WhatsApp broadcasts that people actually read: the rules and the habits that work

"Bulk WhatsApp" has a bad name, earned by years of unwanted forwards. A well-run broadcast is nothing like that. It is a message the customer expected, from a number they saved, at a time that suits them. Here is how to run one properly.

How does a broadcast work on the API?

A broadcast can only be sent when three things are true: the customer opted in, you use an approved template, and you stay inside your sending limit:

1. The customer opted in. Meta's policy says you may only contact people who gave you their number and agreed to hear from you.
2. You use an approved template, because a broadcast starts a conversation outside the 24-hour window. Template approval is the step people underestimate.
3. You are inside your sending limit. New accounts reach 250 unique customers a day, rising as quality holds. See messaging limits explained.

Each person receives it as an ordinary one-to-one chat. Nobody sees anyone else.

Building one in four steps

What to notice: you can leave out contacts by tag, so people who asked to stop never make the list. Opt-outs are also checked again at the moment a scheduled broadcast is sent.

What does it cost?

Meta charges for each marketing template delivered, not for each one you send. Whether replies from your team after people respond are charged is Meta's decision; check your rate card. The rupee example and a live estimator are in WhatsApp Business API pricing in India. Before you send in Responseify, the review step shows an estimated Meta cost for the campaign.

Is a WhatsApp broadcast chargeable, and is there a limit?

Is it chargeable? On the WhatsApp Business API, yes. Meta charges for each marketing template that is delivered, so a broadcast to 1,000 people costs the delivered messages times the marketing rate. A broadcast list in the free WhatsApp Business app is not billed, but it only reaches people who saved your number and is capped at a small audience. See broadcast list vs API broadcast for the difference.

Is there a limit? Yes, per day. A new account can start conversations with 250 unique customers in 24 hours, and the limit grows with business verification and good message quality. The tiers are in WhatsApp broadcast limit per day.

Habits that keep people reading

• Segment, then send. One message to the 800 people who asked about the 2BHK beats the same message to 8,000.
• Say who you are in the first line. People decide in a second whether to trust it.
• One message, one ask. A single clear next step. A button or a reply.
• Respect the stop. Meta requires you to honour every request to stop, even one made outside WhatsApp. Make "reply STOP" part of your template.
• Time it like a person. Mid-morning and early evening, not midnight.
• Watch the funnel after. Delivered, read and replied tell you whether the message or the list was the problem.

What did it do?

The results screen shows how far each message got and who dropped off, with the failed contacts and why.