, the dashboard checks the message against Meta’s rules. It shows an error when the message:- Starts or ends with a variable.
- Has two variables with no text between them.
- Uses the same variable twice.
- Has a tab character.
- Has more than 4 spaces in a row.
- Starts or ends with a blank line.
Add an image, video or PDF to a WhatsApp campaign
In the Content step of a Classic campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, use Media (optional). Click Upload or drag a file into the box. A campaign can have one file:- Image: JPEG or PNG, up to 5 MB, and up to 2048 pixels on the longest side.
- Video: up to 16 MB. If needed, your browser converts the video for WhatsApp before the upload. Wait until “Preparing your video” ends. Continue stays off until then.
- PDF: up to 64 MB.
Can I send a GIF in a WhatsApp campaign?
No. The image of a WhatsApp campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp must be a JPEG or PNG file. A GIF or WEBP image is refused with the error “Image must be in JPEG or PNG format”. To show motion, upload a short video instead. Videos up to 16 MB are allowed. A campaign also does not accept audio files, or documents that are not PDF. For these, the error is “File must be an image, video, or PDF”.Send a PDF with a preview image
When you add a PDF to a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, the option Send the PDF with a preview appears. It is off by default. WhatsApp does not show a preview of a PDF that a campaign sends. With the option on, TextYess sends the first page of your PDF as the campaign image. It also adds a button that opens the file, with a label in the campaign language, for example “Open the PDF”. With the option off, the PDF goes as a plain attachment. A Limited offer campaign cannot carry a PDF. Use an image or a video for it.Generate a campaign image with AI
Shopify stores with a connected store can create a campaign image with AI. In the Content step of a Classic or Limited offer campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, click Generate with AI next to Upload. Write the message first, because the image is built from it.- Under Feature a product, select up to 4 products, or none for a brand image.
- Optional: under Add a note, describe the mood, for example “warm summer mood”.
- Select an Aspect ratio: Landscape, Square or Portrait.
- Click Generate visual.
- Click Use this visual, or click Regenerate for a new one.
Add a button to a WhatsApp campaign
In the Content step of a Classic campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, select one Button:- None: no extra button.
- Quick reply: tapping the button sends a reply in the chat.
- Link: tapping the button opens a web page.
What happens when a customer taps a quick reply button
For a Quick reply button in a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, choose an option under When tapped:- Let the assistant reply: your AI agent answers the customer.
- Start a flow: an automation starts. Select it in Flow to start. The list shows only published flows that start with the Campaign Button Tapped trigger. To create one, click Build one.
Add a stop button to a WhatsApp campaign
In the Content step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, find Add a stop button (strongly suggested). Select Yes, I want to add a stop button. The option is on by default. The campaign then shows a STOP button. A contact who taps it goes on your blacklist. Your campaigns then leave this contact out. The stop button lowers spam reports. Too many spam reports can get your WhatsApp account banned. A Limited offer campaign cannot have a stop button. Write “Reply STOP to opt out” in its message, so that contacts can still unsubscribe.What happens when a customer writes STOP
A contact goes on your blacklist when the contact sends you a WhatsApp message that is only STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE, in capital or small letters. A message that contains one of these phrases also does it: “stop messaging”, “stop texting”, “stop sending”, “unsubscribe”, “opt out”, “remove me”, “don’t contact”, “no more messages”, “stop messages”, “stop texts”. A sentence that only contains the word “stop”, for example “what is the bus stop”, does not opt the contact out. Campaigns from Campaigns → WhatsApp leave out every contact on the blacklist.Add a discount code copy button to a WhatsApp campaign
In the Content step of a Classic campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, select Add discount code copy button. Then enter the Discount code.- The code can have up to 15 characters.
- Use only letters and numbers. Meta rejects spaces, hyphens and other symbols.
Add a footer to a WhatsApp campaign
In the Content step of a Classic campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, type a short text in Footer. The footer shows under the message, for example “For questions feel free to contact us”.- The footer can have up to 60 characters.
- It cannot contain emoji or line breaks, because Meta rejects the template.
Create a carousel campaign
In the Content step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, select Carousel.- Write the Message that shows above the cards.
- For each card, upload an Image: JPEG or PNG, up to 5 MB, up to 2048 pixels.
- Write the Card message: up to 160 characters, with no line breaks.
- Enter the Button text (up to 25 characters) and the Button link.
- Click Add card for the next card.
- Click Continue.
Create a limited-time offer campaign
In the Content step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, select Limited offer. WhatsApp shows an offer card with a countdown above your message.- Upload an image or a video. The offer needs one. A PDF is not possible.
- Enter the Offer title, up to 16 characters.
- Set Offer ends to a date and time in the future.
- Enter the Discount code, with letters and numbers only.
- Write the Message, up to 600 characters.
- Enter the Button text and the Button link.
Add a follow-up message to a WhatsApp campaign
Shopify stores can add a follow-up message to a Classic or Limited offer campaign. In the Content step of the campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, turn on Add a follow-up message.- Select the Time delay: 12h, 24h, 48h (recommended) or 72h.
- Write the Follow-up message.
