✉️ Creating and launching a broadcast
Creating a new broadcast: step by step
Step 1: Click “New”
On the broadcasts page, click the “✉️ New” button. A step-by-step wizard with 4 steps will open.
Step 2: Choose a channel
You'll see the list of your WhatsApp channels. Click the circle ○ next to the channel you need, then “Next →”.
What if the list is empty? You have no active WhatsApp channels. First connect WhatsApp in the “Channels” section and pay for a subscription.
Step 3: Write the message
For WhatsApp QR: A text field: write your message (you can use variables such as {Name} and the randomiser [option1|option2]). You can attach an image, a video or a document: the attachment goes out together with the text.
For WABA: Pick an approved template from the drop-down list. The template can be in any language (Kazakh, Russian, English): the service sends it in exactly the language it was approved in.
Click “Next →”
Step 4: Choose your audience
Pick the audience with your contacts and click “Next →”.
Step 5: Set up the sending options
What to insert into the message
If the template has variables ({{1}}, {{2}} and so on), you'll see the list of those fields and a choice for each one:
- Recipient's name: the name from the recipient list
- Recipient's phone: their number
- A column from the file: for example “City” or “Order”, if you uploaded the list as a file
A message preview is shown below the selectors, so you can see exactly what goes where. Check it before you launch: WhatsApp doesn't let you edit or delete a message once it's sent.
If a recipient has that field empty, the message isn't sent to them and the campaign shows a clear reason why. That's intentional: WhatsApp would reject a message with an empty variable anyway, and you'd still be charged for the attempt.
Sending speed
| Setting | What it means | Default | Recommendation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delay between messages | Pause after each message (sec) | 30 | At least 10 sec |
| Batch size | Messages before a long pause | 1 | 1-5 to stay safe |
| Pause between batches | The long pause (sec) | 300 (5 min) | The longer, the safer |
If a batch holds a single recipient, there is no pause between batches: only the delay between messages applies. The pause between batches kicks in when a batch has two or more recipients.
Below the settings you'll see the estimated speed: for example “≈120 messages per hour”. While your agents are actively chatting with customers, the broadcast slows down: their messages go out first.
Scheduled start (optional)
You can schedule a broadcast, and it will go out on its own at the right time, without you. In the “Scheduled start” block:
- set the date and time in the picker;
- or click one of the ready-made buttons, for example “Tomorrow at 10:00”;
- changed your mind? Click “Clear schedule”, and you can start the broadcast manually.
The start time can only be set between 9:00 and 21:00: night messages annoy people, and they report the number. If you pick a time before 10:00 or after 19:00, the dashboard suggests 10:00 to 19:00 instead, when people reply more willingly. A time that has already passed cannot be selected.
Click “Create campaign”: the status is now “Draft”! 🎉 If a start time is set, the button reads “Schedule broadcast”, and the broadcast gets the “Ready to start” status right away.
▶️ Launching and monitoring
- Click “Launch”: the status changes to 🟢 “Running”
- The “Messages” tab shows a live sending log in real time
Scheduled broadcast
The start date and time are shown in the broadcast card, in the “Scheduler” block. At the scheduled time the broadcast switches to 🟢 “Running” on its own (within a minute), no action needed.
- Start early. Click “Start”. The dashboard asks “Start the campaign now?”, and messages start going out only after you click “Start now”.
- Change the time or text. Until the broadcast starts, you can open it with “Edit”.
- Cancel. The “Cancel” button in the broadcast menu.
Check the line balance in advance. If there is not enough money at start time, the broadcast pauses, and you will need to resume it manually after topping up.
What the log lines mean
| Label | Colour | Meaning |
|---|---|---|
| [OK] ✓ | 🟢 | Sent |
| [OK] ✓✓ | 🟢 | Delivered |
| [OK] 👁 | 🟢 | Read |
| [WARN] ⚠ | 🟡 | The recipient has no WhatsApp |
| [ERR] ✗ | 🔴 | Sending error |
| [WAIT] ⏱ | 🔵 | Pause between batches |
Controls
| Button | What it does |
|---|---|
| Pause | Stops sending. Messages that haven't gone out yet go back to the queue |
| Resume | Carries on from where you stopped |
| Edit | Change the text and the settings (draft or paused campaigns) |
| Duplicate | Create the same broadcast again: for another recipient list, for example |
| Delete | Delete the broadcast |
You can't change the recipient list of a broadcast that has already started. The messages for that list are already prepared, and swapping the list would break the variables for some people. To send to a different list, duplicate the broadcast.
Why a broadcast doesn't finish instantly
Messages go out at the pace you set, so the campaign stays “Running” until the last one is sent. The “Finished” status appears only when nothing is left unsent.
💰 WhatsApp Business balance and broadcasts
A broadcast from a WhatsApp Business channel is paid from the channel's balance: every message sent is charged at Meta's rates. The price depends on the recipient's country, so it's worth estimating the budget before a large broadcast: the cost of each message is visible in your dashboard.
A broadcast won't start if the balance is below $0.22. Your dashboard tells you straight away, the moment you click “Launch”: so you can top up rather than discover you're out of money halfway through the list.
What happens if the balance runs out mid-broadcast
The campaign pauses itself. Recipients who haven't received the message yet go back to the queue: they aren't lost and aren't marked as errors.
The rest is simple: top up the channel balance and click “Resume”. The broadcast picks up from the same spot. Anyone who already got the message won't get it twice.
This doesn't affect chat conversations. You can keep replying to customers with a zero balance: a small negative balance is allowed so a conversation never breaks off mid-sentence. Only the broadcast stops.
⚠️ About number bans
⚠️ WhatsApp Web (QR) is an unofficial channel. Bulk sending can lead to a number ban.
How to lower the risk:
- ✅ Use the randomiser
- ✅ Set delays of 30 sec or more
- ✅ Send no more than 200-300 messages a day
- ✅ Use WABA: the official channel, with no bans