What counts as marketing
If the message exists to sell, it is marketing.
- Offers, discounts, and promotions
- New product and launch announcements
- Event invites and loyalty nudges
- Re-engagement and win-back messages
Glossary
WhatsApp Marketing Message: Definition and Rules
What counts as marketing on WhatsApp, the rules it carries, and how to run campaigns safely.
The short answer
A WhatsApp marketing message is a promotional business-initiated message: offers, launches, announcements, and re-engagement. It requires explicit opt-in, must include a clear opt-out, and bills at the highest conversation rate — $0.025 per conversation in the US. Breaking these rules is the fastest route to template rejection and number bans.
The two hard rules
Marketing is the only category with both requirements.
- Opt-in: an explicit, recorded agreement before the first send
- Opt-out: a clear unsubscribe path in every marketing template
- Honor opt-outs instantly and keep the contact out of future lists
- No purchased lists, no scraped numbers — ever
What marketing costs
Marketing is the most expensive conversation category.
- US rate: $0.025 per conversation
- Rate varies by destination country tier
- Entry-point conversations from Click to WhatsApp ads bill as marketing by default
- Every template send opens a new billable marketing conversation
How to run campaigns safely
The campaign survives on compliance, not volume.
- Segment to engaged, opted-in contacts
- Batch sends rather than firing everything at once
- Watch the number's quality rating as volume grows
- Use the broadcast checker before launching
- Wutt blocks sends to contacts without opt-in and logs every opt-out
Last updated 5 August 2026
Common questions
No. Marketing requires explicit, recorded opt-in before the first send. There is no workaround.
Marketing sells; utility informs. An order status update is utility; an offer attached to it is marketing.
In the US, $0.025 per conversation. Rates vary by destination country.
Usually missing opt-out, promotional tone issues like capitalisation or urgency, or content that reads like spam.
Master the WhatsApp terms that matter
Plain-English answers to the WhatsApp terms merchants ask about every week.
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