WhatsApp Business Broadcast List: How to Create and Limits

A broadcast list is the simplest way to send the same message to multiple people on WhatsApp Business without creating a group. It works well for up to 256 contacts per list, but has important rules. This guide shows how to create one, the 2026 limits, and when it makes more sense to switch to API broadcasts instead.

What a broadcast list is

Unlike a group, in a broadcast list each recipient gets the message individually. Nobody sees who else received it. Replies come to you only, as private chat.

text
Company
   │
   ├──> Customer A (receives as private chat)
   ├──> Customer B (receives as private chat)
   ├──> Customer C (receives as private chat)

For the customer, it looks like a personal message.

How to create a broadcast list in WhatsApp Business

On Android

Open WhatsApp Business

On the chat screen, tap the three dots (top right)

Select New broadcast

Add contacts (up to 256 per list)

Tap the green button to create

Done. Send the message normally.

On iOS

Open WhatsApp Business

Tap Broadcast Lists at the top of the chat screen

Select New List

Add contacts

Tap Create

Critical rule: the customer must have your number saved

Only contacts who have your number saved in their address book receive broadcast messages. This is Meta's rule, designed to prevent spam.

If you send a promotion to 200 people but only 50 have your number saved, the other 150 receive nothing — silent failure.

How to get customers to save your number

Send a click-to-WhatsApp link with your number (wa.me/15551234567)

On first contact, ask: "Please save this number as [Company] to receive updates"

Use QR Code in physical store or at site checkout

Add the link to email footers and social media

App broadcast list limits

Feature	Limit

Contacts per list	256
Lists you can create	Unlimited
Messages per day	"Reasonable" (Meta doesn't publish a number, but ~1,000 messages/day is safe)
Frequency	No hard rule, but avoid more than 2-3 broadcasts per week

Spam penalties: Meta can limit or ban the number if it gets too many reports. Keep quality high.

Broadcast list best practices

Clear opt-in: confirm the customer wants your messages. "Do you want to receive updates here on WhatsApp?" is minimum.

Low frequency: 1-2 messages/week max.

Relevant content: generic promo gets blocked. Personalize by interest.

Clear CTA: every broadcast should have an action (link, number, discount code).

Business hours: never send at 10pm or middle of the night.

Limited personalization: the app doesn't personalize with name, but you can have 3-4 segmented lists instead of one.

Clean inactives: contacts not responding in 30 days may have deleted your number. Removing them improves deliverability.

When broadcast lists aren't enough

Move to API broadcasts with WhatsApp Business API when:

• Need to send to more than 256 contacts in one campaign
• Want to personalize with name, order number, value
• Need reports (who received, who read, who replied)
• Want to schedule automatic sends
• Need registered opt-in with date and channel (GDPR/CCPA compliance)
• Want CRM integration

API broadcasts: example

With Zavu you can send to thousands or millions in one API call:

typescript
import Zavu from "@zavudev/sdk"
const zavu = new Zavu({ apiKey: process.env.ZAVU_API_KEY })

// 1. Create broadcast
const broadcast = await zavu.broadcasts.create({
  name: "Black Friday 2026",
  channel: "whatsapp",
  messageType: "template",
  content: {
    templateId: "tpl_black_friday_promo",
    templateVariables: {
      "1": "{{contact.first_name}}",
      "2": "30%"
    }
  }
})

// 2. Add contacts (up to 1,000 per request, no total limit)
await zavu.broadcasts.addContacts(broadcast.id, {
  contacts: [
    { phone: "+14155551234", variables: { first_name: "John" } },
    { phone: "+14155552345", variables: { first_name: "Mary" } },
    // ... thousands of contacts
  ]
})

// 3. Send
await zavu.broadcasts.send(broadcast.id)

// 4. Track progress
const progress = await zavu.broadcasts.getProgress(broadcast.id)
console.log(Sent: ${progress.sent}/${progress.total})
console.log(Delivered: ${progress.delivered})
console.log(Read: ${progress.read})

API broadcast advantages:

• No recipient limit (you pay per delivered message)
• Real personalization with per-contact variables
• Doesn't require contact to have your number saved
• Real-time metrics
• Meta-approved templates (required for promo messages)
• Opt-in compliance with registered consent

Pricing: broadcast list vs API broadcast

Scenario	Cost

App list (up to 256, saved-number contacts)	Free
API broadcast (Utility template, US)	~$0.015 per message
API broadcast (Marketing template, US)	~$0.025 per message

For 1,000 marketing messages: ~$25. Pays off when ROI exceeds investment.

Common mistakes

1. Sending heavy promo on first contact. Customer who never got anything from you marks as spam. Start with useful messages (order status, reminders) before promotion.2. Using the same list for everything. Create segmentations: VIP, just-purchased, abandoned-cart, inactive.3. Not measuring. If you don't know read and reply rates, you're shooting in the dark. App doesn't give those — only the API.4. Text too long. Long messages have much lower read rates. Ideal: up to 4 lines + 1 link.5. Message without identification. Always put company name first ("Hi from [Company]! ..."). Customers who forgot to save your number don't know who it is.

Related resources

• What is WhatsApp Business
• WhatsApp Business auto-reply
• Zavu Docs — Broadcasts
• WhatsApp Business API: official guide

Conclusion

The broadcast list is great to start, but becomes a bottleneck fast. The 256 contacts max and saved-number-in-address-book requirement limit real reach. When you need to send to more people, personalize with name and have delivery/read metrics, the API with broadcasts is the path. Providers like Zavu let you broadcast to thousands of contacts with one call, transparent per-message cost and full reports.