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WhatsApp broadcast lists in the Business App let you send one message to multiple contacts simultaneously. Recipients receive the message as an individual conversation — not a group chat. The WhatsApp Business API allows broadcasts to unlimited opted-in contacts using approved templates, with analytics, scheduling, and audience segmentation — with no requirement for recipients to have saved your number.
WhatsApp Broadcast Lists in the Business App
How Broadcasts Work in the App
A broadcast list is a saved group of recipients that you can send messages to simultaneously. Each recipient receives the message as a regular conversation with your business, not as a group message where all recipients can see each other.
Important limitation: Broadcast messages in the App only reach contacts who have saved your phone number. If a contact has not saved your number, they do not receive the broadcast. This is the most common reason businesses report that "WhatsApp broadcast is not working" — the recipients have not saved the sender's contact.
Creating a Broadcast List in the WhatsApp Business App
On Android:
Open the WhatsApp Business App
Tap the three-dot menu in the top right
Tap "New Broadcast"
Search for or select contacts from your address book
Tap the green tick to create the list
Write your message and tap send
On iOS:
Open the WhatsApp Business App
Tap "Chats" at the bottom
Tap "Broadcast Lists" at the top of the chats screen
Tap "New List"
Select recipients and tap "Create"
Paid Business Broadcasts
WhatsApp introduced paid Business Broadcasts directly within the Business App, allowing you to send beyond the traditional free broadcast list limit. A free monthly allowance is included, with additional messages charged per send. This is separate from the API — it is a native in-app paid feature. The contact-must-save-your-number requirement and the lack of scheduling, segmentation, and analytics still apply regardless of whether you use free or paid broadcasts within the app.
The Limitations of App Broadcasts
Recipients must have your number saved. This applies to both free and paid app broadcasts. If you import a list of customers who have not saved your number, they will not receive your message. This makes the App broadcast feature nearly useless for reaching new or lapsed customers at scale.
No delivery analytics. You can see whether individual messages were delivered and read, but there is no aggregate view showing what percentage of your list received and opened the broadcast.
No scheduling. You send broadcasts manually in real time. There is no option to schedule a broadcast for a specific date and time.
No segmentation. Every broadcast list contains whoever you manually add to it. There is no way to filter by purchase history, location, or any other attribute.
WhatsApp Broadcasts Through the API
The WhatsApp Business API removes the structural limitations of the Business App broadcast feature. Broadcasts through the API reach any opted-in contact regardless of whether they have saved your number, at any scale your messaging tier supports, with scheduling and segmentation.
How API Broadcasts Work
API broadcasts use Meta-approved message templates. Every broadcast message must be sent using a template that has been reviewed and approved by Meta in advance. This ensures compliance and prevents spam.
The template contains the structure of the message. Variables in the template are filled with contact-specific data at send time. A template that says "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been shipped and will arrive by {{3}}" becomes personalised for each recipient using their name, order number, and delivery date.
Setting Up a Broadcast Campaign in Intelli
Navigate to the Audience section in your Intelli dashboard and select Campaigns.
Select "New Campaign"
Choose the approved template you want to use
Select your audience — your full opted-in contact list, pick your customer label/segmentation/tag (contacts tagged as "new customers," "Lagos-based," "subscribed in last 30 days"), or a manually uploaded list
Choose your send time (immediate or scheduled)
Review the preview and confirm
The broadcast is sent automatically at the scheduled time. Intelli's dashboard shows delivery rate, open rate, and reply rate as the campaign progresses.
Audience Segmentation for Broadcasts
Intelli allows you to segment (tags) your contact list by any attribute stored in the platform:
New customers (first order in last 30 days) versus loyal customers (5+ orders)
Contacts by location (Accra versus Kumasi versus Takoradi)
Contacts by product interest (tagged during a previous conversation)
Contacts by engagement (opened last broadcast versus did not open)
Custom tags you create
Segmented broadcasts consistently outperform unsegmented ones. A message specifically relevant to a customer's situation generates fewer blocks and higher engagement than a generic message to your full list. But this is a best practice not a must.
Understanding Meta's Messaging Tiers for Broadcasts
New API accounts start at Tier 1, which allows you to reach 1,000 unique contacts per 24 hours. Tiers increase automatically based on your account's quality rating and sending history:
Tier | Daily Unique Recipients |
|---|---|
1 | 2,000 |
2 | 10,000 |
3 | 100,000 |
4 | Unlimited |
Moving from Tier 1 to Tier 2 requires maintaining a green quality rating and sending consistently at or near your Tier 1 limit for a period of days. Most businesses reach Tier 2 within 2 to 4 weeks of active, quality sending.
"Want to Know How to Increase Your WhatsApp Messaging Tier from 1K to Unlimited" → How to Increase Your WhatsApp Messaging Tier from 1K to Unlimited
Why "WhatsApp Broadcast Not Working" Usually Has a Simple Fix
If your broadcast messages are not being delivered, the cause is almost always one of the following:
On the App: Recipients have not saved your number. This is the number one cause of app broadcast failure. The fix is to ask recipients to save your contact, or to switch to the API where saving is not required.
On the API: The template you are using has not been approved. Check template status in your Intelli dashboard or WhatsApp Manager. Also check whether your quality rating has dropped to red, which would restrict sending.
On either platform: The phone numbers on your list are incorrect, not WhatsApp-enabled, or belong to accounts that have been deactivated.
For the full picture on running broadcast campaigns safely and effectively, see our guides on how to send broadcasts without getting bad:
Kenya Guide
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I create a broadcast list from a spreadsheet? In the Business App, no. You select contacts manually from your phone's address book. On the API through Intelli, yes. You can upload a CSV file with phone numbers and contact data directly into the platform.
Do broadcast recipients know they are in a broadcast list? No. Recipients receive the message as a normal conversation. There is no indication that the message was sent to multiple people. This is different from a group chat where members see each other.
Can recipients reply to a broadcast? Yes. When a recipient replies, their reply appears as an individual conversation with your business. It does not go to other broadcast recipients.
What is the difference between a broadcast and a group on WhatsApp? A broadcast is one-to-many: you send one message and each recipient receives it as an individual conversation. A group is many-to-many: all members can see and reply to each other's messages. For business communication, broadcasts are almost always the right choice — customers do not want to receive messages intended for other customers.
Intelli's broadcast platform handles unlimited contacts, scheduling, segmentation, and analytics. Run campaigns to your full opted-in list from a desktop dashboard.
