WhatsApp broadcast, and the rule nobody mentions
There is one rule that invalidates most broadcast strategies, and the WhatsApp Business app does not warn you about it: a broadcast message only reaches contacts who have saved your number.
Published
The saved-contact rule
Send a broadcast from the Business app to 200 people and it will report as sent. Everyone who has not saved your number in their phone receives nothing, and you get no error.
For most businesses that is the majority of the list. The reported success is what makes this so damaging: campaigns get judged as underperforming when they were never delivered.
This rule does not exist on the Business API. It is specific to broadcast lists in the free app.
The 256 limit
Broadcast lists in the app cap at 256 recipients. Businesses work around it by making several lists, which multiplies the manual effort and makes the saved-contact problem harder to notice.
What changes on the API
No cap, no saved-contact requirement, and genuine per-message reporting: delivered, read, replied, failed.
In exchange, everything you send first is an approved template, marketing needs opt-in, and Meta bills per conversation.
- Broadcasts reach anyone who opted in, saved or not
- Delivery and read status per recipient
- Replies arrive in a shared inbox rather than one phone
- Sending limits rise as your quality rating holds
Frequently asked questions
Why did my broadcast reach so few people?
Almost certainly the saved-contact rule in the Business app. Recipients who have not saved your number receive nothing and no error is shown.
Is a broadcast the same as a group?
No. Broadcasts arrive as individual chats and recipients cannot see each other. Groups put everyone in one conversation.
How many can I broadcast to on the API?
There is no list-size cap. Daily volume is governed by your messaging tier, which rises as you send responsibly.
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