WhatsApp Broadcast Marketing: Rules, Costs and Setup

#What is a WhatsApp broadcast, and how is it different from a group?

A broadcast sends the same message to many people, and each person receives it as a normal private chat from your business number. Recipients do not see each other. A reply from one customer arrives in your inbox as an ordinary chat.

A group is different: everyone sees everyone. A broadcast is how you reach a list without that.

On the API, a broadcast is a template message. You cannot send free text to a person whose 24-hour window has closed, and most people on a list have not written to you recently. So a broadcast needs a Meta-approved template in the marketing category. Per Meta's send-messages documentation (checked 26 Oct 2026), when the window closes you can only send pre-approved template messages.

If you are new to templates, read WhatsApp message templates first. If you want the inbox that catches the replies, see shared WhatsApp inbox for teams.

#What are the opt-in rules for WhatsApp marketing?

You may only send marketing to people who agreed to receive it. This is Meta's rule, not Chirpoo's. In the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (whatsappbusiness.com/policy, checked 26 Oct 2026), Section 1 says you may contact people on WhatsApp only if you have received opt-in permission from the recipient confirming that they wish to receive messages. On opting out, it says:

You must respect all requests (either on or off WhatsApp) by a person to block, discontinue, or otherwise opt out

Good places to collect opt-in:

• WhatsApp marketing consent recorded on the customer in Shopify (Chirpoo syncs it both ways; email or SMS consent alone does not count);
• a form on your website that states you will message on WhatsApp;
• a tick on a gym or clinic enrolment form;
• a customer who writes "send me offers" in a chat.

What does not count: a phone number you bought, one copied from a directory, or a number a customer gave you for a delivery. Those people have not agreed to marketing.

In Chirpoo, each contact has a consent field for marketing, set by Shopify's WhatsApp consent or by the customer replying START. For a website or enrolment form, ask people to send START to your number so the consent lands on their contact. A broadcast goes only to contacts with that consent. Chirpoo also treats STOP, "band karo" or Meta's own opt-out as the end of marketing sends to that person. See WhatsApp opt-out and STOP in India and Shopify WhatsApp marketing consent.

#How do you get a marketing template approved?

You write the template, choose the marketing category and submit it to Meta. Meta reviews it, and its template review page says it can take up to 24 hours for an approval decision to be made (checked 26 Oct 2026). Submit a day before the broadcast, not on the morning.

Meta's template categorization page (checked 26 Oct 2026) says marketing templates cover a wide range of goals, from generating awareness to driving sales and retargeting customers. If your message is an offer, a launch or a "we miss you", it is marketing. If you add a promo line to an order update, Meta treats the mixed content as marketing as well.

In Chirpoo, you describe the message in one line and the AI drafts it to Meta's rules. If Meta rejects it, Chirpoo redrafts it with Meta's reasons, and "Fix it" does that in one click. See what to do when a template is rejected.

Practical tips for marketing templates:

• Lead with the offer or the news in the first line.
• Use the customer's first name as a variable, but do not start or end the body with a variable.
• Add one button, for example a link or a quick reply "Interested".
• Keep a clear way out. A line such as "Reply STOP to stop offers" is a good habit.

#What does a marketing message cost for Indian businesses?

Meta charges per delivered message. According to Meta's rate card (effective 1 Oct 2026, checked 26 Oct 2026), a marketing message to India is ₹0.8631 before tax. Utility is ₹0.115. Meta's pricing page says a business is charged only when a message is delivered. Meta may change prices only on the first day of a quarter, so the next possible change is 1 Jan 2027.

Here is what a broadcast of 1,000 messages costs, assuming all 1,000 are delivered:

Meta bills the ₹863.10 to your own Meta account. Chirpoo adds nothing per message and never bills for messages. If only 700 are delivered, you pay for 700. Replies that customers send open a 24-hour window, and your free-text answers inside it are service messages, with the first 1,000 free per number each month per Meta's pricing page.

For the wider picture, see WhatsApp pricing in India.

#Why do messaging limits and quality rating matter?

Two Meta controls limit how much you can broadcast.

Messaging limit. Per Meta's messaging limits page (checked 26 Oct 2026):

Messaging limits are the maximum number of unique WhatsApp user phone numbers your business can deliver messages to, outside of a customer service window, within a moving 24-hour period.

