How to collect WhatsApp opt-in
Treat this as a compliance checkbox and it will quietly cost you a messaging tier. Opt-in is the mechanism that keeps a number alive, because every message to someone who does not remember agreeing is a candidate block.
Before you start
- Somewhere customers already interact with you
- A field or tag to record it against the contact
The steps
- 1
Ask where they already want something
Checkout, enquiry form, booking confirmation, the counter. The best opt-ins are attached to a benefit the customer gets — "get delivery updates on WhatsApp" converts far better than a marketing permission request.
- 2
Name your business and name WhatsApp
Both, explicitly. A generic "we may contact you" does not establish that they agreed to messages from you on this channel.
- 3
Say what they will receive
Order updates are not the same permission as weekly offers. Being specific is what stops the "I didn't sign up for this" feedback that drives ratings down.
- 4
Keep two permissions, not one
Store transactional and marketing consent as separate fields or tags, then segment against them. It costs one extra field and saves the number.
- 5
Record when and where it was given
If a complaint arrives, you need to show what the person agreed to. Write the source onto the contact at the moment of capture, not later.
- 6
Make the exit obvious
Honour STOP and local-language equivalents immediately and permanently. An opt-out costs you one contact; a block costs you a fraction of your quality rating.
Where this usually goes wrong
-
Reusing SMS or email consent
Different channel, different permission. This is the most common invalid opt-in.
-
A pre-ticked box
Not consent, in most jurisdictions or under Meta policy.
-
Re-adding someone after they opt out
A new order is not a new permission. Make the suppression permanent.
Read next