New to broadcasts? Start with the Broadcasts Overview for the audience, properties, scheduling, and analytics flow that every channel shares. This guide focuses on the WhatsApp-specific setup.
Prerequisites
Three things need to be in place before you can configure a WhatsApp broadcast channel:- A connected WhatsApp Business number in Invent. Connections live at the workspace level, so the same number you set up for an assistant is automatically available for broadcasts. If you have not connected WhatsApp yet, follow the WhatsApp channel guide, it walks through Coexistence vs API-only, Meta’s Embedded Signup, and how to attach a number. You can also manage every connection (rename, reconnect, disconnect) from Settings → Connections.
- At least one approved template in your WhatsApp Manager. Templates are created and approved on Meta’s side; Invent reads them but cannot create them. See WhatsApp Templates below.
- A broadcast in Draft state with an Audience configured. Open the Broadcasts page, click + Create Broadcast, and pick the segments or contacts you want to reach.
WhatsApp Templates
Outbound, business-initiated WhatsApp messages must use templates. A template is a pre-approved message structure with optional variables, buttons, and media. Meta reviews and approves each template before it can be sent.Template Categories
Every template is created in one of three categories. Picking the right one is essential, sending marketing content under a non-marketing category is one of the most common reasons for template rejection or pausing.| Category | Use it for | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Promotional content, offers, product launches, re-engagement, newsletters | ”20% off this weekend”, “New collection just dropped” |
| Utility | Updates and notifications tied to an action the customer already took | Order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, password resets |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes (OTP) and verification codes | Login codes, two-factor authentication codes |
Creating a Template
Templates are created inside Meta Business Suite, not inside Invent. Once approved, they appear automatically in Invent’s template dropdown.Open WhatsApp Manager
Go to business.facebook.com/wa/manage/message-templates and select the WhatsApp Business Account that owns the number you want to send from. If you have multiple WABAs, double-check you are on the correct one before creating.
Pick the category and language
Choose Marketing, Utility, or Authentication. Pick the language the body is written in. If you support multiple languages, create one template per language with the same name; Invent and WhatsApp deliver the version that matches the recipient’s locale.
Name the template
Use lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores only (e.g.
order_confirmation, weekend_sale_2026). The name is how you and Invent identify the template; it is never shown to the recipient.Compose the body
Write the message text. Use
{{1}}, {{2}}, etc. for variables that change per recipient. Each variable must have an example value Meta can review.Optional building blocks:- Header: text, image, video, document, or location
- Footer: a single line of static text (e.g. “Reply STOP to opt out”)
- Buttons: quick-reply buttons, URL buttons, phone-number buttons, and a “Stop promotions” opt-out button for Marketing templates
Submit for review
Click Submit. Meta reviews most templates within 24 hours; many approve in minutes. You can see the status in the templates list.
| Status | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Approved | Ready to use. Available immediately in Invent’s template dropdown. |
| Pending | Under Meta review. The template does not yet appear in Invent. |
| Rejected | Meta declined the template. Click the row to see the rejection reason and resubmit a corrected version. |
| Paused | A live template that Meta has paused due to quality signals. Sending stops until Meta reinstates it. See Best Practices. |
Templates are reviewed against Meta’s WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy. Common rejection reasons: prohibited content (alcohol, gambling in restricted regions, regulated services), misleading copy, marketing language inside a Utility template, missing example values for variables, or formatting issues.
Where Templates Live
Templates live on the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) that owns the phone number, not on the assistant or on Invent. This means:- Templates created on WABA A are not visible from a number on WABA B.
- Deleting a template on Meta’s side removes it from Invent’s dropdown immediately.
- Editing an approved template on Meta’s side may return it to Pending until re-approved (Meta now allows in-place edits for some categories).
Adding the WhatsApp Channel to a Broadcast
Once you have a template approved and a WhatsApp connection wired up, you can add the channel to any broadcast in Draft state.Click WhatsApp in the Channels section
From inside a broadcast, scroll to the Channels section and click WhatsApp. The configuration dialog opens.
Select your Connection
Pick the WhatsApp Business connection to send from. Connections are workspace-level and shared with your assistants, you do not need to authenticate again here. If your workspace has more than one WhatsApp connection, choose the one whose WABA owns the template you plan to use.
Select your WhatsApp Phone Number
Choose which phone number on that connection sends the broadcast. The dropdown shows each number with its connection name. Click the external-link icon to manage the number directly in WhatsApp Manager.
