WhatsApp Newsletter

A WhatsApp Newsletter is the regular delivery of marketing or informational messages via the WhatsApp Business API to an opt-in subscriber list – achieving up to 98% open rates and significantly higher engagement than email newsletters.

What is a WhatsApp Newsletter?

A WhatsApp Newsletter is the systematic delivery of messages to a subscriber list via the WhatsApp Business API. Unlike a traditional email newsletter, these are direct conversational messages – enriched with images, videos, and interactive call-to-action buttons for a richer experience.

WhatsApp messages achieve an average open rate of 98% and a click-through rate of 25–40% – compared to 20–25% open rates and 2–3% CTR for email. For businesses targeting markets where WhatsApp dominates communication (Europe, LATAM, MENA), this channel delivers exceptional reach.

How Does a WhatsApp Newsletter Work?

The technical foundation is the WhatsApp Business API combined with pre-approved message templates. The process:

Collect opt-ins – Subscribers must actively consent (double opt-in recommended)
Create a template – Submit a message template to Meta for approval
Plan the campaign – Set send time, segmentation, and personalization variables
Send – An API platform like SendSeven delivers messages to all recipients
Analyze – Review delivery rates, opens, clicks, and opt-outs

Advantages of WhatsApp Newsletters

98% open rate – Highest attention of all messaging channels
Rich media – Images, videos, PDFs, and documents in a single message
CTA buttons – Direct calls-to-action (URL button, call button)
Personalization – Variables for name, order number, individual offers
Instant delivery – Messages appear directly on the lock screen
Two-way communication – Recipients can reply and start a conversation

WhatsApp Newsletters are subject to GDPR regulations. Key requirements:

Explicit opt-in – No pre-checked boxes, no implied consent
Double opt-in recommended – Confirmation of consent via a follow-up message or email
Privacy notice – Inform users how their number will be stored and processed
Opt-out mechanism – Every message must include an unsubscribe option
EU hosting – Contact data should be stored on EU servers

When using SendSeven, all contact data is stored GDPR-compliantly on EU servers, including an audit log for consent records.

Costs

The cost of a WhatsApp Newsletter consists of Meta conversation fees and platform fees. A marketing conversation currently costs approximately €0,023 per conversation in the US (24h window). Platform fees such as SendSeven apply on top.

Compared to SMS (€0,02–€0,05 per message, text only), WhatsApp is often more cost-effective – especially for rich-media content that SMS cannot support at all.