WhatsApp Status Ads

Announced

June 2025, with promoted channels and channel subscriptions

Where shown

Between Status updates in the Updates tab; never in chats

Formats

Single image, single video, carousel of up to 10 cards

Placement rule

Must be selected together with Instagram Stories

Destinations

A WhatsApp chat with the business, or a website

Market availability

Not every market; the EU and UK were excluded at launch

Excluded

Special ad categories; pharma, healthcare and other sensitive verticals

Not compatible with

A/B tests, dynamic creative, Reach and Frequency buying

1. Step 1

   Link a WhatsApp identity

   Connect your WhatsApp Business account or number to the Page and ad account, so the ad shows your WhatsApp profile name and picture. Without one, the Page identity is shown and some ads may not deliver to Status.

2. Step 2

   Choose an objective and a destination

   Pick a supported objective such as Engagement, Traffic, Leads or Sales and set the destination to a WhatsApp chat, to start conversations, or a website. The conversations optimisation goal is available for several of these objectives.

3. Step 3

   Select the placements

   Select WhatsApp Status together with Instagram Stories, since Status cannot run alone, and confirm the campaign is not in a special ad category or an excluded vertical.

4. Step 4

   Build vertical creative

   Use full-screen vertical images or videos, or a carousel of up to 10 cards, readable in a couple of seconds, with one clear call to action and copy that says what happens after the tap.

5. Step 5

   Prepare the chat, then measure

   Have a greeting, a bot or agents ready for the first message, log whether it carries ad referral data, and judge the campaign on conversations started, qualified leads and sales rather than views.

Status is one of the most viewed surfaces in WhatsApp (Meta says over 1.5 billion people use Status and Channels every day), and the people watching are already inside the app where the business wants the conversation to happen. A Status ad with a chat destination puts 'message us' one tap away without a jump from another app, which suits categories such as automobiles, education, travel and local services, where a conversation comes before the sale. Knowing the placement rule and the exclusions up front avoids campaigns that quietly never deliver to Status at all.

• Planning a Status-only campaign

  Status cannot be bought on its own; it runs alongside Instagram Stories, which may take much of the budget. Read results by placement before drawing conclusions about Status.

• No WhatsApp identity on the ad

  Without a linked WhatsApp identity the ad shows the Facebook Page and may not deliver to Status. Link the WhatsApp account first; the identity cannot be changed on an existing creative.

• Running it in an excluded category or market

  Special ad categories and sensitive verticals such as pharma and healthcare are not delivered to Status, and some markets, such as the EU and UK at launch, are not reached there. Check Meta's current eligibility list before building creative.

• Sending taps to an empty chat

  A customer who taps 'Send message' and waits an hour for a reply is gone. Set an instant greeting, a bot for common questions and staffed hours that match the campaign.

• Assuming the conversation costs nothing

  Service replies in India have been charged at ₹0.145 since 1 October 2026 unless a free entry point window applies. Check the pricing object on status webhooks rather than assuming how Status-ad chats are billed.

• Design for sound-off, vertical viewing and a two-second glance: product, offer and button.
• Use the ad's message settings, where available, to set a welcome message so first messages carry intent.
• Compare cost per conversation started with your Facebook and Instagram Click-to-WhatsApp campaigns using the placement breakdown.
• Ask people who chat for marketing opt-in; an ad-started conversation is not consent for future campaigns.