Promotional WhatsApp messages people do not block
Promotional messages on WhatsApp sit in the same thread as a customer's family. That proximity is why open rates are high and why the tolerance for irrelevance is far lower than on email.
Published
Opt-in is the whole game
Marketing templates require opt-in, and opt-in has to be real: someone gave you their number knowing you would send offers. A number collected at checkout for delivery updates is not consent to be marketed to.
Block and report rates feed your quality rating. One badly targeted campaign can restrict your sending limits for weeks, which is a slower and more expensive punishment than it first appears.
What a good promotional message looks like
One offer, one deadline, one action. Multiple offers in a single message reliably underperform any one of them sent alone.
- Hi {{name}}, our end-of-season sale starts today: 30% off everything, 3 days only. Reply SHOP for this week's arrivals. Reply STOP to opt out.
- {{name}}, the emerald set you asked about is back in stock. Shall I hold one for you? Reply STOP to unsubscribe.
Segment before you send. A relevant message to 500 people beats a generic one to 5,000, and it costs less because Meta bills per conversation.
Timing
Late morning and early evening work for most consumer categories. Avoid anything before 9am or after 9pm; a promotional buzz at night converts irritation into blocks.
Frequency matters more than timing. Weekly is tolerated by most lists; daily is not, whatever the offer.
Frequently asked questions
How often can I send promotions?
Weekly is the practical ceiling for most consumer lists. Watch your opt-out and block rates rather than a rule; they tell you before the quality rating does.
Do promotional messages need approval?
Yes. Anything you send first is a template, and promotional content must be submitted in the marketing category with an opt-out route.
What if someone replies to a promotion?
That opens a 24-hour service window in which you can reply freely. Those replies are the point of the campaign and should be answered in minutes.
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