12 WhatsApp marketing campaign examples, with example copy and the consent rule for each

Most lists of WhatsApp campaign ideas skip the part that gets numbers blocked: who you are allowed to send them to. Here are 12 campaigns a small business can run, each with illustrative copy, the consent it needs, the tool that fits, and how often to run it.

By Ritchie, ReplyKit · Published 17 October 2026 · 9 min read

All copy on this page is illustrative. The businesses, names, prices and codes are made up so you can see the shape of a message. Swap in your own details and keep the structure: one clear offer, one reason it is for them, one easy next step, and a way to stop.

Before you copy a campaign: the three-question consent test

Ask three questions before any WhatsApp campaign: did this person give you their number, did they agree to receive this kind of message from your business, and can they stop easily? If any answer is no, do not send it on WhatsApp.

That test comes straight from the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, which allows contact only when someone has given you their number and opted in, and requires you to honor requests to stop. Meta's opt-in guidance recommends getting consent per category, such as order updates separately from offers, so a customer who agreed to delivery updates has not agreed to your sale announcements. In some countries the law is stricter still; the UK's ICO guidance treats direct messages like marketing email.

Campaigns that need no list at all

These four reach people without you messaging anyone first, so the consent question answers itself: the customer chooses to look or to write.

1. The Status flash offer

Goal: move slow stock or fill quiet days. Tool: WhatsApp Status. How often: a few times a week is fine, because people choose to view Status.

Consent rule: none needed. Only contacts who saved your number see Status, and they choose to tap. More on this in Status for business updates.

2. The click-to-WhatsApp ad

Goal: new customers. Tool: a Facebook or Instagram ad whose button opens a chat. How often: always on, with a budget you can answer.

Consent rule: the customer writes first, so you can reply freely. Do not add them to a promotions list unless they agree in the chat. Set-up details are in our click-to-WhatsApp ads guide.

3. The counter QR code

Goal: turn walk-ins into WhatsApp contacts. Tool: a printed QR code that opens a chat with a pre-filled message. How often: permanent.

Consent rule: the pre-filled text asks for alerts, so sending the message is a clear opt-in to that category. Keep a label on these contacts so you know where the consent came from.

4. The "link in bio" quiz

Goal: qualified enquiries from social followers. Tool: a wa.me link in your Instagram or TikTok bio. How often: permanent, refreshed monthly.

Consent rule: they started the chat. Answering and recommending is service, not marketing.

Campaigns for customers who opted in

These seven go to people who said yes to offers or updates from you. Send them one to one or through a broadcast tool that respects opt-outs, and keep every one short.

5. Back in stock

Goal: sell out a restock to people who already asked. Tool: Business app broadcast list or individual messages.

Consent rule: only people who asked to be told about that item or category. This is the most welcome campaign on the list because the customer requested it.

6. Members-first access

Goal: reward regulars and sell the best pieces before the public launch.

Consent rule: opted in to offers or new arrivals. How often: once per launch.

7. The birthday offer

Consent rule: opted in to offers, and you collected the birthday with their agreement. How often: once a year. More wording in our birthday message templates.

8. The reorder reminder

Consent rule: opted in to reminders. Base the timing on the customer's own buying pattern, not a fixed schedule. How often: once per cycle.

9. The win-back

Consent rule: opted in to offers, and still a reasonable time since they last bought. How often: once. If they do not reply, leave it.

10. The referral ask

Consent rule: sent to a customer you just served, as part of that conversation. Never message the friend first; let them write to you. See referral request templates.

11. The event or workshop invite

Consent rule: opted in to events or offers. How often: per event, with one reminder the day before for people who said yes.

A campaign that lives inside your replies

The twelfth campaign sends nothing at all. You decide on the offer of the month and mention it to everyone who messages you about something related.

12. The "while you are here" offer

Consent rule: none beyond the conversation they started, as long as the offer is relevant to what they asked. This is the safest way to promote on WhatsApp and the one most small businesses forget. It also works without any manual effort if an AI agent answers your chats with the offer in its knowledge; ReplyKit does this on every plan, from $29 a month. Our guide to upselling without being pushy has more.

All 12 WhatsApp campaigns at a glance

A note on tools. In the free Business app, broadcast lists only reach contacts who saved your number, and WhatsApp lists a newer feature, Business Broadcasts, as available to eligible users in select countries. For large lists, the official platform sends approved marketing templates, with special formats such as coupon code and limited-time-offer templates, charged per delivered message. Meta may also cap how many marketing messages one person receives, and people can stop yours from the Offers and announcements setting.

What happens after a WhatsApp campaign is sent?

The replies arrive in a burst, usually within the first hour, and each one is a buyer asking a question. A campaign that gets 40 replies and answers them the next morning has wasted most of its work.

That burst is where ReplyKit fits. It does not send campaigns, broadcasts or any message to someone who has not written first. It answers the people who reply to yours: price, stock, size, delivery and booking questions, from your price list and product catalogue, in the customer's own language, and it hands the chat to you in one click when the customer is ready or needs a person. It connects through Quick Connect, an unofficial QR pairing that Meta does not sanction, so a number can be restricted; you see one plain notice, and pressing Connect is your acceptance of section 3 of our terms. Replies are capped at 30 an hour and 200 a day by default, adjustable up to 60 and 400, which covers a small business campaign burst on one number. If you plan to send campaigns and want the answers handled, start a free trial before your next send.

Frequently asked questions

ReplyKit is an independent product and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Meta or WhatsApp. Prices for other vendors and payment providers are taken from their public pages as checked in October 2026 and may change. This article is general guidance, not legal advice.