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How to Create a WhatsApp Broadcast List?

Streamline Business Communication with our Omnichannel Solution

Supriya Bajaj

Senior Writer:

green tickReading Time: 6 Minutes
green tickPublished : March 7, 2024

Effective communication is key for businesses and individuals alike. WhatsApp Broadcast offers a convenient solution for sending messages to multiple contacts at once without the need for a group chat.

This feature is especially beneficial for businesses looking to reach their customers with important updates, promotions, or announcements. This is even more crucial as an average WhatsApp user spends 33.5 minutes per day on the app. And this could be leveraged by sending effective broadcast messages. 

In this blog post, we will look into the details of WhatsApp Broadcast, including how to create a broadcast list and the features of the WhatsApp Business app that enhance this messaging tool.

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Pro-Tip

When creating a WhatsApp broadcast list, ensure that your messages are relevant and engaging to your audience. Personalize messages whenever possible to increase their impact and effectiveness.

What Is WhatsApp Broadcast?

WhatsApp Broadcast is a feature that allows you to send messages to multiple contacts simultaneously without creating a group. It’s a one-to-many communication tool that enables businesses and individuals to send updates, promotions, or important information to a large audience while maintaining the privacy of individual recipients.

How to Create a WhatsApp Broadcast List?

Below we have provided a step-by-step process for creating a broadcast list on WhatsApp – 

Steps to Send WhatsApp Broadcast

Step 1 – Download and Install WhatsApp Business App: If you haven’t already, download and install the WhatsApp Business app from the App Store (iOS) or Google Play Store (Android).

Step 2 – Open WhatsApp Business App: Open the app and complete the setup process by verifying your phone number.

Step 3 – Access Broadcast List Feature: Tap on the three dots in the top-right corner of the app to open the menu. Select “Broadcast Lists” from the options.

Step 4 – Create New Broadcast List: Tap on the “New List” button to create a new broadcast list.

Step 5 – Add Contacts to Broadcast List: Select the contacts you want to add to your broadcast list from your phone’s contact list. You can add up to 256 contacts to a broadcast list.

Step 6 – Create Broadcast Message: Once you’ve added contacts to your list, tap on the “Create” button. Enter a message that you want to broadcast to the selected contacts.

Step 7 – Send Broadcast Message: After composing your message, tap on the “Send” button to broadcast the message to all the contacts in your list.

WhatsApp Business App Broadcast Features

If you’re wondering whether WhatsApp business app is ideal for your business requirements, check out its features below. 

Advantages of WhatsApp Business App Broadcast

1. Message Statistics

The WhatsApp Business app provides detailed statistics on the delivery and read status of broadcast messages. These statistics can help businesses track the effectiveness of their messaging campaigns and identify areas for improvement. By analyzing message statistics, businesses can optimize their messaging strategy to reach more customers and achieve better results.

2. Broadcast to Multiple Lists

With the WhatsApp Business app, businesses can create and manage multiple broadcast lists. This feature allows businesses to segment their audience and send different messages to different groups of contacts. By targeting messages to specific segments of their audience, businesses can improve the relevance and effectiveness of their messaging campaigns.

3. No Group Chats

Unlike group chats, where all participants can see each other’s messages, broadcast messages are delivered to recipients individually. This ensures the privacy of recipients and prevents them from seeing other recipients’ contact information. By using broadcast messages instead of group chats, businesses can communicate with their customers in a more private and secure manner.

 
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4. Personalized Messages

72% of consumers are more likely to engage with marketing messages on WhatsApp that are personalized.

WhatsApp Business app allows you to personalize WhatsApp messages for each recipient in your broadcast list. This customization can include using the recipient’s name or other details to make the message more relevant. By sending personalized messages, businesses can create a more engaging and tailored experience for their customers, increasing the likelihood of a positive response.

