--- title: How to build a WhatsApp opt-in list the right way (2026 guide) description: "Collect WhatsApp opt-ins that Meta accepts and customers welcome: wording that works, where to ask, how to record consent and how to handle STOP replies." url: https://salemag.net/blog/whatsapp-opt-in-list-building language: en published: 2026-03-28 updated: 2026-03-28 author: SaleMag Team tags: - whatsapp opt-in - whatsapp marketing - consent - broadcast - list building --- # How to build a WhatsApp opt-in list the right way (2026 guide) > A WhatsApp opt-in list is a list of customers who agreed to receive messages from your business. Meta requires opt-in before you start conversations with templates: the customer must know your business name and that they are agreeing to receive messages. Ask at checkout, in chat and in your shop, record each opt-in, and honour every STOP. - Opt-in is permission for messages your business starts. Replying to a customer who just wrote to you does not need a separate opt-in. - A good opt-in names your business, says what messages to expect and explains how to stop. - A phone number from an old COD order or a Facebook comment is not an opt-in by itself. - Record who opted in, when and how, so your broadcasts can skip everyone else. - A smaller list of people who said yes earns more and keeps your quality rating healthy. Here is a situation many Dhaka shop owners know. You have 9,000 phone numbers from three years of COD orders. Eid is coming. Someone says, "Just send all of them the offer on WhatsApp." You do it, a few hundred people order, and a few hundred more block the number. Next week your order updates start failing. The problem was never the offer. It was sending to people who did not agree to hear from you. That is what an opt-in list fixes. It is smaller at first, but the people on it open, reply and buy. This guide covers what Meta asks for, what wording works with Bangladeshi customers, where to ask, and how to keep the list clean. ## What is a WhatsApp opt-in? A WhatsApp [opt-in](https://salemag.net/glossary/opt-in) is a customer's permission for your business to send them messages. It covers the messages you start: offers, new arrivals, reminders and other message templates you send when the customer has not just written to you. It does not cover normal replies. When a customer writes "dam koto?", you can answer with normal messages for 24 hours, without a template. That reply window is a separate rule, the 24-hour customer service window. ## What does Meta require for opt-in? Meta's WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires a business to get opt-in before it messages people, and to make two things clear: that the person is opting in to receive messages, and the name of the business. Meta leaves the method up to you, as long as those points are met and you follow local law. You can read the current rules on Meta's [getting opt-in page](https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/getting-opt-in). Meta's guidance also recommends clear instructions for opting out, and it enforces quality: businesses that get a lot of negative feedback for a long time can be rate limited. In practice, a good opt-in has four parts: | Part | Example | |---|---| | Your business name | "Nupur Fashion" | | The channel | "on WhatsApp" | | What to expect | "new arrivals and Eid offers, about twice a month" | | How to stop | "Reply STOP any time" | Meta's policy does not require the channel to be named, but naming WhatsApp avoids surprises. A customer who agreed to "SMS updates" and then gets WhatsApp offers is more likely to report you. ## What counts as an opt-in, and what does not? Clear, recent, active agreement counts. Numbers you collected for another reason do not. | Situation | Opt-in for offers? | |---|---| | Customer replied YES to "Can we send you offers on WhatsApp?" | Yes | | Customer ticked a checkbox on your website that names WhatsApp offers | Yes | | Customer signed a paper form at your shop counter with the same wording | Yes | | Phone number given only for COD delivery | No | | Number copied from a Facebook comment | No | | Number from a bought or shared list | No | | Customer messaged you once to ask a price | Only to reply. Ask before sending offers later | The last row matters. Many tools, SaleMag included, mark a new WhatsApp contact as opted in for WhatsApp when the customer messages you first. That is a reasonable starting point for order updates and follow-ups. For promotions, the safer habit is still to ask the question once and keep the answer. ## Where should a Bangladeshi shop ask for opt-in? Ask at every moment the customer is already happy with you: right after an order, at delivery, and when they visit your shop or website. ### In chat, right after the order This is the easiest place. The customer has just bought, so the question feels natural. > Apnar order confirm hoyeche, dhonnobad. Notun collection ar Eid offer ki WhatsApp e pathabo? Mase 2-3 bar, kokhono beshi na. Haan hole "YES" likhun, bondho korte jekono shomoy "STOP". Or in English, for customers who write in English: > Thanks, your order is confirmed. Would you like new arrivals and offers from Nupur Fashion on WhatsApp, about twice a month? Reply YES to join, or STOP any time to leave. ### On your website Add a checkbox at checkout, not pre-ticked: "Send me order updates and offers from Nupur Fashion on WhatsApp." A WhatsApp button on your site also helps, because every visitor who taps it starts a real conversation with you instead of leaving. ### In the parcel A small card in the parcel with a QR code that opens your WhatsApp chat with a ready message, for example "YES, send me offers". The customer opens the parcel, likes the product and taps once. ### At the shop counter A printed