WhatsApp Campaign Guide: Plan, Message, and Measure
A WhatsApp campaign is a planned series of messages sent to a specific audience for a specific goal. “Let’s tell everyone we know about the discount” is not a campaign—it’s an announcement. The difference becomes clear when you can measure the results: you’ll know who responded, which message worked, and what to change next. This guide focuses more on the planning side than on panel settings. For a detailed explanation of each setting, check out our article on creating campaigns.
1. Set a Single Goal
Every campaign should have a single primary goal. A message that aims for “sales, followers, and feedback” all at once usually fails to do any of them well. Define your goal along with how you’ll measure success.
| Campaign Type | Example Goal | What to Look For? |
|---|---|---|
| Reminder | Reduce the number of no-shows | Number of approvers |
| Recovery | Reaching out to customers who haven’t visited in a long time | Response and repeat orders |
| New product | Notify those who have previously purchased similar products | People who responded and were tagged as "interested" |
| Feedback | Understanding service quality | Survey responses |
| Event | Store event attendance | Number of people who indicated they would attend |
2. Narrow Down the Audience
A small, relevant audience tends to yield better results than a large, irrelevant list; it also reduces the risk of complaints. When selecting your audience, ask yourself three questions:
- Do you have permission? Have these people agreed to receive messages from you? If not, remove them from the list.
- Are they interested? Does the message align with this person’s past purchases or interests?
- Have you messaged them recently? Take a break instead of messaging the same person repeatedly.
In the WapFlow contact list, you can filter by fields such as tags, groups, cities, and campaign results. Check out the contact list management guide to segment your contacts. It’s also a good practice to clean up your list with a number validator before launching a campaign.
3. Write the Message
A WhatsApp campaign message is not an email newsletter. The recipient will see your message amid their friends’ chats. Keep it short, friendly, and clear.
The four parts of a good message
- Identity: Who are you, and how do you know this person?
- Reason: Why are you reaching out now?
- Single Action: What do you want them to do? Asking for a reply is usually safer than sending a link.
- Opt-out: What should they do if they don’t want to receive messages?
Message Examples
Re-engagement:
Hello [name], this is Burak from Kuzey Car Wash. We haven’t seen you in a while. Our maintenance service, which includes an interior cleaning, has started this month—would you like me to send you the details? If not, just text “STOP.”
Appointment reminder:
{Hello|Good day} [name], we wanted to remind you of your appointment tomorrow at 2:30 PM. If you can’t make it, just reply to this message.
New product:
Hello [name], the new version of the winter collection you purchased from us last year has arrived. Would you like me to send you three models we think you might like? If you don’t want to receive this message, just reply with “STOP.”
The business names in the examples are fictional. [isim] The variable is filled in based on the name in your contacts, {Merhaba|İyi günler} and the greeting is randomized to send a different greeting to each person. If a contact’s name is blank, please check the address book beforehand to ensure the sentence remains intact.
Image and Survey
The image should provide additional information rather than repeating the text. A short survey can yield responses more easily than a single-sentence question when trying to understand what your audience is interested in. You can view the survey results in the campaign log.
4. Run a Small Test
Before sending to the entire list, test the text on a small group. Compare two different opening sentences with two small groups, track the response rate, and proceed with the one that performs better. Results can be misleading when the sample size is small; treat this not as definitive proof, but as a guiding indicator.
Before sending, use the “Test to Self” feature to check how the message appears on a phone. Unfilled variables, broken links, and long paragraphs are most often caught here.
5. Plan Your Timing
There’s no “best time” that works for everyone; you’ll need to experiment to find what works for your business and your audience. Still, some general rules apply:
- Avoid late at night and early morning hours. “Quiet hours” in the settings will delay delivery during these times.
- Schedule the campaign for a time when you can respond to replies until the very end. Customers who reply shouldn’t have to wait for hours.
- Don’t send to a large audience all at once—spread it out over the course of the day. The panel’s default wait and pause settings will automatically slow this down.
- You can schedule the campaign in advance; accounts must be logged in at that time.
6. Be Ready to Respond
The true value of the campaign becomes apparent when responses start coming in. Make a few preparations:
- Set up auto-reply rules for frequently asked questions. For example, have the system respond with a price list when the word “price” is mentioned.
- Enable the “STOP” automatic block.
