How to create and send a WhatsApp campaign

How to create and send a WhatsApp campaign

Estimated 2 minute read

Updated Feb 20, 2026, 12:00 AM EST

Table of contents

What is a WhatsApp campaign?
Before you begin
Create a WhatsApp campaign
Best times and days to send
Additional resources

Learn how to create and send a WhatsApp campaign in Klaviyo. WhatsApp campaigns use approved message templates and allow you to include structured content such as headers, bodies, footers, and buttons.

What is a WhatsApp campaign?

A WhatsApp campaign is a one-time message sent to a list or segment of subscribers. You can use campaigns to announce product launches, promote sales, or share important updates. You can send a campaign immediately or schedule it for a future time.

Before you begin

Before sending a WhatsApp campaign, you must have:

Connected and configured WhatsApp in your Klaviyo account
Collected explicit WhatsApp marketing consent
An approved WhatsApp message template

WhatsApp requires all outbound marketing messages to use pre-approved templates. Learn how template approval works, message structure, and character limits in WhatsApp message templates.

Since April 1, 2025, Meta has blocked WhatsApp marketing messages sent to US phone numbers. Deliveries to US recipients fail with the error code 131049.

You should also have a list or segment of subscribers who have opted in to receive WhatsApp marketing.

Campaigns vs. flows


Campaigns	Flows
One-time sends that are manually scheduled	Automated and ongoing sends
Sent to a specific list or segment	Triggered by customer actions or profile properties
Best for announcements and promotions	Best for lifecycle messaging and automation

Create a WhatsApp campaign

Navigate to the Campaigns tab.
Click Create campaign in the upper right.
Name your campaign.
Select Single channel as the campaign type, then select WhatsApp as the channel.
Click Continue.
Under Audience, select the list(s) or segment(s) you want to send to.
To exclude specific groups, add a segment under Don't send to.
Turn on Smart Sending to avoid messaging subscribers too frequently.
Click Next.
Select an approved WhatsApp template, then click Use template.
Select Manage template > Edit template to open the template editor. If you make changes, you must resubmit the template to Meta for approval before sending. Review or customize the following fields:
Header (optional)
Body (required)
Footer (optional)
Buttons (optional)
If your template needs website links, add them using Visit website buttons. Klaviyo tracks clicks on links in buttons created in Klaviyo.
Click Preview to preview the message as a specific profile, then click Done to close the preview.
Finish reviewing the template:
- If you made changes, click Submit for review, then Submit. Wait for Meta to approve the updated template before sending.
- If you did not make changes, click Exit, then Confirm.
Return to Campaigns, reopen your campaign, and select the Message step. Click Next.
On the review page, confirm that:
- The correct audience is selected.
- Your template variables are populated correctly.
- Your account has sufficient credits.
Click Schedule or send.
Choose whether to send immediately or schedule for a future date and time.
Click Schedule message or Send now.

WhatsApp campaigns are subject to Meta delivery policies. Large sends may be rate limited depending on your WhatsApp sending tier.

Best times and days to send

The best time to send depends on your audience. Test different days and times to determine what drives the highest engagement.

Weekday campaigns often drive higher revenue.
Early afternoon and early evening typically produce higher engagement.

Additional resources

How to create a WhatsApp template

Learn how to create a WhatsApp template through Klaviyo. Once you have created a template and it has been approved by Meta, you can begin to send it through campaigns and flows.

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