Creating Message Campaigns

Step-by-step guide to creating, scheduling, and managing WhatsApp message campaigns

Overview

Message campaigns allow you to schedule automated WhatsApp messages to your groups. You can create one-time or recurring campaigns with dynamic content, track progress, and manage multiple campaigns simultaneously.

Understanding Campaign Types

One-Time Campaigns

Send messages on specific dates without repetition. Perfect for:

• Event announcements
• Deadline reminders
• One-off notifications

Recurring Campaigns

Automatically send messages at regular intervals. Ideal for:

• Daily updates or reminders
• Weekly newsletters
• Monthly contribution reminders
• Fundraising campaigns with countdown timers

Creating Your First Campaign

1. Access Campaign Creator

   Navigate to the dashboard and click the “Create Campaign” or “Schedule Message” button.

2. Select Target Group

   Choose the WhatsApp group where you want to send messages:

   • Use the search box to find specific groups
   • Browse through paginated group list
   • Select one group per campaign

   You can also target individual contacts by selecting “individuals” as the audience type.

3. Configure Campaign Details

   Fill in the campaign information:

   Required Fields:

   • Start Date - When the campaign begins
   • End Date - When the campaign ends
   • Message Time - Time to send messages (format: HH:MM)
   • Time Zone - Select your timezone (default: America/Chicago)
   • Message Template - Your message content

   Optional Fields:

   • Campaign Title - Descriptive name for the campaign
   • Target Amount - For fundraising campaigns
4. Set Recurrence Pattern

   For recurring campaigns, choose your frequency:

   • DAILY - Send every day
   • WEEKLY - Send once per week
   • SEMI_MONTHLY - Send every 15 days
   • MONTHLY - Send once per month
   • SEMI_ANNUALLY - Send every 6 months
   • ANNUALLY - Send once per year
5. Compose Your Message

   Write your message content with optional dynamic placeholders:

   Hello team! This is a reminder about our fundraising campaign.
   
   We have {days_left} days remaining to reach our goal.
   
   Thank you for your support!
   

   The {days_left} placeholder automatically calculates remaining days until the campaign end date.

6. Review and Create

   Verify all details and click “Create Campaign” to schedule your messages.

Advanced Campaign Features

Dynamic Message Placeholders

Use placeholders to create personalized, dynamic content:

Placeholder	Description	Example Output
{days_left}	Days remaining until campaign end	”5 days left”

Future updates may include additional placeholders like {group_name}, {total_amount}, and custom variables.

Message Sequences for Recurring Campaigns

For recurring campaigns, you can create unique messages for each occurrence by separating them with asterisks (*):

Week 1: Welcome to our campaign! *
Week 2: Great progress this week! *
Week 3: We're halfway there! *
Week 4: Final push to reach our goal!

The number of messages must match the calculated occurrences. For example, a 4-week campaign with weekly recurrence needs exactly 4 messages.

Free-Form vs. Structured Messages

Toggle the Free-Form option to control message formatting:

Structured Mode (default):

Campaign Title: Spring Fundraiser
Campaign Start Date: 2026-03-01
Campaign End Date: 2026-03-30
Contribution Target Amount: $5000
Days Remaining: 15

Your custom message here...

Free-Form Mode:

Your custom message here...

Campaign Examples

Example 1: Simple Daily Reminder

Target Group: Project Team
Start Date: 2026-03-05
End Date: 2026-03-10
Message Time: 09:00
Time Zone: America/New_York
Recurring: Yes
Recurrence: DAILY
Message Template: "Good morning team! Daily standup in 30 minutes."

Example 2: Fundraising Campaign with Countdown

Target Group: Community Members
Campaign Title: Annual Fundraiser 2026
Target Amount: $10,000
Start Date: 2026-03-01
End Date: 2026-03-31
Message Time: 18:00
Time Zone: America/Chicago
Recurring: Yes
Recurrence: WEEKLY
Free-Form: No
Message Template: |
  Weekly Update! We have {days_left} days remaining. *
  Halfway there! Only {days_left} days left. *
  Final week! Just {days_left} days to reach our goal. *
  Last day to contribute! {days_left} days remaining.

