How to Send Bulk WhatsApp Campaigns Safely
Bulk WhatsApp messages can bring great results or get your number restricted. Follow these practical rules for opt-ins, personalisation, delays and unsubscribes.
WhatsApp is one of the most direct ways to reach your customers, because they are already there every day. But sending the same message to thousands of people carelessly can annoy your customers and get your number restricted. These practical rules will help you run bulk WhatsApp campaigns that people actually want to receive.
1. Message only people who agreed
This is the most important rule. Collect permission at your counter, on your website forms, through a QR code or when someone buys from you. Never buy contact lists. People who do not know you are the most likely to report your messages as spam, and reports are what put a number at risk.
2. Organise contacts into groups
A single message for everyone is rarely relevant to anyone. Group contacts by interest, location, past purchase or customer type, and send each group only what suits them.
3. Personalise each message
Using someone's name makes a message feel less like a broadcast. Placeholders such as {{first_name}} make this easy. Mention something relevant too, such as the product they bought or the appointment they booked.
4. Make your message useful and short
- Say who you are in the first line
- Give one clear reason for the message
- Include one clear action, such as a link or a reply
- Avoid all capitals, too many emojis and pushy language
5. Space out your messages
Sending a huge volume very quickly looks like spam. Use delays between messages, and start slowly with a new number before gradually sending more. Vary your content instead of repeating identical text again and again.
6. Always respect unsubscribes
Tell people how to stop your messages, such as by replying STOP, and honour that request every time. Someone who can opt out easily is much less likely to report you. Keep that opt-out list, and never message those contacts again.
7. Pick the right time and frequency
Send at sensible hours for your audience, and do not message too often. A few useful campaigns work far better than constant promotions that people learn to ignore.
8. Measure and improve
Check your message logs and replies. If people stop responding or start opting out, change the content or send less often.
QR-linked tools or the official API?
There are two common ways to send campaigns:
- QR-linked tools connect your number the way WhatsApp Web does. They are simple and affordable, but they are not the official API, and WhatsApp can restrict numbers that are reported for spam
- The official WhatsApp Business API uses approved templates and suits larger businesses that need green-tick support and higher volumes
Choose based on your volume and how much risk your business can accept. Whichever you use, the rules above still apply.
Tools that can help
WhatSender is our self-hosted WhatsApp marketing software. It links numbers by QR code and supports personalised campaigns, safe delays, sender pools, automatic STOP handling, auto replies and scheduled messages. If you need the official route, our WhatsApp marketing service handles Business API setup, templates and campaigns for you.