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Creating Your First Broadcast

Table Of Contents

This guide explains how to create and send your first WhatsApp broadcast campaign in Bridgo. #

A broadcast allows you to send an approved WhatsApp template message to a selected group of contacts. You can send the campaign immediately, schedule it for later, test it before sending, save it as a draft, and review results from the broadcast log.

⏱️ Average setup time: 5-10 minutes
👤 Who is this guide for: Admins, marketing users, support managers, or team members with Broadcast permission

Prerequisites

Before creating a broadcast, make sure you have:

  1. An active Bridgo account connected to WhatsApp Business Cloud API.
  2. At least one approved WhatsApp template.
  3. Contacts already added to Bridgo.
  4. Contact groups or contact labels, if you want to target a specific audience.
  5. Uploaded media, if your template uses an image, video, or document header.
  6. Enough monthly template message allowance in your subscription.
  7. A WhatsApp messaging limit high enough for the audience size.

⚠️ Important: WhatsApp broadcasts can only use approved WhatsApp templates. Free-form messages cannot be used for broadcasts.

Step 1: Open New Broadcast #

From the Bridgo sidebar:

Go to Broadcast → New Broadcast

The New Broadcast page contains four main areas:

  • Broadcast Details
  • Target Audience
  • Advanced Filters
  • Template Preview

You will also see action buttons at the bottom:

  • Cancel
  • Save as Draft
  • Send the test to me
  • Submit Broadcast

Step 2: Enter Broadcast Details #

In the Broadcast Details section, enter a Campaign Name.

Use a clear name that helps you identify the campaign later, for example:

  • June Offer – VIP Customers
  • Appointment Reminder – May 2026
  • New Product Launch – Arabic Audience

The campaign name can be up to 50 characters.

Next, choose the Broadcast Type:

  • Immediate: Sends the broadcast as soon as you submit it.
  • Schedule: Sends the broadcast at a future date and time.

If you choose Schedule, enter the Schedule Date and Time. The page shows your account’s timezone beside the field, and the schedule must be in the future.

Recommended format:

YYYY-MM-DD HH:MM

Example:

2026-06-01 14:30

Step 3: Choose the Template Category #

Select the template category:

  • Marketing: Promotional messages, offers, announcements, campaigns, product launches.
  • Utility: Service updates, reminders, confirmations, and order updates.
  • Authentication: OTP or verification-related templates.

After selecting a category, Bridgo loads the available approved templates for that category.

If no templates appear, confirm that the template is approved in Meta and synced into Bridgo.

Step 4: Select the Template Header and Template Name #

Choose the Template Header.

Available header types may include:

  • TEXT
  • IMAGE
  • VIDEO
  • DOCUMENT
  • LOCATION

Then choose the Template Name.

Once you select the template, Bridgo automatically fills the Template Language and updates the Template Preview on the right side.

The preview shows:

  • Header
  • Body text
  • Footer
  • Buttons
  • Template variables

Use this preview carefully before sending, because it shows how the message will appear to customers.

Step 5: Add Media or Location Details if Required #

If the selected template header is TEXT, no media is required.

If the template header is IMAGE, VIDEO, or DOCUMENT, you must provide one of the following:

  • Media ID: Select an uploaded media file from Bridgo.
  • Link URL: Enter a direct public URL to the media file.

⚠️ Important: Use either Media ID or Link URL, not both. If both are entered, the broadcast cannot be submitted.

If you need to upload media, click the plus button beside Media ID and upload the file.

If the template header is LOCATION, complete all location fields:

  • Address
  • Location Name
  • Latitude
  • Longitude

All location fields are required for location templates.

Step 6: Fill Template Variables #

If your template contains variables such as {{1}}, {{2}}, or button placeholders, Bridgo displays fields under Assign values to template variables.

For body variables, you can:

Enter a fixed value manually or select a contact field from the dropdown.

Examples:

  • Customer’s full name
  • Mobile number
  • Contact label
  • Address
  • Language
  • Gender

When you change a variable value, the Template Preview updates immediately.

If the template has a dynamic URL button, enter the dynamic part of the URL.

If the template has a copy-code button, enter the coupon or code value. Copy-code values should use letters and numbers only and can be up to 15 characters.

If the template has a WhatsApp Flow button, Bridgo prepares the flow button data automatically from the template.

Step 7: Review Marketing Message Options #

If you selected a Marketing template, you may see MM Lite API Options.

If your WhatsApp marketing status is ONBOARDED, you can configure:

Product fallback policy:

Fallback to Cloud API: If MM Lite cannot send the message, Bridgo can fall back to the regular Cloud API.
Strict: The message should not fall back to Cloud API.

Privacy and data sharing:

Message activity sharing can be enabled or disabled for the marketing message. This allows message activity, such as read events, to be shared with Meta for marketing optimization.

If your account is not onboarded for MM Lite, Bridgo shows your eligibility and onboarding status.