Example 3: Monthly Newsletter

Target Group: All Members
Campaign Title: Monthly Newsletter
Start Date: 2026-03-01
End Date: 2026-12-01
Message Time: 10:00
Time Zone: America/Los_Angeles
Recurring: Yes
Recurrence: MONTHLY
Message Template: |
  March Newsletter: Spring events coming up! *
  April Newsletter: Registration now open! *
  May Newsletter: Summer program details...
  (and so on for each month)

Managing Active Campaigns

Viewing Campaign Progress

Once created, campaigns appear in your dashboard with:

• Campaign title and target group
• Start and end dates
• Progress bar showing completion percentage
• Status indicator (SCHEDULED, IN_PROGRESS, COMPLETED, FAILED)
• Message count (sent vs. total)

Campaign Statuses

• SCHEDULED - Campaign created, messages pending
• IN_PROGRESS - Some messages sent, others pending
• COMPLETED - All messages successfully sent
• FAILED - Error occurred during message delivery

Editing Campaigns

You can edit campaigns before messages are sent:

1. Locate Campaign

   Find the campaign in your active campaigns list.

2. Click Edit

   Select the edit option (only available for campaigns with no sent messages).

3. Modify Details

   Update any campaign settings: dates, times, messages, or recurrence.

4. Save Changes

   The system will delete unsent messages and create new ones based on your updates.

You cannot edit campaigns that have already sent messages. This prevents inconsistencies in message sequences.

Deleting Campaigns

To delete a campaign:

1. Click the delete button on the campaign card
2. Confirm deletion
3. All unsent messages will be cancelled
4. Campaign will be marked as deleted (soft delete)

Deleted campaigns are not permanently removed from the database but are hidden from the UI and excluded from processing.

Campaign Analytics

Tracking Progress

Monitor campaign performance with:

• Total Messages - Number of scheduled messages
• Sent Messages - Messages successfully delivered
• Pending Messages - Messages awaiting scheduled time
• Failed Messages - Messages that encountered errors
• Completion Percentage - Visual progress indicator

Viewing Message History

For each campaign, you can see:

• Individual message content
• Scheduled send time
• Actual send time
• Delivery status
• Error messages (if any)

Troubleshooting

Messages Not Sending

Check these items:

1. WhatsApp Connection - Verify session is CONNECTED
2. Scheduler Service - Ensure background scheduler is running
3. Scheduled Time - Confirm time hasn’t passed
4. Group Access - Verify bot has permission to send to group

Review logs:

pm2 logs whatsapp-scheduler

Wrong Number of Messages Created

For recurring campaigns:

The system calculates messages based on:

• Date range (end date - start date)
• Recurrence frequency (daily, weekly, etc.)

Example calculation:

• Start: March 1, End: March 15 (15 days)
• Frequency: WEEKLY (every 7 days)
• Expected messages: 3 (Day 1, Day 8, Day 15)

If using message sequences, ensure you provide exactly 3 unique messages separated by asterisks.

Time Zone Issues

Symptoms:

• Messages sending at wrong time
• Scheduled time doesn’t match expected time

Solutions:

1. Verify correct time zone selected during campaign creation
2. Remember times are converted to UTC for storage
3. Check server time zone matches expected zone
4. Use standard time zone names (e.g., “America/Chicago”)

Campaign Shows FAILED Status

Common causes:

1. WhatsApp disconnected - Reconnect your WhatsApp session
2. Group deleted - Target group no longer exists
3. API error - WAHA server issues
4. Network error - Connection to WAHA server failed

Check error logs:

• Review scheduler logs for specific error messages
• Verify WAHA server is accessible
• Test WAHA API manually

Cannot Edit Campaign

Reason:

Campaigns cannot be edited once any message has been sent to maintain message sequence integrity.

Workaround:

1. Delete the existing campaign
2. Create a new campaign with corrected details
3. Adjust dates to account for already-sent messages

Best Practices

Test First

Create a test campaign with a small group before deploying to larger audiences.

Clear Messages

Write concise, actionable messages. Include call-to-action when appropriate.

Time Zones Matter

Always verify the time zone matches your target audience’s location.

Monitor Progress

Regularly check campaign status to catch and resolve issues quickly.

Schedule Wisely

Avoid sending messages during late night or early morning hours.

Use Templates

Save successful message templates for future campaigns.

Next Steps

Message Scheduler

Learn how the background scheduler works

Admin Dashboard

Manage users and monitor system health