Why is it important to ask for consent to send promotional messages via WhatsApp?
Meta emphasizes the importance of respecting customers' decisions on whether or not they wish to receive messages from businesses—whether promotional or otherwise.
It’s also crucial to reduce the risk of being reported as spam by customers who receive our WhatsApp messages. To minimize this risk and comply with Meta’s guidelines, it’s essential to always offer the option to unsubscribe from future messages.
👉 Especially in your first communication with a customer, make sure to include buttons in your templates that allow them to unsubscribe or opt out.
This is particularly important when you send mass messages to many customers at once.
Often, customers are not expecting to be contacted, and if they receive a message from a business they don’t recognize, they may mark it as spam to prevent future messages.
✅ Key tip:
By adding an unsubscribe button to your templates, you make it easy for customers to remove themselves from your list without reporting you to WhatsApp.
How to properly ask for consent
If you’re just starting with Saysimple, the best way to begin is by sending an initial consent template.
Here’s an example:
📄 Example: Consent Template
👋 Hi ,
We’ve just opened this new WhatsApp channel to send you information and promotions about our products.
Stay tuned for our latest updates, promotions, and courses!
👉 If you no longer wish to receive these types of messages, tap "Unsubscribe."
(You can also add a button that says "Yes, I’m interested" or "Tell me more.")
This first message is ideal for introducing your WhatsApp channel and building a list of genuinely interested customers.
Can I send promotions directly from the first message?
We do not recommend it, but if prefer to send a promotion in the very first message, make sure to add a consent sentence at the end and always include an unsubscribe button.
📄 Example: Promotional Template
😎 Hi ,
Here at Ópticas Buenavista, we thought of you for our new sunglasses promotion.
You recently visited us looking for new sunglasses, and we believe this might interest you:
👉 July Special: Use the code JULIO50 to get 50% off on sunglasses!
👉 If you no longer want to receive promotions like this, tap "Unsubscribe."
✅ Always include the “Unsubscribe” button in your templates.
✅ Don’t forget to update the opt-in status
If a customer tells you they no longer wish to receive messages, it’s essential to manually update their opt-in status in Saysimple.
👉 You can do this by marking the speaker icon (opt-in) as active (red) directly inside the conversation.
This ensures that the customer won’t receive further promotional messages via Broadcast or Engage.
Start Small: Send Gradually and in Small Batches 🚶♂️🚶♀️
👉 It’s very important to minimize the chance of being marked as spam by your customers.
❌ Avoid large campaigns at the start:
Do not start by sending Engage or Broadcast messages to very large lists (e.g. 1,000 contacts all at once).
💡 If you send a big campaign without knowing how your customers will react, you might get too many spam reports in a short time.
👉 If this happens, Meta can temporarily—or even permanently—block your WhatsApp number.
Recommended Sending Strategy
Start small and gradually increase the size of your sends. Example:
| Day | Number of Contacts |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | 50 contacts |
| Wait 2 days | |
| Day 3 | 100 contacts |
| Wait 2 days | |
| Day 5 | 150 contacts |
✅ This gives you time to see how your customers respond to your messages.
🚨 Important: Monitor Meta’s Warnings
Meta will send you a gentle warning if you start receiving too many spam reports.
👉 This is your signal to stop, review your templates, and adjust your sending strategy before your number gets blocked.