WhatsApp messages get read within minutes and replied to at rates email cannot approach, which is exactly why the platform polices it hard. A number that sends unwanted messages gets rated down by recipients and throttled or banned, and there is no appeal that works quickly. The channel rewards businesses that treat it like a conversation and punishes those that treat it like a broadcast list.

Opt-in is not optional

Marketing messages require the customer's explicit permission, captured with a clear description of what they will receive — at checkout, on a form, in a conversation. Store the consent with its timestamp and source. Customers who message you first open a 24-hour window for replies; that window is not marketing consent.

Templates and categories

Messages you initiate outside the 24-hour window must use pre-approved templates, categorised as utility (order updates, reminders, confirmations), authentication, or marketing. Utility templates are cheaper and welcomed; marketing templates are pricier and rate-limited by your quality score. Write templates that read as personal messages, with variables for the specifics, and keep marketing volume modest.

Quality rating is the whole game

The platform scores your number on blocks and reports. A drop in quality reduces your daily sending limit; a serious drop suspends templates. Watch the rating daily. Frequency is the usual cause: a customer who gets three marketing messages a week will block you. One or two a month, timed to something relevant, keeps the rating green.

Always allow a way out

Every marketing message should make stopping easy — a 'reply STOP' or a button — and stops must be honoured instantly across every flow. Handle replies: a customer who answers a marketing message expects a person or a useful bot, not silence. And keep transactional and marketing traffic on the same number only if the marketing discipline is strict; many brands run two.