Getting started
From a fresh account to your first delivered campaign, in the order the app expects you to do it.
Every term in bold below has a full explanation in the Glossary. If a word is unfamiliar, check there first.
Before you start
You need a Gupshup account with a WhatsApp app created in it, and the phone number for that app must be one you control and that is not currently active on the regular WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business app. Creating the Gupshup app and getting the number approved by Meta happens in Gupshup, not in WA Suite — see Connect your number for what to have ready.
The seven steps
Connect your WhatsApp number
Sidebar → 🔌 Connect Number. Paste your source number and Gupshup API key, then Save Connection. The status box turns green when WA Suite can reach Gupshup.
Skip this only to try the app against the shared test number — real customer sends need your own connection.
Import your contacts
Sidebar → 📇 Contacts. Upload a CSV with columns phone, name, tags (tags separated by |), or paste rows directly. Tick “I confirm I have consent to message this list” — this sets everyone you import as opted in.
Only opted-in contacts can receive a campaign. Numbers should include the country code (e.g. 91 for India).
Build a message template
Sidebar → 📝 Templates. Choose a category (Marketing for a promo), write the body, optionally add a header, footer and buttons. For every {{1}} you use, fill in a realistic sample value.
Watch the live preview on the right — that is roughly what the customer will see.
Submit it and wait for approval
Click 📤 Submit for approval. The template goes to Gupshup → Meta and its status becomes Pending. Approval usually takes a few minutes to a few hours. When it flips to Approved, you can use it.
Rejected? Read Meta's reason, then build a new template that addresses it — an approved or rejected template cannot be edited.
Create a campaign
Sidebar → 📣 Campaigns → New campaign. Name it, pick your approved template, then choose an audience: a saved segment, or build one now with tags and custom-field conditions. Click 🔍 Preview Audience to see how many opted-in contacts match.
Queue the send
Click 📣 Queue Campaign. The background send worker pushes messages out over time — the campaign row fills in Sent / Delivered / Read and Failed counts as WhatsApp reports back. Refresh to watch progress.
A high Failed count usually means those contacts are not opted in or the numbers are wrong.
Handle the replies
Sidebar → 💬 Inbox. Every reply lands here. You have a 24-hour window from each customer's last message to reply freely — the badge by their name shows the time left. After it closes, use the 📋 button to send a template instead. Set up a chatbot to answer common questions automatically.
That is the whole loop. Everything else — the pipeline, trackable links, CRM triggers, segments, team roles — makes this loop sharper or faster, but none of it is required to send your first campaign.
A sensible first week
- Day 1: connect your number, import a small list (50–100 known customers), submit one Marketing template.
- Day 2: once approved, send a small campaign. Watch the delivered and read rates.
- Day 3–4: reply to everyone who responds, from the Inbox, within their window.
- Day 5+: add tags and custom fields, save a segment, and build a chatbot for FAQs before you scale up the list size.