> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://polser.gitbook.io/polser-docs/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://polser.gitbook.io/polser-docs/features/broadcasts.md).

# Broadcasts

A broadcast sends the same message to many contacts at once: launch a promotion, announce an event, send a deadline reminder, or re-engage past customers.

Instead of writing to people one by one, you reach a whole segment in a few clicks.

It's the fastest way to get an important message in front of a large group, personalised to each contact and delivered straight to WhatsApp, where people actually read it.

{% @arcade/embed url="<https://app.arcade.software/share/1sOhe5pimbBUHsO7Dlc5>" flowId="1sOhe5pimbBUHsO7Dlc5" %}

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### Before you send

A broadcast isn't built from scratch in the moment. Two things need to be ready first:

* **An approved broadcast template.** Every broadcast goes out on a Meta-approved template (its name must contain the word `broadcast`). You can create simple text templates right in Polser, or richer ones in Meta. See [Templates](https://polser.gitbook.io/polser-docs/features/templates) and [Working with Meta Templates](https://polser.gitbook.io/polser-docs/admin/working-with-meta-templates). Approval can take up to 24 hours, so prepare templates with margin.
* **Labelled contacts.** Audiences are built from [Labels](/polser-docs/features/labels.md): you pick a group by label and combine several to refine it. That only works if your contacts are labelled before you build the campaign.

***

### How it works

Sending a broadcast is a short three-step flow. Start it with the **+ New broadcast** button.

#### Step 1: What are we sending today?

Pick your broadcast template from the **Choose template** dropdown. A live WhatsApp preview on the right updates as you go.

If the template has variables, you set each one here:

* **Free text:** type a value that's the same for the whole campaign (for example, a discount code line).
* **First name:** personalise the variable with each contact's first name, so every recipient sees their own.

<figure><img src="https://2865962218-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FuXtAMCUsINRibvDAbve6%2Fuploads%2FWpTCc7z6LvnqVTlQMIkW%2FScreenshot%2031-08%20at%2012-48-56.png?alt=media&#x26;token=0d841d81-8fd1-4094-933d-1b28095205c0" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### Step 2: To whom are we sending it?

Build your audience under **Choose audience** by adding one or more [Labels](/polser-docs/features/labels.md). Combine several to refine the segment. A live counter shows how many contacts you're **currently targeting** as you add or remove labels.

Then pick the number to send from under **Sending from**. This is the WhatsApp number the broadcast goes out on.

<figure><img src="https://2865962218-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FuXtAMCUsINRibvDAbve6%2Fuploads%2FgSh7EIOC1eRifcqKtdda%2FScreenshot%2031-08%20at%2013-43-32.png?alt=media&#x26;token=5b2f076e-63a4-456c-b35b-5076c405f894" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

#### Send now, or schedule

Timing matters more on WhatsApp than on other channels. WhatsApp is a personal space, and a message that lands at 3 a.m. or on a weekend is far more intrusive than the same message would be by email. Scheduling lets you pick a considerate moment (working hours, a sensible day) even when it's not convenient for you to send it live.

Press **Send** to send immediately. To send later, use the dropdown next to Send and pick **When are we sending it?**: choose a date and time, and the broadcast goes out then. The time is shown in your account's timezone.

***

### Before you launch

A few things are worth understanding before you hit send:

* **Delivery is gradual on purpose.** Polser paces the sending instead of firing everything at once. This isn't slowness: it protects your number's standing with Meta, which is what keeps the number from being limited or blocked. A campaign that looks slow is behaving well.
* **The audience matters as much as the message.** Sending to a careless list produces low engagement, and low engagement damages the number's reputation. A small, relevant audience beats a large, cold one.
* **Replies land in the normal inbox.** A campaign to a large audience generates incoming replies that someone has to handle. Launching a broadcast with nobody available to respond is worse than not launching it.
* **Don't fire the same campaign from several numbers at once without coordinating it.** Contacts who appear in more than one list would receive duplicates.

***

### Reading your results

Once a broadcast has been sent, open its details to see how it went. At the top you'll find the label the audience was built from, the send date, and the number it went out from. Below that, five figures summarise the result:

* **Recipients:** how many contacts were in the audience.
* **Sent:** how many the message was actually sent to.
* **Delivered:** how many reached the contact's phone.
* **Read:** how many were opened.
* **Failed:** how many couldn't be delivered.

<figure><img src="https://2865962218-files.gitbook.io/~/files/v0/b/gitbook-x-prod.appspot.com/o/spaces%2FuXtAMCUsINRibvDAbve6%2Fuploads%2FLgYyptr54Q0MoTWRTaKe%2FScreenshot%2031-08%20at%2013-50-26.png?alt=media&#x26;token=290d28ee-6c0e-4e85-96d2-21df804c7b58" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

***

{% hint style="info" %}
Broadcasts is available only in the web version of Polser.
{% endhint %}

***