The standard WhatsApp survey feature enables users to efficiently share survey links through WhatsApp. Surveys can be sent to individual contacts or groups, guiding recipients to a mobile-friendly form for easy and seamless completion. Distribution can be done either on an ad-hoc basis or through automated triggers. This article focuses on the ad-hoc distribution method.

Business Use Cases

• Getting feedback from a Community with Standard WhatsApp Survey: The Standard WhatsApp distribution feature makes it easy to collect detailed feedback by sharing survey links through WhatsApp. These links direct participants to a mobile-friendly form, allowing comprehensive surveys to be distributed to individuals or groups. This approach offers a smooth, interactive experience outside the chat, while keeping the process simple and familiar. Participants can respond seamlessly on their mobile devices, providing valuable insights in an engaging and user-friendly way.

A standard WhatsApp survey distribution is one approach to conducting surveys via WhatsApp, and it shares the same core values and benefits as other WhatsApp survey methods. However, it offers key advantages over conversational WhatsApp surveys. One major benefit is that it supports rich surveys with unlimited questions. Unlike conversational formats—which are limited by character restrictions and minimal media support, the standard method allows you to share a link to a mobile-friendly survey form. This enables the inclusion of multiple questions, rich media (like images and videos), and advanced question types, creating a more comprehensive and engaging survey experience. Additionally, it offers a streamlined user experience, respondents can complete the survey at their own pace, without the interruptions typical of back-and-forth messaging. Accessing a dedicated survey form through a shared link ensures a clearer experience, minimizes distractions, and allows participants to review and revise responses before submitting.

Prerequisites

In order to access the WhatsApp distribution, you must have access to the following View and Edit Distribution permissions at Survey Level.

Setting Up Adhoc Standard WhatsApp Survey Distribution

Let us have look at detailed steps:

1. Go to Distribution tab and select WhatsApp distribution.

2. Click + Create Distribution.

3. Select Standard Distribution.

   

4. Go to Details and fill in the details:

   

   1. Name: Add a meaningful name of the distribution.

   2. Description: Add a meaningful description.

   3. WhatsApp Business Account: Select the WhatsApp business account from the dropdown.(Mandatory)

      Once you choose the account, you will be able to view the message limit for that account, which indicates the selected account's association with the number of active distributions, allowing a daily maximum of 250 messages.

      Note: Before configuring a distribution, you must select a valid WhatsApp Business Account for which you have publishing rights.

      • The system blocks progression if no valid WABA is selected.

      • You can see WABA details such as verification status, tier, and quality rating during selection.

      • Once at least one invite is sent, the selected WABA becomes locked and cannot be changed.

   4. Click Next.

5. Go to Message section and fill in the details:

   Generate or choose message assets: All WhatsApp messages intended for distribution must be created and authorized in the Creative Library prior to their use. A distribution cannot be set up or dispatched unless all cited message assets are approved.

   For each message type, you can:

   1. Select an existing approved template of the required type, or

   2. Create a new asset by navigating to the Creative Library using the + Creative button and submitting it for approval.

   3. Once approved, the asset becomes available for selection in the distribution.

      

      1. Invitation Message (HSM): You have the option to select an approved template from the Creative dropdown menu. Alternatively, you can click on + Creative to create a new one. This is the primary message sent to recipients. It contains the survey link and is the first WhatsApp message delivered as part of the distribution.

      2. Reminder Message (HSM)-Optional: Toggle to activate the reminder message. You can select an approved reminder template from the Creative dropdown.

         You can set the reminder frequency in months, weeks, days, and hours, as well as define the maximum number of reminders you want to send.

         Reminder messages are dispatched to recipients who have not yet completed the survey. Each reminder includes the same survey link as the invitation, enabling recipients to start or resume the survey from where they stopped.

         1. You can set up:

            1. number of reminders to be sent.