Step 8: Select the Target Audience #

In the Target Audience section, Bridgo shows:

  • Total Customer
  • Targeted Audience
  • Selected and Skipped progress bar
  • Your current WhatsApp messaging limit per 24 hours

You can filter the audience by:

By Group: Select one or more contact groups.
By Contact Label: Select one or more contact labels.
Gender: Select a gender or keep All.
Language: Select a customer language or keep All.

The targeted count updates automatically whenever you change these filters.

Example targeting:

  • Group: VIP Customers
  • Contact Label: Active Student
  • Gender: All
  • Language: English

Bridgo will calculate how many contacts match the selected audience.

⚠️ Important: Your WhatsApp messaging limit is shown on this page. If your Meta limit is 1,000 messages per 24 hours, you should not try to send more than that limit.

Step 9: Use Advanced Filters #

Advanced Filters help you control who receives the broadcast.

Limit Send Messages To: This limits the maximum number of contacts that will receive the message from the selected audience.

Example:

If your selected audience is 2,000 contacts, but you enter 500, Bridgo sends only to the top 500 contacts from that targeted audience.

Conversation Messages Count: Use this to avoid over-messaging contacts.

-1 means send to any customer.
0 means send only to customers who received 0 templates or fewer based on the filter logic.
A higher number means send only to customers who have received that number of template messages or fewer.

Last Communicated Date: Use this to target contacts who communicated before a specific date.

Example:

2026-05-01

This helps you reach older contacts who have not interacted recently.

Step 10: Review the Template Preview #

Before sending, check the Template Preview carefully.

Confirm:

  • The selected template is correct.
  • The language is correct.
  • Body variables display the right values.
  • Media preview loads correctly.
  • Buttons look correct.
  • Coupon codes or URL variables are correct.
  • The message is suitable for the selected audience.

Important for unsubscribe setup:

If you add a button to let customers unsubscribe from promotions, the button text must be exactly:

Stop Promotions

You should also enable the automatic unsubscribe reply in WhatsApp Settings → Auto-Reply & Notifications.

Step 11: Send a Test to Yourself #

Click Send Test to me before submitting the full broadcast.

Bridgo sends the selected template to the mobile number on your user profile.

The test message uses your account/user details as the sample contact, including:

  • Your mobile number
  • Your full name
  • Your gender
  • Your language
  • Sample address
  • Sample contact label

Use the test to confirm:

  • The message arrives on WhatsApp.
  • The template renders correctly.
  • Variables are replaced correctly.
  • Media opens correctly.
  • Buttons work correctly.
  • Flow buttons open correctly if used.

If the test fails, check:

  • The selected media or URL.
  • Template approval status.
  • Template variables.
  • WhatsApp connection status.
  • Your monthly template message usage limit.
  • Your WhatsApp Cloud API token and phone connection.

Step 12: Save as Draft if Needed #

Click Save as Draft if the broadcast is not ready to send.

Drafts are saved to the Broadcast Log and can be reviewed or edited later.

Use drafts when:

  • The message needs approval.
  • The audience is not final.
  • The media is not ready.
  • You are preparing a scheduled campaign in advance.

Step 13: Submit the Broadcast #

When everything is ready, click Submit Broadcast.

If the Broadcast Type is Immediate, Bridgo creates the broadcast record and starts sending it in the background.

If the Broadcast Type is Schedule, Bridgo creates the broadcast record and schedules it for the selected future time.

For scheduled broadcasts, Bridgo uses your account’s timezone and converts the schedule internally for background processing.

If the scheduled time is more than one hour away, Bridgo also schedules an admin reminder notification email one hour before the broadcast.

After submitting, Bridgo redirects you to the Broadcast Log and shows the Broadcast ID.

Step 14: Monitor the Broadcast #

Go to:

Broadcast → Broadcast log

From the Broadcast Log, you can review campaign history and status.

You can use the log to check:

  • Broadcast ID
  • Campaign name
  • Broadcast type
  • Scheduled date and time
  • Template type
  • Template category
  • Broadcast status
  • Audience details
  • Message progress

You can also use Conversation Log to review sent template conversations and delivery-related records.

Common Validation Messages

  • Either MediaId or LinkUrl must be provided for the selected Template Header. This means your template uses an image, video, or document header, but no media was selected or linked.
  • Provide either MediaId or MediaURL, not both
    You selected uploaded media and entered a link URL. Remove one.
  • Scheduled time must be in the future. The selected schedule date/time has already passed.
  • Address, LocationName, Latitude, and Longitude must be provided. The selected template uses a location header, and one or more location fields are empty.
  • There are no Customers added. No contacts matched the selected filters, or there are no contacts in the account.
  • Usage limit reached for Max Monthly Template Send
    Your subscription’s monthly template sending limit has been reached.

Best Practices

  • Always send a test before submitting a broadcast.
  • Use contact groups and labels to keep the audience accurate.
  • Avoid sending marketing broadcasts to contacts who did not opt in.
  • Keep the campaign name clear and searchable.
  • Use a schedule for campaigns that need to go out at a specific local time.
  • Check the Template Preview after changing variables or media.
  • Keep your audience size within your Meta messaging limit.
  • Use Stop Promotions for marketing unsubscribe buttons.

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Updated on May 31, 2026