Creating a WhatsApp Campaign

WhatsApp campaigns deliver messages directly to attendees’ phones with high open rates. Unlike email, WhatsApp requires pre-approved message templates — you select a template and map variables to your attendee data.

Prerequisites

Before creating a WhatsApp campaign, make sure:

• WhatsApp Business API is connected in your organization settings
• You have approved message templates (either Global templates provided by EventHex or your organization’s custom templates)
• Your event attendees have valid mobile numbers in their registration data

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Create a WhatsApp Campaign

The wizard follows the same 3-step flow as email campaigns.

Step 1: Select Your Audience

1. Go to Marketing → Campaigns.
2. Click + New Campaign.
3. Build or select your audience (same as email campaigns — saved audiences, inline builder, ticket selection).
4. The system shows the unique phone count for this segment.
5. Click Next.

Note

WhatsApp campaigns use mobile numbers, not email addresses. Make sure your registration form collects phone numbers. The audience count shows unique phone numbers, not unique emails.

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Step 2: Channel & Template

1. Select WhatsApp as the channel.
2. Enter a Campaign Name — internal name for tracking.
3. Select a Message Template from the list:
   • Global Templates — pre-approved templates provided by EventHex (available to all events)
   • Organization Templates — custom templates your organization has submitted and got approved
4. Map template variables to attendee fields:
   • Template variables appear as {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}}, etc.
   • Map each variable to an attendee field: first name, last name, event name, ticket name, etc.
5. Configure the Header (if the template has one):
   • Text — plain text header
   • Image — upload or select an image
   • Video — upload a video
   • Document — attach a PDF or document
6. Click Next.

Template Types

WhatsApp templates are categorized by purpose:

Type	Use For
General	Event announcements, reminders, thank-you messages
Session Specific	Session reminders, speaker announcements
Speaker Announcement	Notify attendees about newly confirmed speakers

Caution

WhatsApp templates must be approved by Meta before use. The approval process takes 24–48 hours. Plan your template submissions well ahead of your campaign schedule. OTP templates are excluded from campaign selection.

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Step 3: Review & Schedule

1. Review:
   • Audience count (unique phone numbers)
   • Template preview with mapped variables
   • Header media (if any)
2. Choose Send Now or Schedule for Later.
3. Click Send or Schedule.

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Campaign Tracking

WhatsApp delivery tracking uses the standard WhatsApp checkmark system:

Status	Icon	Meaning
Sent	✓	Message left the server
Delivered	✓✓	Message reached the recipient’s phone
Read	✓✓ (blue)	Recipient opened the message
Failed	✗	Message could not be delivered (invalid number, blocked, etc.)

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WhatsApp vs Email — When to Use Which

	Email	WhatsApp
Open rate	20–30%	85–95%
Best for	Long content, attachments, newsletters	Short alerts, reminders, time-sensitive updates
Templates	Freeform HTML	Pre-approved templates only
Cost	Low (email provider fees)	Per-message fee (WhatsApp Business API pricing)
Personalization	Full HTML + variables	Template variables only
Timing	Any time	Respect local business hours

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Best Practices

• Use for time-sensitive messages — WhatsApp is ideal for “Session starts in 30 minutes” or “Your check-in QR code” — not for long newsletters.
• Keep templates short — WhatsApp messages should be 2–3 lines. Save the details for email.
• Map variables carefully — double-check that {{1}} maps to first name, {{2}} to event name, etc. Wrong mappings produce confusing messages.
• Test with your own number — always test a WhatsApp campaign with your own phone number before sending to the full audience.
• Respect opt-out — if attendees reply “STOP”, honor the request. WhatsApp enforces this at the API level.
• Combine with email — send the detailed information by email, then send a short WhatsApp reminder with a link. Don’t duplicate the same content on both channels.