Guide · For businesses
WhatsApp Business status: how to post it, who sees it, and how to use it to sell
A practical guide to WhatsApp Business status: posting from Android and iPhone, the 24-hour rule, status privacy, sharing catalogue links, a weekly posting plan for shops, and where status stops being enough.
By Broadchat teamPublished 7 min read
In short
A WhatsApp Business status is a photo, video, GIF or text update that your contacts can see for 24 hours. Post it from the Updates tab, add a catalogue link from Tools, then Catalog, then Share, then Add to status, and choose who sees it under Status privacy. It is free and good for daily offers, but it only reaches people who choose to look, so pair it with broadcasts or API campaigns for messages that must reach every customer.
Key takeaways
- Status updates (text, photo, video or GIF) disappear after 24 hours, and WhatsApp says the maximum duration for a status is 90 seconds.
- By default your status is shared with all your contacts; Status privacy lets you choose My contacts, My contacts except… or Only share with….
- From Tools, then Catalog, then Share, then Add to status, you can post a link to your whole catalogue or one product.
- Customers have to open your status to see it, so it works best for daily, low-pressure updates rather than important notices.
- Status is an app feature: the WhatsApp Business API cannot post statuses, so businesses usually keep the app for status and use the API for messages.
Post and plan WhatsApp Business status updates
Time needed: 15 min. You will need: WhatsApp Business app on Android or iPhone.
Post a status update
Open the Updates tab and tap the camera or pencil icon next to My status. Take or choose a photo or video, or type a text status, add a caption with price and how to order, and tap Send.
Share a catalogue item to status
Tap Tools, then Catalog to open Catalog Manager. Tap Share, then Add to status, and send. You can share your whole catalogue or a single product, so viewers can open it with one tap.
Set who sees your status
In Updates, open the menu and tap Status privacy. Choose My contacts, My contacts except… or Only share with…, and decide whether to allow resharing or to cross-post to Facebook and Instagram stories.
Plan a week of updates
Write a simple seven-day plan: new arrivals, a customer review shared with permission, behind the scenes, an offer, a how-to tip. Two to four updates a day is plenty for a small shop.
Check views and follow up
Tap My status to see who viewed each update. People who view your offer several times are warm leads; reply to their questions in chat rather than sending them unsolicited follow-ups.
The short answer
A WhatsApp Business status is a short update (text, photo, video or GIF) that your contacts can open from the Updates tab for 24 hours, after which it disappears. To post one, open Updates, tap the camera or pencil icon next to My status, add your photo or text with a short caption, and send. It costs nothing and does not open a chat, so customers who are not ready to talk can still see what is new.
This guide covers posting on Android and iPhone, sharing catalogue products to status, who can see it, a weekly plan that works for small shops, and the limits that make status a complement to messaging rather than a replacement.
How to post a status
- Open the WhatsApp Business app and tap the Updates tab.
- Tap the camera icon to take or choose a photo or video, or the pencil icon for a text status.
- Add a caption: what it is, the price and how to order (for example "Reply here or tap the catalogue link").
- Tap Send.
WhatsApp's Help Center says statuses disappear after 24 hours and that the maximum duration for a status is 90 seconds, so keep videos short. Your status archive can keep your own past statuses so you can reuse a good one later.
Share a catalogue item to your status
If you have a WhatsApp Business catalogue, a status can link straight to it. WhatsApp's steps:
- Tap Tools, then Catalog to open Catalog Manager.
- Tap Share.
- Tap Add to status, then send.
You can share the whole catalogue or one product or service. Viewers tap the link to see the item with its price and description, then message you about it. If you have not built a catalogue yet, start with our WhatsApp Business catalogue guide. The same Share screen gives you a link for Instagram bios and printed QR codes; our WhatsApp QR code generator turns any chat link into a printable code.
Who can see your status
By default your status is shared with all your contacts. To change that, in Updates open the menu and tap Status privacy, then choose:
| Option | Who sees it | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| My contacts | Everyone saved in your phone's contacts | Most shops |
| My contacts except… | All contacts minus people you pick | Hiding offers from suppliers or staff |
| Only share with… | Only the contacts you pick | A VIP or wholesale list |
On the same screen you can turn on Allow sharing, which lets viewers reshare your status, and choose to share automatically to your Facebook and Instagram stories. If you mention a person or group in a status, they can see it even if they are not in your status audience.
Because status goes to the people saved in your contacts, save regular customers' numbers in your phone (they are giving them to you to be contacted) and ask them to save yours. A WhatsApp link on your bill, website and Instagram makes saving and messaging easier.
A weekly status plan for a small business
Status works when it is regular and useful. A simple plan for a bakery, boutique or electronics shop:
| Day | Status idea | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | New arrivals | Three photos of new stock with prices |
| Tuesday | How-to or tip | 30-second video: how to store the cake |
| Wednesday | Customer review | A screenshot shared with the customer's permission, personal details hidden |
| Thursday | Behind the scenes | Packing orders, the kitchen at 6 am |
| Friday | Weekend offer | "Fri-Sun only: 10% off orders above ₹2,349" |
| Saturday | Catalogue link | Best-seller shared from Catalog Manager |
| Sunday | Festival or local greeting | Short and personal, no hard sell |
Two to four updates a day is enough. Twenty updates in a row mostly get skipped.
Measure what works
Tap My status to see the list of viewers for each update. You can't see views from people who turned off read receipts, and if you turn read receipts off yourself you won't see your viewers either. Use the numbers simply: which day and which type of post gets more views, and which ones bring messages. When someone views your offer three times, they are interested, but wait for them to ask; unsolicited messages are the kind of contact WhatsApp asks businesses to avoid.
What status cannot do
- It is pull, not push. Customers have to tap your status. A delivery update or a payment reminder must be a message.
- It lasts 24 hours. Anything people need later belongs in your catalogue or a message.
- It is an app-only feature. The WhatsApp Business API does not post statuses. If you connect your number to the API through coexistence, keep using the app on your phone for status while campaigns and team chats run through the API.
For offers that must reach every opted-in customer, use a broadcast list for small audiences or API broadcasts with approved templates for larger ones. Ads in Status are a separate product: WhatsApp says ads appear only in Status and Channels, never in personal chats, and are rolling out gradually.
Agencies managing WhatsApp for several local shops can bundle a status calendar with API campaigns as a service under their own brand with a white-label WhatsApp platform.
Sources
- About status — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
- How to manage status privacy — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
- About sharing your catalog to your WhatsApp business status — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
- About status archive — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
- Ads in WhatsApp Status and Channels — WhatsApp Help Center, checked 4 November 2026
- Onboarding WhatsApp Business app users (coexistence) — Meta for Developers, checked 4 November 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
How long does a WhatsApp Business status stay up?
24 hours. WhatsApp's Help Center says status updates disappear after 24 hours. You can keep your own past statuses in the status archive and post a good one again later.
Who can see my WhatsApp Business status?
By default, all your contacts. Change it under Updates, then Status privacy: My contacts, My contacts except…, or Only share with…. People or groups you mention in a status can also see it.
How do I add a product to my WhatsApp Business status?
Tap Tools, then Catalog, then Share, then Add to status, and send. You can share the whole catalogue or one product, and viewers can tap through to see it.
Can I post WhatsApp status from the WhatsApp Business API?
No. Status is a feature of the WhatsApp and WhatsApp Business apps. If your number uses coexistence, you can keep posting status from the app while API campaigns and team chats run through your platform.
How many status updates should a business post per day?
There is no rule from WhatsApp, but two to four useful updates a day is a sensible ceiling for most small shops. Posting many updates in a row makes people skip through them.