A new business portfolio starts at 250. Meta lists steps to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited. The first step needs business verification, a partner verifying your business, or 2,000 delivered messages outside windows within 30 days using high-quality templates. The limit is shared by all numbers in the portfolio.

Quality rating. Meta reads how recipients react. Send to people who expect the message, and quality stays healthy. Send to people who did not ask, and complaints and blocks hurt it. Meta also limits how many marketing templates a given WhatsApp user may receive from any business.

So if your list is 3,000 and your limit is 250, split it over days. Send the warmest segment first. See WhatsApp messaging limits and quality rating.

#How do tags, segments and scheduling work in Chirpoo?

You do not send to "everyone". You send to a tag.

1. Tag your contacts as they arrive: "member", "lapsed", "bought-shoes", "diwali-list". Tags can be added by hand or by a flow. See WhatsApp contact tags and segments.
2. Pick the tag when you create the broadcast. Chirpoo includes only contacts who opted in to marketing.
3. Pick the approved template and fill the variables.
4. Schedule it. Choose a time when your customers are likely to read, and when your team is in to answer replies.
5. Watch the replies in the shared inbox. Assign interested people to your sales or front desk.

Send at a time your team can reply. A broadcast at 11 pm that produces 40 replies at 8 am leaves 40 people waiting.

#How do you follow up with people who did not read?

Chirpoo can send an automatic follow-up to people who did not read the first message. It is a second, different template, sent after a gap you choose. Do not send the same text again. Change the angle: a reminder that the offer ends, or a simpler question.

Keep follow-up to one message. A second marketing message costs ₹0.8631 again per delivered message, and repeated messages to people who ignored the first raise the chance of blocks. See retry non-readers on a WhatsApp broadcast.

#What does a festival broadcast look like?

This is an example plan, with illustrative numbers. A shoe store runs a festival sale and has 800 opted-in contacts tagged "customer".

• Day before: submit the marketing template and wait for approval.
• Festival week, morning: broadcast to the 800 contacts. At ₹0.8631, the Meta cost is ₹690.48 before tax, if all are delivered.
• Two days later: follow-up template to non-readers only.
• Inbox: assign every reply to the shop team, with a quick reply for sizes and a Yes/No button for "want us to hold a pair?".
• After: tag everyone who replied "festival-2026" so next year's list is warm.

The full plan is in Diwali WhatsApp broadcast playbook. The mistakes to avoid are next.

#What broadcast mistakes should you avoid?

• No opt-in. The most expensive mistake. It costs you quality rating and customer trust.
• Sending to every contact because the tool lets you. Choose a tag.
• Marketing disguised as utility. Meta treats it as marketing anyway.
• Ignoring STOP. You must honour requests to opt out. Chirpoo does it automatically.
• A wall of text. Keep the body short, with one clear action.
• Not planning for replies. A broadcast is the start of a conversation.
• Forgetting the limit. A new portfolio starts at 250 unique people in 24 hours.

Tag your warmest 100 customers, submit one marketing template and broadcast it to that tag in Chirpoo. Start free for 14 days with every feature and no card. Read WhatsApp automation to catch the replies with a flow.

Frequently asked questions about Chirpoo and this topic

Do I need permission to send WhatsApp broadcasts?

Yes. Meta's policy says you may contact people on WhatsApp only if they gave opt-in permission, and you must respect requests to opt out. Chirpoo sends broadcasts only to contacts with marketing consent and stops marketing to anyone who writes STOP.

How much does a WhatsApp broadcast cost in India?

Meta charges ₹0.8631 per delivered marketing message from 1 Oct 2026, before tax. A broadcast of 1,000 delivered messages is ₹863.10. Chirpoo adds nothing per message; Meta bills your own Meta account directly.

How many people can I send to in a day?

A new business portfolio can message 250 unique people outside the 24-hour window in a moving 24-hour period, per Meta. The limit rises in steps to 2,000, 10,000, 100,000 and unlimited. It is shared by all numbers in the portfolio.

How long does marketing template approval take?

Meta says it can take up to 24 hours for an approval decision. Submit the template a day before the broadcast. If it is rejected, Chirpoo redrafts it using Meta's reasons, and you can resubmit.

What happens when someone replies STOP?

Chirpoo ends marketing sends to that contact. STOP, "band karo" and Meta's own opt-out all count. This follows Meta's rule that businesses must respect requests to opt out. The person can still message you and get service replies.