QR code by the cash counter or a short line on the receipt. In-person and paper opt-ins are allowed by Meta, as long as the wording is clear. ### In Facebook and Instagram posts Invite people to message you on WhatsApp for early access to a sale. Do not copy numbers from comments into your list; let the customer send the first message. ## How do I record opt-ins? Record the contact, the date, where the opt-in came from and what they agreed to. If you ever need to check why someone received a message, this is your answer. A minimal record looks like this: | Phone | Opted in | Date | Source | Scope | |---|---|---|---|---| | 8801712345678 | Yes | 2026-03-02 | Chat after order | Offers + order updates | | 8801898765432 | Yes | 2026-03-05 | Shop counter form | Offers | | 8801555000111 | No (STOP) | 2026-03-10 | Replied STOP | None | A spreadsheet works for the first few hundred. After that, use a CRM with an opt-in field, so your broadcast tool can leave out everyone who is not opted in without anyone checking by hand. ## How do I handle STOP and opt-outs? Switch the opt-in off the same day and never message that person with marketing again unless they opt back in. Make stopping easy, because the alternative for the customer is the block button. Practical rules: - Put "STOP likhun" or an opt-out quick-reply button on every marketing template. - Treat "ar pathaben na", "unsubscribe" and "message diben na" the same as STOP. - Keep sending order updates the customer needs for an order they placed, but no offers. - Reply once to confirm: "Thik ache, ar offer pathabo na. Order er update pele janabo." WhatsApp also lets people stop marketing messages from a business inside the app. When they do, Meta does not deliver your marketing templates to them, and your sending tool will show the message as failed. ## Why is a small opt-in list better than a big cold list? A small opt-in list protects your number and gets better results per message. Messages to people who never agreed lead to blocks and reports, which lower your quality rating. Meta can also limit how many marketing messages one person receives when they rarely engage, so sending to uninterested people wastes money and attempts. Think of it this way. If 2,000 people said yes and 9,000 never did, the 2,000 are the list. The 9,000 are people to win back one by one, when they next message you. ## How does SaleMag handle opt-in? SaleMag's [CRM](https://salemag.net/features/crm-segments) keeps separate WhatsApp, SMS and email opt-in flags on every contact. A new customer who messages you first on WhatsApp is marked as opted in for WhatsApp, and an existing contact's choice is never overwritten by that. Agents can switch opt-in on or off from the side panel in the inbox, and the CSV import maps an opt-in column when you bring in an existing list. When you send a [WhatsApp broadcast](https://salemag.net/features/whatsapp-broadcast), SaleMag skips contacts who are not opted in to WhatsApp, and you can preview the audience first. The [website chat widget](https://salemag.net/platforms/website-chat-widget) adds a WhatsApp button to your site, so visitors start real conversations that become contacts. SaleMag's order form does not include an opt-in checkbox, so ask the opt-in question in chat after the order. ## Next steps Write your opt-in line today, add it to your post-order message, and start a simple record of who said yes. Before your next campaign, read about [segmenting customers with tags](https://salemag.net/blog/whatsapp-crm-tags-segments) and why [unofficial bulk WhatsApp senders get numbers banned](https://salemag.net/blog/unofficial-bulk-whatsapp-sender-ban-risk). To manage opt-ins and broadcasts in one place, [start free](https://salemag.net/register). ## Steps 1. **Write one clear opt-in line**: Name your business, say the messages come on WhatsApp, say what kind of messages, and say how to stop. 2. **Ask at every point of contact**: Ask after an order in chat, on your website, on the parcel insert and at the shop counter. 3. **Record the opt-in**: Mark the contact as opted in, with the date and the source, in your CRM or sheet. 4. **Honour opt-outs fast**: When someone replies STOP, switch their opt-in off the same day and leave them out of every campaign. ## FAQ ### Does Meta require opt-in for WhatsApp marketing messages? Yes. Meta's WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy requires a business to get opt-in before it messages people with templates. The person must be told they are opting in to receive messages and which business will send them. ### Is a customer's phone number from a COD order an opt-in? No. A phone number collected to deliver a parcel is not, on its own, permission to send offers. Ask clearly, for example 'Can we send you new arrivals and offers on WhatsApp?', and record the answer. ### Do I need opt-in to reply when a customer messages me first? No. When a customer messages you, you can reply with normal messages, no template needed, within the 24-hour customer service window. Opt-in covers messages your business starts later with templates, such as offers. ### Can I buy a WhatsApp number list for my broadcast? No. A bought list has no opt-in, and people who never heard of you block and report quickly, which lowers your quality rating and can lead Meta to restrict the number. ### How should customers opt out of WhatsApp messages? Give a simple way, such as replying STOP or tapping a quick-reply button, and stop sending marketing messages to that person at once. WhatsApp also lets users stop marketing messages from a business inside the app. ### Does SaleMag track WhatsApp opt-in? Yes. Every SaleMag contact has separate WhatsApp, SMS and email opt-in flags, and WhatsApp broadcasts skip contacts who have not opted in to WhatsApp.