- Optional: enter a Button text and a Button link.
Send a WhatsApp campaign to Meta for review
Meta must approve the message of every campaign before it can go out. In the Review step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, click Send to review. The status changes to In review. Meta usually answers in a few minutes, but it can take up to 24 hours. TextYess checks the answer for you. When Meta approves the message, the status changes to Approved. Then you can test, schedule or send the campaign. If your plan has no outbound messages or your subscription is not active, Send to review opens the plans page. If WhatsApp is not connected, it opens WhatsApp Integration.What the campaign score on the Review step means
The Score row on the Review step of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp grades your campaign out of 10. AI calculates it. Click the score to see the criteria and what you can improve. A score of 7 or more shows in green. The score is advice only. It does not stop you from sending the campaign to review or from sending it.WhatsApp campaign statuses before the send
The Status column in Campaigns → WhatsApp shows these statuses before a campaign sends:WhatsApp campaign statuses during and after the send
The Status column in Campaigns → WhatsApp shows these statuses after a campaign starts:
For a campaign that started to send, click its status to open the Results step.
WhatsApp campaign stuck In review
A campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp stays In review while Meta reviews its message. This usually takes from a few minutes to 24 hours. TextYess checks Meta’s answer automatically. To check the answer now:- Open the actions menu (three dots) at the end of the campaign row.
- Click Send ‘In Review’ again.
WhatsApp campaign rejected by Meta
When Meta refuses the message of a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, the status is Rejected. Point to the status to read the next steps. If Meta refuses the message when you click Send to review, an error message also shows Meta’s reason. You cannot edit a rejected campaign. To fix it:- Open the actions menu (three dots) at the end of the campaign row.
- Click Edit & resubmit. TextYess creates an editable copy and opens it.
- Change the content that Meta refused.
- Click Send to review on the copy.
Edit a WhatsApp campaign
What you can change in a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp depends on its status:- Recipients step (name, audience, delivery options): in Draft, In review, Approved and Scheduled. These changes do not need a new Meta review.
- Content step: in Draft and Approved. If you change the content of an Approved campaign, it goes back to Draft and needs a new Meta review. A Carousel can change only in Draft.
- After the campaign starts to send, you cannot change it.
Send a test of a WhatsApp campaign to yourself
After Meta approves a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, you can send a test to your own phone.- Open the campaign and go to the Review step.
- In the Test row, click Send test.
- Enter your Phone number.
- Select the Country code of the phone number.
- If the message uses the first name, enter a First name.
- Click Send now.
Schedule a WhatsApp campaign
In the Review step of an Approved campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp:- Click Schedule.
- Select the date and the time. They use the time zone of your browser.
- Click Schedule.
Send a WhatsApp campaign now
In the Review step of an Approved campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, click Send now. The window Start this campaign? opens. It warns you when you do not have enough outbound credits, or when the campaign goes past the daily WhatsApp limit of your number. Click Send now to start. If the window warns you, the button shows Send anyway or Continue & Send. The status changes to In progress, and the Results step updates while the campaign sends. Before the send, TextYess can show two other windows: a ban risk warning, and a check of your recipient lists. Both are explained on this page.How many credits a WhatsApp campaign uses
Each message that a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp sends uses one outbound credit. A carousel is one message. A follow-up message uses one more credit for each contact who gets it. Contacts that the campaign leaves out or holds do not use credits. If WhatsApp refuses a message at sending, TextYess gives the credit back. If WhatsApp accepts a message but cannot deliver it later, the message still uses its credit. To see the credits you have left, click Usage at the top right of the dashboard. For your plan and its limits, see Plan and billing.Not enough credits for a WhatsApp campaign
When you send or schedule a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, the dialog compares your recipients with your outbound credits. If you have too few, it shows Not enough credits for every recipient and tells you what happens:- If your plan can bill extras, the campaign sends to everyone. The extra messages go on your next invoice at the extra-message price. Extras have a limit for each period. Past it, the other contacts do not get the message.
- If not, the campaign reaches as many contacts as your credits cover, then stops. You are not charged for the others.
Daily WhatsApp sending limit and campaigns
Meta limits how many messages your WhatsApp number can send in 24 hours. Click Usage at the top right of the dashboard to see this limit and the messages that you sent today. When you send a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, the window Start this campaign? warns you if the campaign goes past the limit. It shows the maximum, the messages you already sent in the last 24 hours, and the contacts of the campaign. If the limit is reached during the send, the remaining messages are not sent. The Results step lists them under Why messages failed.What happens to contacts who are not on WhatsApp
A campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp sends to every phone number in its audience. If a number is not on WhatsApp, WhatsApp does not deliver the message. In the Results step, these messages show under Why messages failed, in the group Didn’t deliver, as Undeliverable. The note says: “Most often the number isn’t on WhatsApp or can’t receive messages.” If WhatsApp accepted the message for sending, the message uses an outbound credit, also when it is not delivered. To get the numbers, click Export CSV under Failed contacts.Stop a WhatsApp campaign that is sending
You can stop a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp while its status is In progress or Delayed (Smart Sending).- Open the actions menu (three dots) at the end of the campaign row and click Stop campaign. You can also click Cancel campaign on the Review step.
