People read their WhatsApp messages, which is exactly what makes a campaign powerful, and also risky. A campaign sent to people who didn't ask for it leads to blocks and reports, drags down your number's quality rating, and can get you into legal trouble. The good news: sending it right isn't complicated. Here are the principles, in order.
1. Consent comes first
Under WhatsApp's policy, to contact a customer on your own initiative you need their phone number and their permission (opt-in) to receive messages from you on WhatsApp. Having the number saved in your phone is not enough.
In Israel, section 30A of the Communications Law (Telecommunications and Broadcasting) also applies. It was added by Amendment 40 and is widely known as the "spam law". It regulates sending advertising messages by electronic means and, at its core, requires the recipient's prior explicit consent, with narrow exceptions. It also requires marking the message as advertising, identifying the sender and offering an easy way to refuse, and it lets recipients claim compensation for each message without proving damage. It's wise to assume it also applies to advertising messages on WhatsApp.
This article is not legal advice. Before a marketing campaign, check with a lawyer what applies to your business.
How to collect consent in practice:
- On a website form: a separate checkbox, not pre-ticked, with clear wording such as "I agree to receive updates and offers on WhatsApp".
- In the conversation itself: "Would you like to get updates and offers from us on WhatsApp? Reply yes."
- At the point of sale: a form or a question at the counter, with a record.
- In every case: keep a record of when and how consent was given.
2. A simple way to opt out
Every marketing message should include a simple way to stop receiving messages, for example "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" (in Hebrew, businesses often use the word "הסר"), or a "Stop" quick-reply button in the template. WhatsApp's policy requires you to respect opt-out requests, even when they arrive through another channel. It's also good to answer an opt-out request with a short confirmation, so the customer knows it was received.
In Whapiz, set a routine: anyone who asked to be removed gets a dedicated tag, for example "Unsubscribed", and before each campaign you make sure they are not on the recipient list. It takes a minute and saves a lot.
3. The template category: Marketing or Utility
A WhatsApp campaign is sent as an approved template. Content meant to sell, such as a promotion, a launch or a win-back message, is Marketing. An update about a specific action of the customer, such as an order status or an appointment reminder, is Utility. Don't try to submit marketing as an update: Meta reviews the content and may change the category, and the category also sets the price.
One more thing worth knowing: Meta may limit how many marketing messages a person receives from businesses within a certain period. So some marketing messages may not be delivered even when everything is set up correctly.
4. Sending pace and your number's quality
Meta measures how customers react to a business's messages, and blocks and reports lower the quality rating. Meta also sets a limit on how many people each number can contact on its own initiative in 24 hours, and that limit rises gradually. A campaign that is too big, too fast, to an inaccurate list is the shortest route to a restricted number.
In Whapiz a campaign goes out in stages rather than all at once: small batches with pauses, a daily cap, and an automatic stop after a run of failures. You can also Pause, Resume or Stop a campaign at any moment. When you add recipients you can tick "Safety Filter: Only contacts with chat history", which keeps only people who have already chatted with the business. The filter doesn't replace consent, but it cuts down on sending to people who don't know you. And if a campaign was created a long time ago, Whapiz warns you before sending that old marketing content can hurt your quality rating.
A campaign that stops because of failures is a signal to check what happened before you continue: invalid numbers, a paused template or a problem with the connection.
5. Content people actually want
- Relevance. One message that fits the audience, not "everything we have this month".
- Personalisation. Template variables, such as a name, a branch or a date, filled in for each recipient. In the recipients' CSV file you can add columns var1 to var3 for them.
- One clear action. One button or one question.
- A reasonable time. Not in the middle of the night, and with your audience's weekends and holidays in mind.
- Frequency. A few good messages beat many messages that lead to blocks.
- Language. A template in the language the customer speaks: Hebrew, Arabic, Russian or English.
6. Measure and learn
The campaign report shows how many messages were sent, delivered, read and failed, with a breakdown per recipient, and how many customers "came from the campaign", meaning they replied. Those conversations are marked as coming from the campaign, and the team answers them from the same inbox. After each campaign, review the failures, clean out invalid numbers and update your opt-out list. Over time, compare campaigns: which wording, which time of day and which audience brought more replies.
Building the recipient list in Whapiz
On the Campaigns screen you create a new campaign, pick an approved template and add recipients in one of three ways: "CSV Upload", "Manual Entry" or "From Contacts". During the import the system filters out duplicates and invalid numbers, and shows how many recipients were actually added. You can send right away or schedule the send for a specific time.
An example of a marketing template done right
Advertisement: Hi {{1}}, the end-of-season sale at our {{2}} branch runs until Thursday. Want the details? Reply "yes". To unsubscribe from this list, reply "STOP".
What's in it: a label saying it's an advertisement, the customer's name and branch as variables, one clear action and a simple way to opt out. It's also worth including your business name in the message body and adding an opt-out quick-reply button.
Checklist before sending a WhatsApp campaign
- Every recipient has documented consent.
- Anyone who asked to be removed is not on the list.
- The template is approved, in the right category, and includes a way to opt out.
- Variables are filled in and checked in the preview.
- The time is reasonable, and the team is available to answer replies.
- Send to a small group first, and only then to everyone.
Run your first campaign
Open a Whapiz trial account, and go through the guide to WhatsApp campaigns and the guide to templates before your first send.
Frequently asked questions
Does Israel's spam law apply to WhatsApp messages?
The law regulates sending advertising messages by electronic means, and it is commonly assumed to apply to advertising messages on WhatsApp too. The details, such as consent, exceptions and what the message must include, are a question for a lawyer.
Can I send a campaign to all the contacts in my phone?
No. A number saved in your phone is not consent. Both WhatsApp's policy and Israeli law generally require consent before a marketing message.
What's the difference between a service update and a marketing message?
A service update (Utility) relates to a specific action or request of the customer, such as an order status or an appointment reminder. A marketing message promotes a sale. In the end, Meta decides the category based on the content.