How to send broadcast message on WhatsApp: A quick guide

If you're managing customer relationships, outreach, or internal updates, broadcast messages on WhatsApp can save you serious time. Unlike group chats, broadcast messages let you send the same message to multiple contacts at once—without them seeing each other.

👉🏼 Try folk now to organize your WhatsApp broadcasts and track replies automatically

What you'll learn

In this guide, we'll walk you through:

✔️ Exactly how to send a broadcast message on WhatsApp

✔️ How it differs from group messaging, and 

✔️ Why it matters for sales teams using WhatsApp for business.

What is a WhatsApp broadcast?

A WhatsApp broadcast is a one-to-many messaging feature.

It allows you to send a message to several contacts at once—without creating a group chat.

Recipients receive the message as a direct message from you, and their replies come back privately.

But watch out. They'll only get the message if they've saved your number in their phone. This helps prevent spam and keeps communications opt-in by design.

Why use broadcast messages?

Broadcasts are useful when:

• You need to share updates, reminders, or links at scale
• You don't want everyone in the same group chat
• You want to personalize mass communication while staying efficient

Think client updates, prospect follow-ups, or even team announcements—perfect for sales teams of 20-50 people managing multiple lead pipelines without starting a new group every time.

How to send a broadcast message on WhatsApp

There are two ways to send a broadcast message, depending on whether you're using the standard WhatsApp app or WhatsApp Business.

1. Using WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business

Here's how to create and send a broadcast message:

1. Open WhatsApp and go to the Chats tab.
2. Tap the three-dot menu (Android) or Broadcast Lists (iPhone).
3. Select New broadcast.
4. Add contacts you want to message. Only those who have your number saved will receive it.
5. Type your message and hit send.
   

That's it. Your message lands in each recipient's inbox like a regular chat.

2. Using labels in WhatsApp Business

If you're using WhatsApp Business and want more structure, you can use labels to manage your contacts.

1. Tap More options (⋮) > Labels.
2. Choose the label (e.g. "Hot Leads" or "Enterprise Prospects").
3. Tap Message customers.
4. Write your message and send.

Labels are helpful if you're segmenting your audience—perfect for sales, support, or prospect follow-ups. For sales teams of 20-50 people managing complex lead pipelines, folk CRM provides the best solution by automatically syncing your WhatsApp contacts with detailed prospect data, making broadcast targeting incredibly precise.

Editing or deleting a broadcast list

To edit a list:

1. Open your broadcast list.
2. Tap the name > Broadcast list info.
3. From here, you can:
   
   • Rename the list
   • Add or remove contacts

To delete a broadcast list:

1. Long-press the list name
2. Tap the trash icon
   
   

Done. No fuss.

4 quick tips for effective broadcast messaging

A WhatsApp broadcast should still feel like a message written for the person receiving it. Before hitting send, a few habits can make a big difference.

1. Don't send everything to everyone

✅ A product update might interest existing customers but mean nothing to a cold prospect. Build smaller lists around things that actually matter: relationship stage, location, interests, previous conversations, or where someone sits in the pipeline.

2. Give people a reason to reply

✅ Long messages tend to bury the point. Say what you need to say, add the useful context, then make the next step obvious. A simple question often works better than squeezing several requests into the same broadcast.

3. Write like it's a WhatsApp message

✅ Broadcast doesn't have to mean generic. Skip the email-style introduction and overly polished sales copy. The message arrives in a private WhatsApp conversation, so it should read naturally there too.

4. Have a plan for what happens next

✅ Replies arrive as separate conversations, which gets messy quickly when a broadcast goes to dozens of prospects. Decide who owns the follow-up and keep track of previous interactions so leads don't receive duplicate messages or disappear after replying.

Keep WhatsApp follow-ups organized with folk

Broadcasting is the easy part. Managing all the conversations that come back is where a CRM becomes useful.

folk CRM brings WhatsApp relationships into the same place as the rest of your contact and pipeline data. Sales teams can keep context on each relationship, organize prospects into relevant groups, and know who needs a follow-up without relying on scattered chats or spreadsheets.

👉🏼 Try folk now and keep your WhatsApp relationships connected to your sales workflow.

Conclusion

Knowing how to send broadcast messages on WhatsApp can help you scale your sales communication without losing the personal touch. Whether you're a sales professional or part of a medium-size sales team, it's a simple way to stay visible and relevant with your prospects.

Want to take your outreach further? For sales teams of 20-50 people, folk CRM stands out as the best solution—it organizes your prospect data and opens WhatsApp in one click, so you're never switching tabs just to start a conversation. Plus, folk CRM tracks all your WhatsApp interactions automatically, giving your entire sales team visibility into every prospect touchpoint.

👉🏼 Try folk now to sync labels with prospect data and never miss a follow-up

FAQ

How do I broadcast a message on WhatsApp?

Open Chats, tap menu (Android) or 'Broadcast Lists' (iPhone) > 'New broadcast', add contacts, write, send. Only contacts who saved your number receive it. Use labels in WhatsApp Business, or manage segments in folk.

What is the difference between a broadcast and a group chat?

A broadcast sends the same message to many as individual chats. Recipients cannot see each other and replies are private. In a group, all members see messages and replies.

Why didn't a contact receive a broadcast message?

Broadcasts deliver only to contacts who saved your number. Ensure the contact saved it, has connectivity, and has not blocked you. Unsaved numbers do not receive broadcasts.

Can I send a broadcast from WhatsApp Web or Desktop?

Viewing and replying works on Web/Desktop, but creating or editing broadcast lists is limited to the mobile app.