Marketing opt-in on WhatsApp: how to ask, and how to handle STOP

Meta’s rules are clear: businesses must get a person’s permission before messaging them on WhatsApp. Messaging people who didn’t agree is the most common reason numbers get blocked, reported and restricted.

What counts as opt-in

• The person agreed to receive messages from your business, by name.
• You told them clearly what they are agreeing to.
• You follow your local law on marketing consent.

You can collect opt-in on your website, at checkout, in person, on paper or in a WhatsApp chat. It is good practice to ask separately for different kinds of messages, such as order updates and promotions.

Ask inside WhatsApp

In WhatsRay, add an Opt-in step to a flow. It sends your question with two buttons, for example “Yes, send offers” and “No thanks”, and saves the answer on the contact. You can also mark contacts as opted in or out from a flow without asking, for example after they sign up on your website.

Make opting out easy

When a customer replies STOP, STOP ALL, UNSUBSCRIBE or OPT OUT, WhatsRay opts them out of campaigns straight away and tells them how to come back. Replying START or SUBSCRIBE opts them back in. Only a message that is just the keyword counts, so “please stop sending the wrong size” isn’t treated as an opt-out.

Campaigns respect it automatically

Opted-out contacts are always left out of campaigns, and you can choose to send only to contacts who opted in. The campaign review shows how many were left out and why.

Why it pays off

People who asked for your messages read them, reply and don’t block you. That keeps your quality rating high, which keeps your sending limits growing, and it is better for your brand.