> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.useinvent.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Broadcasts > Reach your contacts on the channels they already use, in bulk or one event at a time Your customers reached out to you through WhatsApp, Instagram, or your website. Broadcasts let you reach back out on the same channels. Send a product announcement to a whole segment, or fire a one-time passcode the instant someone signs in. Both run on the same templates, channels, and personalization. Broadcasts dashboard listing broadcasts in a table ## Two ways to broadcast Every broadcast is one of two types, chosen when you create it and fixed afterwards. | | Marketing | Transactional | | ------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Best for** | Announcements, updates, offers, newsletters | OTPs, receipts, confirmations, password resets | | **Who receives it** | A segment or all contacts, chosen up front | One recipient, named on each trigger | | **When it sends** | Now or scheduled for later | The moment your backend calls the endpoint | | **How it is sent** | One send to many people | One API call per message | | **Unsubscribes** | Respected; unsubscribed contacts are excluded | Respected; the trigger is rejected if the contact unsubscribed | | **Lifecycle** | Draft to Scheduled to Sent | Draft to Active, then triggered many times | Send one message to a group at once, immediately or scheduled Trigger a single message through the API when an event happens ## The Broadcasts dashboard The Broadcasts page lists every broadcast in a table: | Column | Description | | ----------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | **Name** | The name you gave the broadcast, with a type icon and the type below it | | **Channels** | A badge per channel configured, each with its integration icon | | **Status** | Current state (see [Broadcast statuses](#broadcast-statuses)) | | **Recipients** | The total, above a bar split by delivery state. Hover it for the exact count per state | | **Last Activity** | When the broadcast was last sent, or last edited if it has not sent yet | Above the table, a search box filters by name and a set of chips filters by type: **All**, **Marketing**, or **Transactional**. Both are reflected in the URL, so a filtered view can be bookmarked or shared. Each row has a three-dot menu to duplicate or delete the broadcast. Alongside the list, the Broadcasts area has a **WhatsApp Templates** view for building and managing your templates (see [WhatsApp](/guides/broadcasts/channels/whatsapp#whatsapp-templates)) and an **Analytics** view for delivery reporting. Opening a single broadcast gives it its own **Overview** and **Recipients** tabs. ## Creating a broadcast Use the **+ Create Broadcast** button in the top-right corner. Give the broadcast a descriptive name, for example "Black Friday Sale" or "Login OTP". Pick **Marketing** or **Transactional**. This sets how the broadcast sends and cannot be changed later. * **Marketing**: send to a group at once, now or scheduled for later. * **Transactional**: send via API, one message the moment something happens. Create Broadcast dialog with a name field and a choice between Marketing and Transactional types The broadcast opens in **Draft**. The sections you configure depend on the type: marketing broadcasts have an **Audience**, transactional broadcasts have a **Send** section. Both share **Channels** and **Properties**. ## Channels Channels determine how your message is delivered. Every broadcast needs at least one, and you can add several to reach contacts across platforms in a single broadcast. Channels section of a broadcast ### Available channels | Channel | Description | | ------------ | --------------------------------------------- | | **WhatsApp** | Send messages via approved WhatsApp Templates | More broadcast channels are coming soon. Follow the channel guide to set up and configure it: Set up WhatsApp Templates and configure the channel ### Adding multiple channels After your first channel, click **+ Add Channel** to add another. Each channel is configured independently with its own template and settings, so a single broadcast can reach contacts on several platforms at once. A broadcast with multiple channels configured ### Editing a channel After a channel is added you can: * Click **Edit** to change the template, variables, or settings. * Click **x** to remove the channel. Editing reopens the full dialog with your previous settings, a **Remove channel** button, and **Save Changes**. Channels can only be edited while the broadcast is in Draft. ## Properties Properties personalize each message with per-recipient values. Think of them as variables that differ for every contact, such as a coupon code, a product link, or an account balance. Add properties like `coupon_code` or `product_url`, then map them into your templates. ### Adding a property A new row appears with two fields. Type a name, for example `coupon_code` or `order_id`. Enter a default used for any recipient without a specific value. Click the checkmark to save, or the **x** to cancel. The property then appears in a table showing its **Name** and **Default Value**, with edit and delete icons. Broadcast properties table with names and default values ### Importing property values For marketing broadcasts, you can bulk import per-recipient values from a spreadsheet instead of setting them one by one: The import dialog opens with a file upload area. Drag in a **.csv**, **.xlsx**, **.xls**, **.numbers**, or **.ods** file with a column to identify recipients (email or phone) and a column for each property value. Click **Download sample CSV** for a correctly formatted template. Map each column from your file: * **Recipient identifier**: map at least one column to **Email** or **Phone** so Invent knows which contact each row belongs to. * **Property values**: map columns to your broadcast properties. * **Content overrides**: columns named `subject`, `body`, `reply_to`, or `message` carry per-recipient content — they replace the configured template content for that recipient on the channels that expose them (subject, body, and reply\_to for email, message for SMS). These names are reserved, so a property cannot use them. Email and SMS broadcast channels are not yet generally available, so these overrides only apply once those channels ship. * **Skip column**: choose "Skip column" for anything you do not need. Click **Review**, then **Import**. A success message confirms how many values were imported. Import property values dialog with column mapping Transactional broadcasts do not import values up front. Their per-recipient values arrive with each [trigger](/guides/broadcasts/transactional#variables) instead. ### Using properties in templates Once added, properties are available as template variables when you configure a channel. A `coupon_code` property, for example, can be inserted into your WhatsApp template alongside built-in variables like Contact Name and Phone. ## Broadcast statuses | Status | Applies to | Description | | ------------- | ------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ | | **Draft** | Both | Being configured, not sent yet. All sections are editable. | | **Scheduled** | Marketing | Queued to send at a future time, with a live countdown. | | **Sending** | Marketing | Currently being delivered. Cannot be edited. | | **Sent** | Marketing | Fully sent. Analytics and tracking are available. | | **Active** | Transactional | The endpoint is open and sending when called. | | **Paused** | Transactional | The endpoint is closed and new sends are rejected. Configuration is preserved. | | **Cancelled** | Marketing | A legacy status kept for older broadcasts. Cancelling a send now returns the broadcast to Draft. | | **Failed** | Marketing | Something went wrong during delivery. Fix the issue and re-send. | ## Duplicating a broadcast To reuse a setup, open the three-dot menu on any broadcast and select **Duplicate**. This creates a copy with "(Copy)" appended, preserving the audience or trigger, properties, and channels. ## Next steps Audience, scheduling, and analytics for bulk sends API triggers, variables, and the live endpoint Set up WhatsApp Templates and configure the channel Manage contacts and build segments for targeting