Campaigns (Outbound)
Proactively start conversations with a contact list — then let the AI agent take over the moment anyone replies.
What Campaigns Do
Most of Waslo is inbound: customers message you, and the agent replies. Campaigns flip that around. They let your agent proactively start conversations with a list of contacts — a new-product announcement, a re-engagement message to old leads, a seasonal offer.
The key point: campaigns are just the opening move. The moment a recipient replies, the AI agent takes over the entire conversation automatically — answering questions, sending catalog photos, booking appointments — using your normal agent configuration. You launch the outreach; the agent handles every response, hands-free.
How a Campaign Works
- Import a contact list (CSV).
- Choose an engagement mode — a single welcome message, or a drip sequence.
- Pick your message — on WhatsApp Cloud this must be a Meta-approved template; plain text is used where the channel allows.
- Set your active hours — the campaign sends only during the windows you configure and skips nights and weekends.
- Waslo sends with smart rate-limiting and warm-up to protect the number.
- A recipient replies → the AI agent takes over that conversation with your full agent config.
Engagement Modes
| Mode | What it sends |
|---|---|
| Single message | One welcome/opening message per contact |
| Drip sequence | A short series — Day 0, then +3 days, then +7 days — for contacts who haven't replied |
In a drip sequence, once a contact replies the sequence stops for them and the agent takes over — they won't keep getting scheduled messages.
Channel Support
Campaigns only apply to channels that support cold outbound messaging:
| Channel | Outbound campaigns? |
|---|---|
| WhatsApp (QR) | Yes |
| WhatsApp Cloud API | Yes (approved template required) |
| Yes | |
| Telegram | No — inbound only |
| Instagram DM | No — inbound only |
| Messenger | No — inbound only |
Telegram, Instagram, and Messenger have no cold-outbound API — you can't message a user who hasn't messaged you first — so campaigns don't apply there.
WhatsApp Cloud: Template Requirement
On the WhatsApp Cloud API, you cannot send free-form text to a contact who hasn't messaged you in the last 24 hours. Meta requires a pre-approved message template for business-initiated conversations.
Before you can use a template in a campaign:
- Create the template in Waslo (WhatsApp templates) or in your Meta account.
- Submit it for approval. Meta reviews it (this can take anywhere from minutes to a day or more).
- Once it shows Approved, select it when setting up your campaign.
Waslo is built on the official WhatsApp Cloud API, so template rules and approval are handled by Meta, not by Waslo. WhatsApp QR and Email don't have this template requirement.
Rate-Limiting and Warm-Up
Blasting a large list quickly is the fastest way to get a number flagged. Campaigns protect your number automatically:
- Gradual warm-up — sending starts slow and ramps up over time rather than firing everything at once.
- Active-hours only — messages go out during your configured windows and skip nights and weekends.
- Adaptive throttling — if failures start to rise, the send rate slows down.
- Auto-pause — after repeated failures, the campaign pauses so you can investigate instead of burning the number.
Setting Up a Campaign
- Go to Campaigns in the dashboard.
- Import your contacts via CSV.
- Choose the channel (WhatsApp QR, WhatsApp Cloud, or Email).
- Choose single message or drip sequence.
- On WhatsApp Cloud, select an approved template; on other channels, write your message.
- Set your active hours.
- Review and launch. Waslo handles pacing, warm-up, and handing replies to the agent.
Gating
- Growth — Campaigns are included.
- Pay-as-you-go — Campaigns are a one-time 1,000-credit unlock. After that, you only pay the normal per-message credit cost for what you send.
Best Practices
- Only message opted-in contacts. Send to people who agreed to hear from you. Cold-blasting bought lists gets numbers banned and violates channel policies.
- Keep it relevant. A message that matches what the contact actually cares about gets replies; a generic blast gets reports.
- Lead with value, not a hard sell. The goal is to reopen the conversation — the agent does the selling once they reply.
- Start small. Run a smaller list first to confirm your template and message land well before scaling up.
- Respect timing. Use active hours that match your audience's timezone and normal business hours.
FAQ
What happens when someone replies to a campaign? The AI agent immediately takes over that conversation using your normal configuration — knowledge base, catalog, calendar, personality — with no action needed from you.
Do I have to use a template? On WhatsApp Cloud, yes — Meta requires an approved template to start a conversation. WhatsApp QR and Email don't require one.
Why can't I run a campaign on Telegram or Instagram? Those platforms don't allow businesses to message a user who hasn't contacted them first, so there's no cold-outbound path for campaigns.
Will a campaign get my WhatsApp number banned? Campaigns include warm-up, rate-limiting, active-hours, and auto-pause to reduce that risk — but the biggest factor is who you message. Stick to opted-in, relevant contacts.
What does it cost? On Growth, campaigns are included and messaging is unlimited. On Pay-as-you-go, there's a one-time 1,000-credit unlock, then normal per-message credit costs apply.