Per-User Marketing Template Message Limits in WhatsApp Business API
WhatsApp Business API has become one of the most effective ways for brands to connect with customers, send promotions, and drive engagement. However, to maintain quality communication and prevent spamming, WhatsApp enforces certain rules and restrictions. One of these is the Per-User Marketing Template Message Limit.
Understanding these limits is crucial for businesses that rely on WhatsApp for marketing. Sending too many messages without customer interaction may lead to restrictions, reduced quality rating, or even temporary suspension.
This guide explains what per-user marketing template message limits mean, why they exist, and how businesses can use them effectively.
What are Per-User Marketing Template Message Limits?
The per-user marketing template message limit refers to the maximum number of marketing-related template messages a business can send to a single user within a specific time frame.
For example:
- If a retail store wants to send promotional offers, festive discounts, or seasonal updates via WhatsApp, they must follow these limits to avoid being flagged for spam.
Why Does WhatsApp Have These Limits?
WhatsApp introduced these rules to:
- Ensure users don’t feel overwhelmed by excessive promotions.
- Encourage businesses to send relevant and personalized messages.
- Maintain trust in WhatsApp as a spam-free communication channel.
Best Practices for Staying Within Limits
- Segment Your Audience – Send targeted messages instead of broadcasting to everyone.
- Use Personalization – Add customer names, purchase history, or location to make messages relevant.
- Respect User Preferences – Always give users an option to opt out of promotional messages.
- Combine Marketing with Value – Share useful tips, reminders, or updates along with promotions.
- Monitor Performance – Track open rates, response rates, and template ratings.
How to Avoid Template Rejections or Restrictions
- Avoid using only promotional or sales-heavy language.
- Keep messages short, clear, and professional.
- Test templates in small batches before scaling.
- Regularly check your quality rating and status in the WhatsApp Business Manager.
WhatsApp Template Use Case in E-commerce
- Cart recovery increased by 25%.
- Repeat purchases improved due to personalized offers.A fashion e-commerce brand in Noida faced a high abandoned cart rate. After requesting and getting approval for the following WhatsApp template:“Hi ##name##, you left items in your cart. Complete your purchase today and get FREE shipping!” Results:
- Customer complaints reduced as they received instant order confirmations.
FAQs
It is the maximum number of promotional or marketing messages a business can send to a single user within a specific period on WhatsApp.
WhatsApp does not disclose an exact daily number, but spamming users with frequent messages can reduce your quality rating. Best practice: limit to 1–2 promotional messages per week.
No. Order confirmations, OTPs, or delivery updates fall under transactional templates and are not restricted under marketing limits.
If you send too many promotional messages, your account may face lower quality ratings, restricted template usage, or even temporary suspension.
Maintain a good quality rating by sending relevant, personalized, and opt-in-based messages. High engagement can help scale safely.
Yes, but sending the same promotional content repeatedly in different languages may still be flagged as spam. Use wisely.
You can track your quality status (High, Medium, Low) in WhatsApp Business Manager. If it drops, reduce marketing messages and focus on value-based communication.
Per-User Marketing Messaging Limits
Meta implemented a policy to limit the number of marketing conversations a user receives from any business over a specific timeframe, starting with a small number of conversations that are less likely to be read.
Note that the limit is determined based on the number of marketing template messages that person has already received from any business, and is not related to your business specifically.
The limit only applies to marketing template messages that would normally open a new marketing conversation. If a marketing conversation is already open between you and a WhatsApp user, marketing template messages sent to the user will not be affected. Further marketing template messages can only be sent in an open marketing conversation if the person responds to any message.
Example:
- * The first marketing template message is delivered and opens a new 24-hour marketing conversation customer service window. The per-user marketing template message limit applies.
- * A second marketing template message can be sent in an existing conversation.
- * Each time the WhatsApp user responds in an existing conversation window, you can send one additional marketing template message. You can also send unlimited free-form messages.
If a marketing template message is not delivered to a given user due to the limit, Cloud API will return error code 131049 with the description “This message was not delivered to maintain a healthy ecosystem engagement.” See error code: 131049 in Error Messages.
If you do receive one this error code and suspect it is due to the limit, avoid immediately resending the template message, as it will only result in another error response. Instead, retry in increasing larger time increments until the message is delivered, since the limit may be in effect for differing periods of time.
Conclusion
Per-user marketing template message limits are designed to balance business promotions with customer experience. By following best practices, segmenting audiences, and focusing on quality over quantity, businesses can maximize WhatsApp’s potential without violating its policies.
Adopt smart messaging strategies, respect customer preferences, and your brand will enjoy better engagement, higher trust, and long-term success with WhatsApp marketing.