Guide · For businesses
WhatsApp drip campaigns: how to build follow-up sequences that stop when the customer replies
Three practical ways to run timed WhatsApp follow-ups (chatbot waits, workflow delays, retarget campaigns), with a real estate example, stop-on-reply and opt-out logic, and what each message costs.
By Broadchat teamPublished 9 min read
In short
A WhatsApp drip campaign is a short series of approved templates sent at set intervals, which stops as soon as the person replies or opts out. Broadchat has no separate sequence product; you build drips from parts that exist: a chatbot that sends a template and waits with Smart Wait (it stops on a reply by design), a workflow with Delay steps and a status field check, or a campaign followed by a retarget to people who did not reply. Keep it to three or four messages and only to opted-in contacts.
Key takeaways
- Every message in a drip after the first 24 hours must be an approved template, and most follow-ups are marketing templates.
- A chatbot drip (Send Message → Template, then Smart Wait) stops on any reply by itself, which makes it the simplest choice for chat leads.
- A workflow drip handles leads from forms and other systems; check a drip_status field before each send so replies and STOPs end it.
- Relative Delay steps wait up to 30 days each, waiting runs survive restarts, and turning the workflow off cancels them.
- Three or four well-spaced messages beat daily reminders: per-user marketing limits and blocks punish over-messaging.
Build a WhatsApp drip sequence that stops on reply
Time needed: 2 h. You will need: Broadchat panel with Chatbots, Automations and Campaigns, A connected WhatsApp number.
Plan the sequence on one page
Write each message, its day, its template category and what a reply should trigger. Keep it to three or four messages over about two weeks, each with one clear next step.
Get the templates approved
Create the templates in CRM → WhatsApp Templates with quick reply buttons such as Book a site visit and Stop updates, and wait for approval.
Choose the engine
Use a chatbot drip for people who are chatting with your bot, a workflow drip for leads that arrive from forms or other systems, and a retarget campaign for one-off nudges.
Build the chatbot drip
After the bot's last question, add Send Message of type Template, then Smart Wait with a waiting time such as 48 hours; connect No Input to the next template and the reply output to a hand-off.
Or build the workflow drip
Start a workflow from a Custom Webhook, set drip_status to active, send template 1, add Delay, read drip_status with Get Single Custom Field and filter on active before each next send.
Stop the sequence on replies and STOP
Create a chatbot on the template buttons' texts that sets drip_status to stopped with Save Variable Value, tags the contact and assigns a person; for Stop updates also untick Subscribed to broadcasts.
Measure and prune
Check replies per message, blocks and opt-outs after two weeks. Drop or rewrite the message with the worst response rather than adding more.
What a WhatsApp drip campaign is, and is not
A WhatsApp drip campaign sends a short series of messages to one person at set intervals after something happens: an enquiry, a sign-up, a demo request. On email, drips run for months. On WhatsApp they must be shorter and politer, because every business-initiated message after the 24-hour customer service window must be an approved template, each is charged, and people block numbers that pester them.
Broadchat does not have a separate "sequence" product. You build drips from three parts that do exist (chatbots, workflows and campaigns), and each has a different strength. This guide shows all three with one example.
Step 1: plan the sequence on one page
Skyline Homes, a Pune developer, gets website enquiries for its Skyline Greens 2 and 3 BHK project. Sales calls each lead once; most do not pick up. The drip below replaces random reminder calls:
| When | Message | Category | Buttons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Day 0, at once | We received your enquiry for Skyline Greens. Our advisor will call you today. | Utility | none |
| Day 2 | Site visits this weekend, with a free cab pick-up within Pune city. Would you like a slot? | Marketing | Book a site visit / Not now |
| Day 5 | Floor plans and the price sheet for 2 and 3 BHK (document header) | Marketing | Talk to an advisor / Stop updates |
| Day 12 | Should we keep sending you updates on Skyline Greens? | Marketing | Yes, keep me posted / Stop updates |
Each message has one purpose and one obvious action. The last one asks permission, which keeps your list clean and your quality rating healthy.
Step 2: get the templates approved
Create the four templates in CRM → WhatsApp Templates. Quick reply buttons are what make the drip interactive: when the person taps one, the button text arrives as their message and opens a 24-hour window, so a bot or an advisor can continue the conversation freely. Meta decides the category; invitations, offers and "keep in touch" messages are marketing, while the day-0 acknowledgement of their own request is utility. See WhatsApp template categories and the lead follow-up templates for wording that passes review.
Step 3: choose the engine
| Engine | Best for | Stops on reply | Limits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chatbot with Smart Wait | Leads who are already chatting with your bot (ads, QR codes) | Yes, by design | Waits are set in minutes or hours |
| Workflow with Delay | Leads from forms, CRMs and other systems via webhook | Yes, with a status check before each send | Relative delays up to 30 days per step |
| Campaign + Retarget | A one-off nudge to a whole batch | Not automatic; you pick Not Replied | Manual, one batch at a time |
Step 4: build the chatbot drip
If the lead came in through a chat, the bot that qualified them can run the drip. After the bot's last question (see the lead generation chatbot guide):
- Send Message of type Template: day-0 acknowledgement.