Templates are scoped to the WABA, not to a specific phone number. Every approved template on the parent WABA shows up here regardless of which number you pick.
Select a template
Pick a template from the searchable dropdown. Each row shows:
- The template name (e.g.
weekend_sale_2026) - A preview of the body
- An icon for the category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication)
Map the variables
If the template contains 
{{1}}, {{2}}, header media, or button URLs, map each one. For every variable you can choose:- Contact Name: the recipient’s name from their contact record.
- Phone: the recipient’s phone number.
- Custom property: any property you added to this broadcast (for example
coupon_code,order_id). - Static value: a fixed string used for every recipient.
Test Before You Send
Always test the broadcast before scheduling it to your real audience. Click Test in the top-right of the broadcast editor and enter your own phone number. The template renders with the variables mapped to a single test recipient, exactly the way customers will see it. See the full testing flow →Costs
Two costs combine on every WhatsApp broadcast message:- Invent fee: about $0.004 per message, drawn from your Invent credit balance. Full pricing breakdown →
- Meta conversation fee: charged by Meta directly based on the conversation category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication) and the destination country. Meta bills this on your WABA’s payment method, not through Invent. Country-by-country rates live on Meta’s WhatsApp Business Pricing page.
Tracking Delivery and Engagement
Once a broadcast is sent, the editor turns into an analytics dashboard:- Sent / Delivered / Read percentages at the top.
- A per-recipient table with delivery status and timestamps for each event.
Troubleshooting
My template is not in the dropdown
My template is not in the dropdown
Three common causes:
- The template is still Pending review. Open WhatsApp Manager and confirm the status is Approved. Pending and Rejected templates do not appear in Invent.
- Wrong WABA. A template lives on a specific WhatsApp Business Account. Make sure the connection you picked owns the same WABA as the template.
- Template was paused or deleted by Meta. Open the templates list in WhatsApp Manager and check the status. If paused, wait for Meta to reinstate. If deleted, recreate it.
The template was rejected, what now?
The template was rejected, what now?
Click the rejected template in WhatsApp Manager to see Meta’s specific reason. The most common are:
- Wrong category: marketing copy submitted as Utility or Authentication. Resubmit under the right category.
- Prohibited content: regulated industries, misleading promises, or sensitive topics. Rewrite to remove the flagged content.
- Variable example mismatch: the example values you provided do not match the variable placement. Add realistic examples for every
{{N}}and resubmit. - Brand impersonation: header or body language that suggests you are someone you are not.
weekend_sale_2026_v2) so you can track which version is which.My broadcast is sending much slower than I expected
My broadcast is sending much slower than I expected
Meta enforces per-day messaging limits based on your number’s messaging tier (visible in WhatsApp Manager). New numbers start at the lowest tier (1,000 unique recipients per 24 hours) and unlock higher tiers automatically as quality stays high. If you are sending a 50,000-recipient broadcast on a Tier 1 number, the queue throttles to fit the daily cap.To raise your tier: maintain a high quality rating for several days and Meta upgrades automatically. There is no manual escalation path.
Some recipients show 'Failed' in the analytics table
Some recipients show 'Failed' in the analytics table
Hover the failure icon for the specific reason. The most common are:
- Invalid phone number (wrong country code, missing digits).
- Recipient does not have WhatsApp on that number.
- Recipient blocked your business previously.
- Recipient is in a country your WABA is not approved to send to.
A template I have used for months was suddenly paused
A template I have used for months was suddenly paused
Meta paused it because of recent quality signals (reports, blocks, low read rate). This is the early-warning sanction. Follow What to Do if You Get a Warning: stop sending, audit the recent audience, fix the consent or content issue, and resume only with your most-engaged segment.
My number was banned. What can I do?
My number was banned. What can I do?
Phone-number bans are issued by automated systems and almost never reversed on appeal. Practically, the affected number is permanently lost on WhatsApp Cloud API. The other numbers on your Business Portfolio remain active. Going forward:
- Do not import the same number into another tool. The ban follows the number, not the tool.
- For a fresh start, register a new number on the same portfolio and apply the Best Practices playbook from day one.
- If your entire portfolio is banned, contact Meta support and Invent support; recovery is rare but the process exists.
Next Steps
WhatsApp Best Practices
The playbook for keeping your number, templates, and Business Portfolio in good standing
Broadcasts Overview
Create, schedule, and analyse broadcasts across every channel
WhatsApp Channel Setup
Connect a WhatsApp Business number through Meta’s Embedded Signup
Audience
Manage your contacts and organise them into segments for targeted broadcasts