# Create a Campaign

Send a WhatsApp campaign to your contacts: create it, pick a template, choose recipients, and review before sending.

_Last updated: 2026-09-11_


## Overview

A campaign sends an approved WhatsApp message template to a list of recipients. This guide walks through creating a campaign from the Campaigns page: naming it, choosing a template, selecting recipients, and reviewing it before sending.

## Before you begin

- Your WhatsApp Business number must already be connected (shown as "WhatsApp Connected" in the top bar).
- You need at least one approved WhatsApp template — only approved templates appear in the template picker. Don't have one yet? See [Create a Message Template](/docs/features-create-template).
- If you plan to message specific numbers, have them ready in international format (for example +91XXXXXXXXXX).

## Quick navigation

[Open Campaigns](#open-campaigns) → [Create the campaign](#create-the-campaign) → [Select a template](#select-a-template) → [Select recipients](#select-recipients) → [Review](#review).

## Open Campaigns

### Step 1 — Open Campaigns

From the left navigation, click Campaigns.

## Create the campaign

### Step 2 — Start a new campaign

On the Campaigns page, click New Campaign.

### Step 3 — Enter campaign details

Give the campaign a name, choose a channel (WhatsApp or RCS), and pick which fields apply to your send. The campaign name is internal only — recipients never see it.

## Select a template

### Step 4 — Select a template

Click the template selector and choose an approved template. Only templates that have already been approved appear in this list.

## Select recipients

### Step 5 — Choose your audience

Under Target Audience, pick how you want to specify recipients: Copy/paste Numbers (paste one number per line), Custom Selection (pick from saved groups), or All Contacts. When pasting numbers, a country code is applied automatically to any number that does not already include one.

> **NOTE: Reviewing your list**
> Double-check your recipient list before submitting the campaign — once a campaign is sent, it cannot be recalled.

## Review

### Step 6 — Review the campaign

Scroll down to confirm the details: template, audience, an optional status tag, and an optional schedule time. Leaving Schedule Time blank sends the campaign immediately once submitted.

Submit the campaign: click Create Campaign. The button stays disabled until every required field — including any required template parameters — is filled in.

> **WARNING: Before you click Create Campaign**
> Clicking **Create Campaign** immediately creates the campaign and, unless you set a future Schedule Time, sends it to every recipient right away — there is no confirmation step after this. Review the summary above carefully before submitting.

## Expected result

Once submitted, the campaign appears in your Campaigns list with live delivery counters (Sent, Delivered, Read, Failed) that update as WhatsApp processes it.

## Campaign delivery lifecycle

Drag the boxes or click one to see what each delivery status means.

_[Interactive demo — view this article on the live page to use it]_

## Troubleshooting

**Create Campaign stays disabled**
A required field is still empty — this most often means a template parameter (a {{1}}-style placeholder in the message body) hasn’t been filled in. Scroll up to Template Parameters and fill in every required value.

**"0 valid numbers" under Paste phone numbers**
Only digits are counted — spaces, commas, and other text are stripped automatically. Enter one number per line, and use Apply Country Code if your numbers don’t already include one.

**No templates appear in the picker**
Only approved templates are shown. If your template is still pending approval, it won’t appear here yet.

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### Campaign Details fields

| Field | Required | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Campaign Name | Required | Internal name for this campaign — not shown to recipients. |
| Description | Optional | An internal note about the campaign. |
| Channel | Required | WhatsApp or RCS. |
| Template | Required | An approved message template. |
| Target Audience | Required | Copy/paste Numbers, Custom Selection, or All Contacts. |
| Assign Status | Optional | Tags the campaign with one of your account’s contact statuses. |
| Schedule Time | Optional | Leave blank to send immediately, or choose a future date and time. |

### See also

[Create a Message Template](/docs/features-create-template) — Create and get a WhatsApp message template approved before using it in a campaign.

## Related articles

- [Create a Message Template](/docs/features-create-template) — Create and submit a WhatsApp message template for Meta approval, then use it in a campaign.
- [Create a Contact](/docs/features-create-contact) — Add a single contact to your account manually.
- [Import Contacts](/docs/features-import-contacts) — Bulk-add or update contacts from a CSV or Excel file.
- [Manage Your Contacts](/docs/features-manage-contacts) — Search, filter, and take action on your existing contacts.