# WhatsApp campaigns

> Send a Meta-approved WhatsApp template to your contact lists, now or scheduled, and track who received it, read it and replied. Step by step, plus limits.

Source: https://docs.watsi.ai/en/campaigns/whatsapp-campaigns

**WhatsApp campaigns let you send a Meta-approved template to one or more contact lists, right away or scheduled, from your agent's WhatsApp number.** The wizard has three steps — Message, Audience and Review —, only excludes people who shouldn't get it (blocked, opted out, personal chats, duplicates), and afterwards shows you, contact by contact, whether the message was sent, delivered, read or replied to.

> **Note**
  To send campaigns you need a connected WhatsApp number and the **Send campaigns** permission
  (owners and admins have it by default).

## Before you start: the template

WhatsApp only lets you start a conversation — or write outside the [24-hour window](/chats/templates-24h-window) — with a **Meta-approved template**. The wizard only shows approved templates; if you don't have any yet, use **Create template** from the same step.

- Categories: **Marketing**, **Utility** or **Authentication**. Meta assigns the final category when it reviews it.
- Meta usually approves templates within about 24 hours.
- Limits: 60-character header (or image, video or document), 1,024-character body, 60-character footer and up to 10 buttons (at most 2 link buttons and 1 phone button).

## Create and send a campaign

### Open WhatsApp campaigns
    In the sidebar, open **Campaigns** (your agent's **WhatsApp campaigns** page) and create a new
    campaign.
### Message
    Enter the **Campaign name** and pick the **WhatsApp template**. In **Details that change in each
    message**, choose what goes in each variable: the **Contact name** (with a fallback text) or a
    **Custom text**. In **When it goes out**, pick **Now** or **Schedule** with a start date and
    time (in your device's time).
### Audience
    Pick one or more **Contact lists** and add **Individual contacts** if needed. You can also
    resend to people who didn't reply to or didn't read a previous campaign. Only contacts reachable
    on WhatsApp count.
### Review
    Check who it **Goes to**, the **Estimated cost**, which number it's **Sent from** and **What
    they will receive**. watsi shows how many were left out and why. Tick the box confirming those
    contacts agreed to receive messages from your business on WhatsApp, then click **Send
    campaign**.

## Track the results

The campaign list has **All**, **Sent**, **Scheduled** and **Drafts** tabs. Each campaign shows:

| Metric     | What it means                                                |
| ---------- | ------------------------------------------------------------ |
| Recipients | Contacts enrolled after exclusions                           |
| Sent       | Meta accepted the message                                    |
| Delivered  | It reached the phone                                         |
| Read       | They opened it (a minimum: some contacts hide read receipts) |
| Replied    | They answered                                                |
| Failed     | It could not be delivered                                    |

From the campaign you can **Pause**, **Resume**, **Duplicate**, **Cancel campaign**, or resend to those who didn't reply or didn't read.

> **Warning**
  If Meta pauses, disables or deletes the template while it's sending, the campaign stops on its own
  and tells you. If you cancel, anyone who hasn't received the message yet won't get it.

## Limits and good practice

- An audience above 50,000 contacts is trimmed when it sends.
- Meta limits how many marketing messages each person receives and how many your number can send; messages that hit those limits show as failed or are retried later.
- If a contact asks to stop receiving marketing messages, they are opted out and excluded from later campaigns.
- Replies land in your [chat inbox](/chats/statuses-and-filters); in a new chat, the workspace's default agent answers.

## Related

- [Templates and the 24-hour window](/chats/templates-24h-window)
- [Import contacts](/crm/import-contacts)
- [Comment → DM](/campaigns/comment-to-dm)

## FAQ

### Can I send a bulk WhatsApp message from watsi?

Yes, with WhatsApp campaigns. You pick a Meta-approved template, one or more contact lists, and send it now or scheduled. watsi shows you per contact whether the message was sent, delivered, read or replied to.

### Why do I need a template to send a campaign?

WhatsApp only lets you message a contact first, or outside the 24-hour window, with a template approved by Meta. That's why the campaign wizard only lists templates with Approved status.

### How much does sending a campaign cost?

Meta charges each template message to your Meta Business account, based on the recipient's country and the template category. Before sending, watsi shows you an estimated cost for reference.

### Who answers when a contact replies to the campaign?

The reply lands in your chat inbox like any conversation. If the chat is new, it gets the workspace's default agent so the AI answers.