.png)
The hardest part of a conversation is starting it.
Whether it's to ask somebody out on a date or to approach a (potential) customer, a good opening line is key.
Earlier, approaching customers via WhatsApp with a promotional message wasn't allowed. But now that WhatsApp has launched Broadcast Messages, this is perfectly possible. And that opens up a lot of space for your sales and/or marketing team.
To inspire you to get the most out of each interaction, we have put together 10 different WhatsApp advertising message samples. They're ready-to-use, so feel free to copy-paste them and start advertising right away.
How to send a WhatsApp advertising message
A while ago, it wasn't yet possible for businesses to reach out to people via WhatsApp. They had to wait to be contacted by customers. Why? To avoid companies from spamming consumers.
Recently, WhatsApp Business launched a new feature that changed this: the WhatsApp Broadcast message. There's still an important limitation that keeps you from spamming people who have never heard from you, though. The broadcast message can only be sent to people who saved you in their phone as a contact. You can select a maximum amount of 256 contacts to add to your 'broadcast list'.
Each recipient in your broadcast list will receive the message as a private message. This means that your advertising message will automatically turn into a conversation — if the receiver decides to interact, that is.
A nice plus: the recipient will not see that the message is a broadcast message. It looks like a plain message to them. This gives you the opportunity to create a conversational message that looks like an organic conversation starter.
What makes a good WhatsApp advertising message?
Now that you know how to send one, let's get into how you can put together an effective WhatsApp advertising message.
It's important to establish that you shouldn't treat this as a regular 'advertising message'. In the context of WhatsApp, the word 'advertising' is misleading.
You're not putting together a billboard. The text won't be printed in a magazine. It's a WhatsApp message. And that brings us to our first best practice.
1. Keep it conversational
Now that we know that you're writing a WhatsApp message, it's time to put away the dusty old copywriting handbook.
The key is to make your message sound like a conversation starter, not like an ad.
It's simple. Compose a message that is informal and conversational. I can write an entire blog on how that works, but it's simple. Say whatever you have written down out loud. Do you automatically sound like a salesman from a Tell Sell commercial? Press the backspace button immediately.
Remember, the average human sees around 10,000 ads a day. We know exactly when we're reading a sentence written by a marketer. Avoid being ignored like the other 9,999 advertising messages.
2. Keep it short
When is the last time you ever got a WhatsApp message so long that you had to scroll down to read it completely? If you do get them, they feel invasive, right? That's because it doesn't fit the WhatsApp etiquette.
WhatsApp conversations are supposed to be short and fast-paced. Often, people will hit the send button after a sentence and send multiple messages in a row to tell a story. So as a business, you'll have to keep your messages just as short in order to fit in.
Don't try to apply old copywriting techniques to new communication channels. You are not, I repeat, you are not writing an email.
3. Give a reason to reply
The power in conversational marketing is being able to actually have a conversation. You don't want to create a one-way street.
What often goes wrong here, is that marketers send messages that don't give the receiver the feeling they have to respond. When the copy looks like it could be in a pop-up, people will treat it like a pop-up.
And that's not what we want. We want the reader of the message to not be passive and engage in conversation. So take a close look at your message: would you respond to this after reading it? Let's take a look at an example:
"Hi there! This week, we have a 20% discount on all of our products. Don't miss out!!"
The above message isn't necessarily bad. It's just a missed opportunity. If the receiver is a superfan of your brand, they might appreciate the message. But even then, they won't reply to this message. And that takes away the opportunity of building a relationship beyond the one-time purchase.
5 Ready-To-Use WhatsApp advertising messages samples
Without any further ado, let's dive into some WhatsApp advertising message samples for your business.
1. "Hi there! This week, we have a 20% discount on all of our products. Let me know if you'd like to come to our store, so I can book an appointment for you."
As you can see, the above example is the same one I mentioned earlier, with just one extra sentence. But that little addition makes all the difference in the world. If the customer replies and you respond in a timely manner, your advertising message will evolve into a conversation.
The devil is in the details.
- "Hello! Tomorrow, we are finally launching [PRODUCT]. We only have limited supplies, so let me know if I can put one aside for you by replying to this message. Later today, we'll also post this on our Instagram, but we wanted to tell you first!"
The above message makes good use of the way a WhatsApp conversation feels private. It gives off a sense of exclusivity, especially since there's no way to see that you sent it to 200 other customers. Even if they don't order right away, there's a good chance they'll ask questions about the new product. And that's a good start.
- "Hi there. Good news! [PRODUCT] will be back in stock tomorrow. If you're still interested, let me know, and I'll put one aside for you."
Ever get questions about a product that's out of stock? Of course, you do. Most companies reply with something like "it'll be back in stock soon". But that's a missed opportunity.
Instead, label that WhatsApp conversation so that you can easily find it back later. Then, once the product is back in stock, you can send a message to everybody that asked. In case you run a webshop, you can also send an order link. You can easily label conversations by using the WhatsApp Business API.
It's a small effort to keep track of these customers, and you'll be greatly rewarded for it. It makes your customer service team look caring and professional. On the other hand, it's an easy way to boost revenue.
- "Hiya! It's been a while since we last saw you. Since your last visit, we've added over 500 new products to our webshop. For a limited time, you can order up to 10 products with a discount of 30%. Just let me know if you're interested, and I'll create a personal discount code for you."
I get about 15 "we miss you" emails every day. The brands that send them always send a discount code, and I know thousands of other customers get them too.
However, the above message is different. It may look weird that it doesn't contain a discount code right away, but it also comes off less pushy. You tell them that you'll go out of your way to create a discount code especially for them. And that effort will be appreciated more than the discount code itself.
- "Hello! I hope you're well. I'm reaching out, because I saw that your subscription is almost ending. Let me know if you'd like to extend it, and I'll take care of it for you. Best, [AGENT NAME].
Many of your customers may be perfectly happy with their subscriptions, but have no idea that it's coming to an end. A WhatsApp message is the perfect way to subtly let them know about this.
By offering a helping hand instead of just sending a link, you also open up room for conversation. And that conversation may even lead to an upsell instead of just an extension.
Ready to get started?
Now that you have the right inspiration, it's time to put those WhatsApp advertising messages to the test. Feel free to use the above samples. Don't forget to make them your own and add a little bit of your brand's spice and flavor.
Want to learn more about using WhatsApp Business? Then you make like these other blogs:
