Whether you call it ‘WhatsApp blasts’ or ‘WhatsApp bulk-send’, it’s all the same. You want to send a message to a bunch of your leads and clients, but it’s taking too long to manually send it to everyone. You don’t have time to message them individually every time you want to share about a new promotion or send them a festive greeting.
However, there are several problems with bulk-sending WhatsApp messages, depending on the method you’re using. First, your message might come across as generic or spammy to your recipients. Even worse, when using specific bulk-send methods like WhatsApp Broadcast, a large portion of your recipients probably won’t even receive your message. So should you even be bulk-sending messages on WhatsApp? Is there a way to do it while minimising the risks?
In this article, you’ll find three popular methods of bulk-sending a WhatsApp message, including their pros and cons. We’ll also share some important information about WhatsApp bulk-send, so you know what to avoid.
But first, should you even bulk-send WhatsApp messages at all?
WhatsApp has officially stated that they do not allow unauthorised bulk-sending or automated messaging on their platform. And if they detect any accounts that do this, they might even ban or take legal action against the user.
…WhatsApp will take legal action against those we determine are engaged in or assisting others in abuse that violates our Terms of Service, such as automated or bulk messaging…
WhatsApp Official Terms of Service
So, while searching for a solution, you might have seen plenty of apps claiming that they can help you auto-send WhatsApp messages quickly. These are generally unauthorised solutions that could lead to trouble, and they will also have access to your private data once you connect your account.
Without vetting the apps you use carefully, you could be breaking WhatApp’s Terms of Service and get banned or sued. Instead, here some better ways to send a WhatsApp message to many people — without violating their Terms of Service, of course.
How to Blast WhatsApp Messages – 3 Ways to Do WhatsApp Blast
The following methods have different use cases. And they will work on both regular WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business applications on your phone, which is perfect if you’re mainly a B2C salesperson, solopreneur, or small business.
- Use a WhatsApp broadcast list
- Send to a WhatsApp group
- Use CRM software that works with the official WhatsApp applications
1. Use a WhatsApp Broadcast List
Broadcast List is an official WhatsApp feature that allows you to send a message to multiple contacts at once. You can create a Broadcast List and add your contacts to the list. Then, whenever you have a new promotion or product info to share, you can quickly send it to everyone on the list without having to select them individually.
| Pros | Cons |
| – A message broadcast is an official feature by WhatsApp and well within their Terms of Service. – If a client replies to your broadcast, the chat will appear as a private message. Other people on the Broadcast List won’t be able to see another person’s reply. – You can create more than one Broadcast List, which can double as a client management tool. You can send more targeted messages to different groups of clients by creating separate Broadcast Lists. | – Most of your recipients may not even receive your broadcast message. Only people who have added you to their phonebook will see your broadcast. You won’t be able to broadcast a message to new prospects until they save your contact details. – Messages cannot be personalised so they may look more generic and spammy. |
Best use case: Broadcasting messages to a list of existing clients who know you very well (and vice versa). You’re very certain that they would have your number saved on their phone, and they wouldn’t mind receiving generic texts from you. These are usually your repeat buyers who have texted or called you many times for your services.
2. Send a message to a WhatsApp group
Also an official WhatsApp feature, you can add your contacts to a group and then send them messages through the group. Do keep in mind that creating a WhatsApp group for business use has very specific use cases. Generally, if you add people into a group without their permission, they are very likely to feel annoyed, and you may even be breaking WhatsApp’s policies in doing so.
| Pros | Cons |
| – WhatsApp Groups is an official feature by WhatsApp and well within their terms of service, if used appropriately. – You can invite prospects to join your WhatsApp group via a link. They won’t need to add your contact details in order to join. | – Everyone in the group will be able to see the replies, including the negative feedback. If someone complains about your business, the complaints may even compound as more people feel encouraged to voice out. – You and other group members may dislike the lack of privacy. Everyone can see who else is in the group. They might even see that other customers are getting better deals and feel unsatisfied about that. – You may not be able to add certain people into your group. There’s a new setting on WhatsApp that allows people to limit who can add them into a group (e.g. only people who I’ve added can add me to a group). – You can only add up to 1,024 people into one group. Many businesses have more than that amount of contacts. |
Best use case: You want to build a community or a discussion group among your target audiences. Everyone sees the replies, questions, and answers in the group, and generally participates in the discussion. For example, you’re a business owner who has a community of resellers or co-brokers. When someone asks a question, you can answer in the group so everyone can benefit from the information.