- Turn on automatic tagging so that interested parties, those asking about prices, and those who aren’t interested can be separated.
- Determine who will handle each person’s response. You can also monitor incoming messages from the Inbox in the dashboard.
7. Set Up a Follow-Up Sequence
If a single message doesn’t yield results, the next step isn’t to message more frequently, but to send the right follow-up to the right person. Here’s an example of how to set up a sequence on the Flows page in WapFlow:
- Day 1: Send an introductory message.
- Wait: Wait two days.
- Condition: Did they respond within the specified time? If so, the flow ends, and you continue the conversation.
- Reminder: If not, a single brief reminder is sent.
- End: If there’s still no response, no further messages are sent.
Anyone tagged as “Not Interested” is automatically removed from the flow. Keep the number of follow-ups low: Consecutive reminders generate more complaints than they’re worth.
8. Measure and Improve the Next One
After the campaign ends, review successful and failed sends on the Campaigns page, and examine response, engagement, and sales stages in the sales funnel. If the response rate is low, first examine your audience, then your opening line. We’ve explained how to interpret these metrics in our campaign analysis article.
Campaign Ideas by Industry
Every business has a different audience, but the examples below can provide some ideas to get you started. The rules regarding opt-in and opt-out options apply the same way across all of them.
| Industry | Campaign Idea | Next Steps |
|---|---|---|
| Health and Beauty | Reminder for clients whose check-up is due | Schedule an appointment with the respondent |
| Training and Courses | Application dates for the new term | Sending the program to those requesting information |
| Restaurant | Announcing a new menu to loyal customers | One question for reservations |
| Auto Service | Reminder for scheduled maintenance | Ask for an available date |
| E-commerce | Complementary product to a previously purchased item | Send product images to interested parties |
| B2B service | Introducing new services to existing customers | Suggesting a phone call |
A Simple Campaign Calendar
Instead of planning campaigns at the last minute, create a small monthly calendar. You could try the following sequence:
- One week in advance: Select the target, filter the audience, and verify the list.
- Three days in advance: Write the copy, prepare the visuals, and test with a small group.
- One day before: Review response guidelines and the team plan; schedule the campaign.
- Day of delivery: Monitor the account link and initial results.
- Three days later: Review responses and unsubscribe requests; decide on a single follow-up message.
- One week later: Track sales and take notes for the next campaign.
If you’re running multiple campaigns at the same time, make sure the audiences don’t overlap. It’s annoying for someone to receive three different messages in the same week, even if each one is good on its own.
Common Planning Mistakes
- Aimless messaging: Starting without knowing how you’ll measure success prevents you from learning anything from the campaign.
- Sending the same message to everyone: Using the same tone with a new customer as with a three-year customer reduces engagement.
- Leaving responses unanswered: If a customer who asks a question doesn’t receive a reply, the campaign’s most valuable moment is wasted.
- Sending too many reminders: Writing to someone who hasn’t responded a third time often leads only to complaints.
- Failing to record results: If you don’t note which message worked, you’ll start every campaign from scratch.
When a campaign ends, write down at least one thing: what you tried, what happened, and what you’ll change next time. After a few campaigns, these notes will become your most reliable source of information tailored to your specific audience.
Pre-Campaign Checklist
- Have you defined a single goal and measurement method?
- Do you have audience consent, and have you obtained legal counsel regarding IYS and KVKK obligations?
- Has the list been verified and the opt-out list checked?
- Does the message include a clear call to action, a single action, and an opt-out option?
- Has a test message been sent?
- Are the speed and quiet hour settings reasonable?
- Is it clear who will review the responses?
Frequently Asked Questions
How often should I send campaigns to the same audience?
There’s no set number; frequency depends on the value of the content. If unsubscribe requests are increasing, you’re probably sending too many messages. The “skip recipients who’ve recently received messages” option in the settings skips people who’ve received a message within the number of days you specify.
How many people is enough for a test?
It depends on the size of your list. The goal isn’t statistical precision, but to catch obvious errors and weak copy.
Should I include a link in the message?
It’s safer to avoid including a link in the first message to an audience that doesn’t know you. Send the link only to those who say “yes.”
Can campaign results be guaranteed?
No. Delivery and responses depend on the recipient, WhatsApp, and the content. For more information, see the bulk messaging guide.
