19 April 2022

5 Steps To Send A Mass Message On WhatsApp

Sending a mass message using WhatsApp’s broadcast feature can be done in 5 simple steps. Read on to find out how!

Benard Kiplangat

Content Writer

Reading time: 6 minutes

More businesses are now finding chat marketing to be a hotspot of profitable leads for their business. With the high number of daily active users and the high open rates, WhatsApp can be the best channel to connect with your leads and customers.

There are several features that WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business users have that allow you to send mass messages. However, each feature has different limitations.

While WhatsApp imposes strict rules on how to use the platform to contact multiple recipients, there are tools you can use to send marketing campaigns without violating their terms.

So let’s check out all the options on how we can send a message to multiple contacts on WhatsApp (and a bonus tip on the best tool you can use for the same with no restrictions).

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How to send a mass message on WhatsApp

As mentioned, WhatsApp provides multiple ways in which you can send your messages to several recipients. However, there are various limitations that can get your WhatsApp number banned, such as exceeding the recommended number of messages sent at any one time, or if too many users flag your messages as spam.

While it’s easy to bypass most of these limitations, going against WhatsApp’s Terms of Service (TOS) will get your number banned. So it is advisable to use these features responsibly to avoid getting suspended.

Using the broadcast message feature

On WhatsApp, you can send bulk messages to up to 256 contacts. WhatsApp Broadcast is a functionality that allows you to group up contacts and send one-way messages to individual contacts.

When you send a broadcast, recipients can reply to each message separately, so it will appear as a new message on your chats.

With WhatsApp broadcasts, you can send messages just like you would to an individual or a group. You can send texts, images, documents, contacts, or locations to all your selected contacts at once.

Here’s how can you send a broadcast message on WhatsApp in 5 easy steps:

Go to WhatsApp.
On your ‘Chats’ screen, tap ‘More Options’ (the three vertical dots in the upper-right corner) then tap ‘New Broadcast’.
On the broadcast screen that comes, you’ll be prompted to search or select contacts.
Tap ‘Add’ (the plus sign (+)) to select the contacts to whom you want to send the message. You can also use the search for faster selections if you have a lot of contacts.
Once you finish selecting all contacts, tap ‘Done’ (the green tick placed on the lower-right-hand corner), then tap ‘Create’.

Limitations: You are limited to only 256 contacts. Also, WhatsApp requires that the recipients you want to send your broadcast to are in your address book, and your number is also in their contact list.

To add on, you have to broadcast pre-approved message templates that don’t contain overly promotional material, symbols, and emojis.

Forwarding messages to multiple contacts

Another way to send bulk messages is to use the forward feature on WhatsApp. This simply means you’re manually forwarding a message to your recipients.

With forwarding, you can send multiple messages to several contacts and even groups in 3 easy steps:

First, Go to WhatsApp.
On your Chats screen, tap any contact that you want to send the message to, type the message or paste it and hit send.
Then open that message and hold to select. You can select as many messages as you want, including images and other multimedia messages.
Once selected, tap the forwarding icon (the curved arrow pointing to the right).
You will then be prompted to select from the recent chats the groups or people, as well as contacts to whom you want to send the messages.
After selecting the contacts, hit ‘Done’.

Limitations: While you can send multiple messages to multiple contacts with message forwarding, you may have to repeat it multiple times to send them to more people. More so, the recipient will receive the message capped with a forwarded tag on top of your message.

Another limitation is that you can’t send both text and multimedia in a single message. This method can be time-consuming and tedious if you have to send a message to hundreds of recipients.

Creating a WhatsApp Group

Creating a WhatsApp group gives you the ability to send messages to many people at once.

You can restrict the group members from contributing in the group settings if you want one-way conversations.

WhatsApp allows you to create as many groups as you want.

Here is how to create a WhatsApp group in 8 easy steps:

Open WhatsApp.
On your Chats screen, tap ‘More options’, then ‘New group’. Alternatively, tap on the ‘New Chat’ button down the page, then ‘New Group’.
Then select or search and select the contacts that you want to add to the group, and click ‘Next’.
Then write the group name or subject within a limit of 25 characters.
You can also add your favorite emojis to your subject line by tapping on the Emoji icon.
Then add the group icon. Simply tap the Camera icon to pick the source of your image: camera, gallery, or web.
Once set, tap the green checkmark icon to finish setting up your group.
Finally, tap Create!

Now you can send a mass message to all your group participants at once!

Limitations: Adding recipients who don’t have your contact into a WhatsApp group can result in you getting banned. It’s also time-consuming to manually select contacts to add to your group.

How to send a message on WhatsApp to multiple contacts with NovoChat

Send mass messages with NovoChat’s bulk messaging feature

Broadcast to recipients in your contact list

Here’s how you can do it in 5 easy steps:

Navigate to the ‘Campaigns’ tab and select ‘Create Campaign’.
Set up your campaign by adding a campaign name and setting a scheduled time.
Select the recipients you wish to broadcast your message to.
Type your broadcast message or select from a pre-made message template to save you time.
Once you’re done, preview your campaign and click ‘Launch’. You’re done!

Broadcast to new contacts

Here’s how you can do it in 5 easy steps:

Navigate to the ‘Campaigns’ tab and select ‘Create Campaign’.
Set up your campaign by adding a campaign name and setting a scheduled time.
Choose ‘Upload a CSV. file’ and upload your file. You can use NovoChat’s template for an idea of how to prepare the CSV. file.
Upload the file to NovoChat.
Hit ‘Launch’ to broadcast the messages and you’re done!

Do more with NovoChat

Marketing can be so easy when you can access more customers with a few taps. WhatsApp has become the most profitable channel to connect more with your customers and has immense possibilities for mass messaging features.

If you’re looking to market your business on WhatsApp, leverage NovoChat’s advanced chat marketing software to take your business to the next level.