5. Opt-in and Opt-out

Recipients of broadcast messages have the option to opt-in or opt-out of receiving messages from a particular broadcast list. This feature gives recipients control over the messages they receive and helps businesses comply with privacy regulations. By allowing recipients to opt-in or opt-out, businesses can ensure that their messaging campaigns are targeted and relevant to their audience.

WhatsApp Business App Broadcast Limitations

While it offers many benefits, it also has quite a few limitations that you need to consider – 

Limitations of WhatsApp Business App Broadcast

1. Limited Number of Recipients

WhatsApp Business app has a limit of 256 recipients per broadcast list. This WhatsApp broadcast limit can be restrictive for businesses with larger customer bases, as they may need to create multiple broadcast lists to reach all their customers.

2. No Interaction Between Recipients

Unlike group chats, recipients of broadcast messages cannot interact with each other. This limitation means that businesses cannot facilitate discussions or collaborations among their customers using broadcast messages.

3. Opt-in Requirement

To comply with WhatsApp’s policies, recipients must opt-in to receive messages from a broadcast list. This requirement can make it challenging for businesses to reach new customers or re-engage existing customers who have not opted in to receive messages.

4. Limited Message Types

WhatsApp Business app restricts the types of messages that can be sent via broadcast. For example, businesses cannot send promotional messages to recipients who have not opted in to receive them, limiting the effectiveness of marketing campaigns.

5. Limited Message Customization

While the WhatsApp Business app allows for some message customization, such as using placeholders for recipient names, the level of customization is limited compared to other messaging platforms. This limitation can make it challenging for businesses to create highly personalized messages for their customers.

How to Create a WhatsApp Broadcast List in ControlHippo?

Creating a WhatsApp Broadcast Campaign in ControlHippo is a straightforward process that can help you reach your contacts effectively. To get started, log in to your ControlHippo account and follow these steps:

  • Step 1 – Click on the campaign option in the side menu to access the campaign dashboard.
  • Step 2 – On the campaign dashboard, click the “Create Campaign” button to begin setting up your campaign.
  • Step 3 – Give your campaign a name and select the WhatsApp Business API number you want to use for the campaign.
  • Step 4 – Choose the type of message you want to send (Template selected).
  • Step 5 – Select the template message you want to send from the drop-down menu.
  • Step 6 – Upload your contact spreadsheet, ensuring it follows the format of the sample file provided (2000 contacts limit per campaign).
  • Step 7 – Schedule your campaign by selecting a date, day, and time for sending messages.
    • For immediate sending, select the “Send now” option.
    • For scheduled sending, choose the “Send on intervals” or “Schedule for a specific time” option and set the date and time accordingly.
  • Step 8 – Click the submit button to finalize your campaign. You can track its progress from the campaign list page.
  • Step 9 – By following these steps, you can easily create and manage WhatsApp broadcast campaigns in ControlHippo to engage with your contacts effectively.

Conclusion

In conclusion, broadcast in WhatsApp is a powerful feature for businesses and individuals looking to communicate with a large audience on WhatsApp. With the WhatsApp Business app, users can send personalized messages, track message statistics, and manage multiple broadcast lists. However, there are limitations to consider, such as the limited number of recipients per WhatsApp broadcast lists and the requirement for recipients to opt-in to receive messages

ControlHippo enhances the WhatsApp Broadcast experience by providing a comprehensive solution for managing broadcast messages, contacts, and analytics.

Frequently Asked Questions

No, WhatsApp does not indicate if a message is a broadcast. Broadcast messages appear as regular messages to recipients.

Only contacts who have your phone number saved in their address book and have opted in to receive messages from you will receive your broadcast message.

In a broadcast, messages are sent to multiple recipients individually, whereas in a group chat, all members can see and respond to each other's messages.

No, you must add contacts to your broadcast list before sending a broadcast message. Recipients must also have your number saved in their contacts and have opted in to receive messages from you.

To send a message to multiple contacts on WhatsApp, you can create a broadcast list or use the forward feature to send the message to multiple chats.

Updated : September 16, 2024

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