Glossary
What is a WhatsApp marketing message?
Promotional WhatsApp templates explained: what Meta treats as marketing, why some sends fail with error 131049, and how to plan offers that reach engaged customers.
By Broadchat teamPublished 3 min read
Definition
Marketing message: A marketing message is a WhatsApp template in Meta's marketing category: any business-initiated message that promotes a product, announces an offer or event, invites a purchase or tries to re-engage a customer. It needs the customer's opt-in, is charged per delivered message at the marketing rate for the recipient's country, and is subject to per-user limits that cap how many marketing templates one person receives.
Also called: Marketing template, Promotional message
What counts as a WhatsApp marketing message
Meta treats a template as marketing when its main job is to sell, promote or bring someone back. Typical examples are festive sales, new-collection launches, abandoned-cart nudges, event invitations, newsletters and "we miss you" messages. If a message mixes an order update with a coupon, Meta treats the whole thing as marketing. The full logic is on the template category page.
Worked example
Rangoli Home wants to tell past buyers about its Diwali range. Meera, who runs the shop, writes this template:
She sends it only to contacts who opted in to offers, adds a "Stop offers" quick-reply button, and keeps the frequency to one or two promotions a month. Customers who replied to her in the last day can still receive it, but it is billed as marketing either way.
Rules that apply only to marketing
- Per-user limits: WhatsApp limits how many marketing templates a person receives, based on their engagement. A blocked send fails with error 131049; wait 24 hours before retrying that person. Marketing templates sent inside an open customer service window do not count toward this limit. See per-user marketing limit.
- United States: WhatsApp currently does not deliver marketing templates to +1 US numbers.
- Opt-out of marketing on Cloud API: since 6 Apr 2026 a business can choose to block marketing templates on Cloud API; sends then fail with error 131063.
- Pricing: marketing is one of the charged template categories. Meta publishes the rate per country; see WhatsApp API pricing rather than relying on an old figure.
Meta also offers the Marketing Messages API, which optimises delivery of marketing templates towards people likely to engage. Billing is the same model as Cloud API.
Marketing messages in Broadchat
Create the template as Marketing under CRM → WhatsApp Templates, then send it through CRM → Bulk Campaign to a tag or a segment of subscribed contacts. Campaign reports show delivered, read and replied counts, and you can retarget by recipient status, for example resending to people whose message failed. Contacts marked unsubscribed are left out of campaign audiences. For opt-in wording, read our opt-in guide; for the bigger picture of campaigns, see WhatsApp broadcast.
Related terms
Sources
- Per-user marketing template limits — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- Pricing on the WhatsApp Business Platform — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Business Platform changelog — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
Broadchat team · Product and partner success team
The people who build and support Broadchat, the white-label WhatsApp Business API platform. We write from what we see while onboarding partners and their clients on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, and we check every article against Meta's current documentation.
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Frequently asked questions
Why did my marketing message fail with error 131049?
WhatsApp's per-user marketing limit stopped it, because that person has already received enough marketing templates for now given how they engage. Wait at least 24 hours before trying them again, and focus offers on people who read and reply.
Can I send a marketing message without a template?
Only as a normal reply while the customer's 24-hour customer service window is open. To start a conversation or to write after the window closes, a marketing message must be an approved marketing template.
Do marketing messages need separate consent?
Meta's policy requires opt-in to receive messages from your named business. Many businesses also ask separately for offers, so that customers who only want order updates are not sent promotions. That keeps blocks and reports down.