WhatsApp messaging: Reach more fans worldwide

Global messaging on Laylo, with SMS and Instagram DM as your built-in safety net

TL;DR

WhatsApp is now available in Laylo for artists and events to reach more fans outside the U.S. It’s powerful, but it comes with real constraints (Meta template approvals, the 24-hour reply window, and messaging tier limits).

Laylo makes WhatsApp practical by pairing it with SMS: we handle template submission, timing prompts, and delivery routing, then backstop every send with SMS. If a WhatsApp message can’t go through, Laylo automatically delivers via SMS to that same fan phone number, so your drop still hits.

Why add WhatsApp?

Go where your global fans already are. WhatsApp is the world’s #1 messaging app, with massive penetration across Europe, LATAM, Africa, and APAC.
Works inside your omnichannel mix. Use WhatsApp alongside email, SMS to run Drops and campaigns to each fan’s best channel.
Drop messages in your style. Send high-impact, branded messages with rich media, carousels, and interactive buttons that make every drop feel like your brand.

What WhatsApp is great for

International drops & launches where fans already use WhatsApp daily.

Best practices for WhatsApp on Laylo

Plan lead time to get message templates approved. Build your marketing calendar assuming up to ~24 hours for initial approval.
Design for replies. Ask a question or offer quick-reply buttons to keep the 24-hour window open.
Be omnichannel on purpose. Use WhatsApp for international messaging (Laylo provides SMS fallback if messages don’t deliver), SMS for U.S. and time-sensitive alerts, and IG DM for growth…Laylo automates the channel so each does what it’s best at.

The fine print (and how Laylo helps)

WhatsApp reality	How Laylo solves it
You must plan sends in advance so that templates can get approved:
Most WhatsApp message blasts will require a template that needs to be approved by their team.
Approvals can be quick, but may take up to ~24 hours.	Laylo automatically submits templates when you schedule in-app and warns/reminds you to allow lead time. Read more about templates and the approval process in Meta’s messaging templates guide.
You only have a 24-hour window for free-form replies:
After a fan messages you, you only have a day to respond without needing template approval; after that you need to send an approved template again.	Drops collect signups quickly. Laylo will route time-sensitive follow-ups via SMS when the window closes.
Per-message pricing varies on most platforms by country & category. That means WhatsApp can be up to 20x more expensive than SMS if you’re not careful.	Laylo saves you up to 20X by setting our WhatsApp message pricing equal to International SMS pricing, plus a monthly fee for your WhatsApp sender ID.
You need approval for bigger message blasts: Accounts typically can’t send more than 1,000 messages per day until they get approval.	Send 100K/day with Laylo. Our setup process pre-warms your account. Once you hit your daily limit, we auto switch to SMS to ensure the message goes out.
Tracking performance is hard: WhatsApp rejects messages with unique links for link tracking.	We currently recommend using your own wrapped links to track click thrus + purchases. In the near future we will have an in-platform solution.
Delivery eligibility varies by fan: Not every number is WhatsApp-enabled.	Whether or not a fan has WhatsApp enabled, Laylo detects eligibility and auto-falls back to SMS so messages still land.

How enabling WhatsApp works in Laylo

By request on your Settings → Billing tab, we’ll enable a WhatsApp sender and add it to your sending pool.

Template automation. When you schedule a message in Laylo, we handle the template submission and prompt you if more lead time is needed.

Smart delivery. If a fan can’t be reached on WhatsApp, Laylo automatically retries via international SMS, no extra steps needed on your end.