- In the window Cancel campaign, click Cancel campaign.
Can I restart a stopped or failed WhatsApp campaign?
No. A campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp with the status Cancelled, Incomplete or Sent cannot start again. A Failed campaign can start again only when an exclude list caused the failure. In that case, the Results step shows Repair & resend. These campaigns failed before any message went out. To send a campaign again, click Duplicate in the actions menu. The copy goes to the whole audience again. It does not know who got the first campaign. To leave those contacts out, set Skip recently messaged to the number of days since the first send.Duplicate, rename or delete a WhatsApp campaign
In Campaigns → WhatsApp, open the actions menu (three dots) at the end of a campaign row:- Duplicate creates a copy named “Copy of” and the campaign name. The copy is a Draft with the same audience, content, media and follow-up. It needs a new Meta review.
- Rename changes the name. You cannot rename a campaign while it sends.
- Delete removes the campaign. You cannot undo this. If the campaign is scheduled, the scheduled send is cancelled. TextYess also deletes its message template at Meta.
See the results of a WhatsApp campaign
After a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp starts to send, it gets a Results step. To open it, click the campaign, or click its status in the list. The Results step shows:- Return: ROAS, revenue and cost.
- Orders, Average order, Conversion rate, Cost per order and Revenue per recipient.
- Breakdown: sent, delivered, read and ordered.
- Opted out: the share of the audience that opted out. Aim to stay under 1%.
- Why messages failed, Failed contacts and Held for you, with Export CSV.
Why a WhatsApp campaign failed
When a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp has the status Failed, the Results step shows Why this campaign failed. The possible reasons are:- Your account is suspended. Contact support.
- The limited-time offer ended before the send.
- An exclude list did not refresh, or its source was deleted. Click Repair & resend or Review recipients.
- A scheduled campaign did not start on time. Duplicate it.
- Most messages, or all messages, did not go out. Read Why messages failed below the banner.
- The campaign stopped before any message went out. Nobody got the message. Duplicate it to send again.
Error messages for media in a WhatsApp campaign
When you add a file to a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, these errors can show:- “File must be an image, video, or PDF”: use a JPEG or PNG image, a video or a PDF.
- “Image must be in JPEG or PNG format”: save the image as JPEG or PNG.
- “File size must be under 5MB”: the limit for images. Videos have 16MB and PDFs have 64MB.
- “Image dimensions must not exceed 2048px on the longest side”: make the image smaller.
- “Image must be 8-bit”, or “PNGs must be in RGB or RGBA”: save the image as a JPEG.
- “Video must use the H.264 codec”: export the video again as MP4 (H.264).
- “This browser cannot prepare videos”: update your browser or use another computer.
Error messages when you send or schedule a WhatsApp campaign
These errors can show when you send or schedule a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp:- “You must add a list to the campaign”: add a list or segment under Include in the Recipients step.
- “You don’t have enough contacts to send this campaign”: the audience has 0 recipients. Change the lists or segments. The Review step also shows “This campaign will reach 0 recipients.”
- “You cannot schedule a campaign in the past”: select a later time.
- “The offer has already ended”: change Offer ends in the Content step. The campaign then needs a new Meta review.
- “There was an error. Try again or contact our support”: the schedule failed. Try again.
- “This account has been suspended. Contact support to restore access."
"Error during creation. Try again” on a WhatsApp campaign
In Campaigns → WhatsApp, a campaign with the status Error during creation. Try again cannot be edited, tested or sent. To continue:- Open the actions menu (three dots) at the end of the campaign row.
- Click Duplicate. The copy is a Draft named “Copy of” and the campaign name.
- Open the copy and make sure that the content is correct.
- Click Send to review.
Warning: Potential WhatsApp Ban Risk
Before you send or schedule a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, TextYess can show Warning: Potential WhatsApp Ban Risk. The warning tells you why Meta can mark the campaign as spam:- You send to a large group without previous sending history.
- Many of your recent messages failed, and you target a large group.
- You send messages at a high rate.
- The audience had failed campaigns in the last 48 hours.
Recipient lists that need repair before you send
When you click Send now on a campaign in Campaigns → WhatsApp, TextYess checks the health of your recipient lists. If a list failed to sync, or its source segment was deleted, the window This campaign can’t be sent yet opens. Click Repair next to the list, or click Go to recipients to change it. When the lists are healthy, click Send. If an exclude list is empty, the window Some lists need a second look opens. An empty exclude list filters out nobody. Click Send anyway or Review recipients.Why you cannot create or send WhatsApp campaigns
In Campaigns → WhatsApp, you cannot create, review or send campaigns in these cases:- Meta restricted your account for a policy violation. A banner shows the date when the restriction ends.
- Your account is suspended. If the cause is an unpaid subscription, sending starts again when the payment succeeds.
- Your plan has no outbound messages, or your subscription is not active. Send to review opens the plans page.
- WhatsApp is not connected. Send to review opens WhatsApp Integration.
- Your plan does not include the WhatsApp channel. The window WhatsApp Channel Required opens.