3. Use CRM software that works with the official WhatsApp applications
Earlier, we mentioned that you shouldn’t use unauthorised apps to bulk-send WhatsApp messages. But don’t worry! There are still plenty of safe options that will work with the official WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business applications. Here’s a quick way to tell whether or not a WhatsApp CRM tool is safe to use.
❌ How to spot unsafe and unauthorised WhatsApp blasting tools
- These tools usually only work on desktop and don’t work on mobile.
- They ask you to scan your WhatsApp QR code. This will give them full access to “hijack” your entire WhatsApp account and all of your conversations.
- When you’re using the tool to send a message, you never have to go through the official WhatsApp application.
✅ Instead, you can safely use these tools that integrate with official WhatsApp applications
- They usually work on mobile (and on desktop as well).
- They DON’T ask you to scan your WhatsApp QR code, and they won’t have access to your private data.
- When you’re using the tool to send a message, it will switch to the official WhatsApp application so you can quickly complete the sending process.
An example of a safe WhatsApp CRM tool is Privyr. You can use this mobile app to send a message to many people quickly without breaking WhatsApp’s rule of “no automated or bulk messaging”. This is how it works in Privyr:
- Create a message in Privyr, and select all the contacts you want to WhatsApp. To make it even easier, you can also bulk-select up to 50 people at a time through groups and categories you created in Privyr.
- Just click the ‘send’ button for each contact you selected. You don’t have to go through the hassle of manually searching for the people you want to message, trying to find them from a long list of your business and personal contacts. And you also don’t need to copy-paste the message into each WhatsApp chat individually.
- Privyr automatically launches your WhatsApp application and pastes the message you want to send to your contacts. It even adds your contact’s name to the message for extra personalisation.
| Pros | Cons |
| – You can simultaneously send a message to a bunch of people much faster compared to the manual way of texting each person separately. – Your recipients will receive your message, even if they haven’t added you to their phonebook. – With the auto-personalisation feature, your recipients are less likely to view your message as spam. – You won’t get banned or sued by using this software. This method of sending one WhatsApp message to many people doesn’t violate the Terms of Services, if used correctly. – You will also have access to additional CRM tools within the app. You can assign tags to your contacts so you can quickly send them specific content based on their customer profile. For example, sending info about a newly launched commercial building to all contacts tagged as “commercial property buyers”. | – There’s no official way to do one-click bulk-sending. You need to click ‘send’ for each contact. However, it is still significantly faster than opening a chat, copy-pasting the message, and typing out your recipient’s name. Imagine having to go through these steps 50 times. Instead of that, tapping a ‘send’ button 50 times is much quicker and more straightforward. |
Interested? Try Privyr for free today.
Best use case: You’re a B2C salesperson, marketer, or small business owner who wants to quickly message your clients and leads from your phone, even if they haven’t added you to their contacts list. You also don’t wish to use any bulk-send software that could access all your data or get you banned from WhatsApp.
Before you go, you should know…
Even if you use the right methods of sending WhatsApp messages, the content you send matters just as much. You can still get banned if people report you for sending spam or low-quality content. That’s why it’s also important to know what you should send in a WhatsApp message to successfully engage with your clients and prospects.
If you’re texting your prospects on WhatsApp for the first time and want to improve your chances of getting a response, check out this article on how to message new leads so they actually reply to you.
WhatsApp Bulk Sender : This FREE! bulk message sender tool helps you bulk-send personalised WhatsApp messages to multiple people, even if you haven’t added them to your phonebook.