- Smart Wait with Response Waiting Time 48 Hours and Exit Keyword
stop. - No Input output (no reply in 48 hours) → Send Message → Template: the day-2 site-visit template → another Smart Wait of 72 hours → No Input → day-5 template → Smart Wait of 168 hours → No Input → day-12 template.
- The default output of each Smart Wait (the person replied) → Assign to Agent (Sales) and Stay in Session, so an advisor takes over and the drip ends.
- The On Exit output (they typed stop) → a CRM tag
opted-outand a polite confirmation.
Because a reply always leaves the wait through its default output, the bot cannot keep sending templates to someone who answered. Smart Wait takes its time in minutes or hours, so enter days as hours (2 days = 48 hours).
Step 5: or build the workflow drip
For leads that arrive from your website form, a property portal export or another CRM, start the drip from a workflow. First create a Super Field drip_status (Text or Dropdown) in CRM → Super Field. Then in Automations → Workflow:
- Custom Webhook trigger; your form posts
name,phoneandprojectto it (see the WhatsApp automation workflows guide). - CRM → Create / Update Contact, then CRM → Update a Custom Field:
drip_status=active. - Send Template Message (V2): day-0 utility template.
- Delay → Time Delay (Relative): 2 Day.
- CRM → Get Single Custom Field of a Contact:
drip_status. - On the next connection, Set up filter: the value from step 5 is
active. If the lead replied or opted out meanwhile, the run stops here. - Send Template Message (V2): day-2 marketing template. Repeat steps 4-7 for day 5 and day 12.
Waiting runs show as Waiting in the workflow's History and survive server restarts. Two cautions: a relative delay waits at most 30 days per Delay step (use Time Delay (Fixed Date-Time) with Delay Till for exact dates, for example addHours({{1.visit_time}};-24) for a reminder a day before a booked visit), and switching the workflow off makes all waiting runs fail when they wake up, so do not pause a live drip to edit it casually.
If the lead starts in a chatbot but you prefer the workflow engine, the bot can start the workflow with an Add Automation App → External API Call step that POSTs the contact's {{phone}} and {{name}} to the workflow's Webhook URL. External API Call uses a paid automation task each time.
Step 6: stop the sequence on replies and STOP
A drip that ignores replies is spam. For the workflow drip, the stop switch is drip_status:
- Create a chatbot with a Match Keyword trigger whose OR conditions are the button texts: is
Book a site visit, isTalk to an advisor, isYes, keep me posted. Steps: Save Variable Value setting the CRM Super Fielddrip_statustostopped, then Assign to Agent (Sales). - A second bot on is
Stop updatesOR isstop: setdrip_statustostopped, add the tagopted-out, confirm ("Done, we will not send further updates. Message us any time."), and have the team untick Subscribed to broadcasts on the contact so campaigns skip them too. - "Not now" is not a stop; leave the drip running, or move them to a slower follow-up.
WhatsApp's policy requires you to honour opt-out requests, and Meta limits how many marketing templates each person receives based on their engagement; sends held back fail with error 131049, and you should not retry them for 24 hours. See WhatsApp error 131049.
Campaign-based follow-ups
For a one-off batch, a campaign is simpler than automation. Send the first template from CRM → Bulk Campaign to a segment. Two or three days later, open the campaign report, click Retarget, and choose Not Replied to create a follow-up campaign only for people who read the message but did not reply. Repeat campaigns (daily, weekly, monthly) suit recurring notices such as a monthly newsletter, not personal drips: each repeat goes to the same recipients.
Step 7: measure, prune and budget
After two weeks, compare replies per message, button taps, opt-outs and blocks. If day 12 gets more "Stop updates" than "Yes", the sequence is too long or too pushy; cut a message rather than rewording all of them.
For template basics read the WhatsApp message templates guide; for the platform, what the WhatsApp Business API is. Agencies can run nurture sequences for clients under their own brand with the white-label platform.
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
- Template categorization — Meta for Developers, checked 12 October 2026
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy — WhatsApp, 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
Does WhatsApp allow drip campaigns?
Yes, if every message after the 24-hour window is an approved template, the person opted in to hear from you, and you stop when they ask. Keep sequences short; Meta limits how many marketing templates each person receives and low engagement hurts your quality rating.
How do I stop a WhatsApp sequence when someone replies?
In a chatbot drip, a reply leaves the Smart Wait step through its normal output, so the next template is never sent. In a workflow drip, a bot sets a drip_status field to stopped when the person replies, and the workflow checks that field before every send.
How long can a WhatsApp workflow wait between messages?
A relative Delay step can wait up to 30 days; chain steps for longer, or use a fixed date-time delay. Chatbot Smart Wait steps take minutes or hours, so a two-day wait is entered as 48 hours.
How many messages should a WhatsApp drip have?
Usually three or four over one to two weeks, each with a clear button to act or stop. More messages raise costs and blocks faster than they raise replies.