            2. The interval between reminders (for instance, every 3 days).

      3. Thank You Message(HSM)-Optional: You have the option to activate the Thank You message. You can select an approved Thank You template from the Creative dropdown menu. When enabled, this message will be automatically sent after a recipient completes the survey.

6. After setting up your message assets, you can optionally configure translations for your WhatsApp distribution. This allows you to send messages and open surveys in the appropriate language based on recipient attributes.

   Inorder to setup Translation navigate to Translation Conditions and follow the following steps:

   1. Add languages to your distribution: If your survey already has multiple languages configured, those languages will automatically appear in this step. To add more languages:

      1. Click the Language dropdown.

      2. Select one or more additional languages you want to support.

      3. Once added, each language becomes available for configuration within the distribution.

   2. Define translation conditions

      1. Translation conditions determine which language is used for each recipient.

      2. For each language:

         1. Select the controlling field (Profile, Case or Transaction CF).

         2. Enter the value that maps to the selected language.

      3. When a recipient matches a condition, the message is sent in that language.

      4. If no translation condition matches, the WhatsApp invite is sent in the base language.

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   3. Assign message assets for each language: For every language you configure, you must select corresponding message assets.

      1. Click Configure Translations.

      2. Use the language switcher to change the language.

      3. On the right-hand panel, select the approved creative for that language.

      4. A preview of the WhatsApp message appears once a creative is selected.

         Note: You must also have approved assets in the translated language (for example, Spanish), connected to the same WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) as the base language assets and distribution.

      5. If no approved asset exists:

         1. Click the + Creative button to create a new asset directly from this screen.

         2. Submit the asset for approval before using it in the distribution.

      6. Once translations are configured, click Next to proceed to scheduling.

   Overall Translation behavior

   WhatsApp distributions utilize survey translations, translation conditions, and the Language Selection Message (LSM) collectively to identify the language in which a recipient engages with the survey.

   Configuration / scenario	Behavior
   Only one survey language is available	The Language Selection Message is skipped automatically. The recipient is taken directly to the survey in the available language, and no language selection asset is required.
   Multiple survey languages are available and the skip language selection toggle is disabled	The Language Selection Message is shown, even when a translation condition resolves a recipient language. This is the default behavior for existing distributions.
   Multiple survey languages are available, the skip language selection toggle is enabled, and a translation condition matches	The system sends the initial message in the resolved language, skips the Language Selection Message, and continues the survey in the same language.
   Multiple survey languages are available, the skip language selection toggle is enabled, but no translation condition matches	The system falls back to the base/default language and shows the Language Selection Message so that the recipient can choose a language.

   Skip language selection when translation condition is satisfied

   In the Translation Conditions configuration, admins can enable the Skip language selection when translation condition is satisfied toggle. This toggle is disabled by default so that existing behavior remains unchanged unless explicitly updated.

   • Enable this toggle when translation conditions can reliably determine the recipient’s language from Profile, Case, or Transaction fields.

   • When the toggle is enabled and a condition resolves to a specific non-fallback language, the recipient does not receive the Language Selection Message.

   • When the toggle is disabled, the Language Selection Message is shown regardless of whether a translation condition matched.

   • If no translation condition matches, the survey uses the base language and still shows the Language Selection Message.

   Dynamic sync of language selection options

   The language choices displayed in the Language Selection Message are now aligned with the most recent survey translations. Whenever a language is added to or removed from the survey, the language selection options are updated automatically, eliminating the need for admins to manually reconfigure existing distributions just to update the language list.

   Language selection asset type	Dynamic sync behavior
   Interactive List	Supports dynamic language updates when the survey has up to 10 languages.
   Text-based / Reply by Number	Supports dynamic language updates for any number of languages.
   Modern / dropdown-based selection	Supports dynamic language updates regardless of language count.

   Language selection asset limits

   When you utilize an Interactive List for the Language Selection Message, the user interface indicates that the Interactive List can accommodate a maximum of 10 languages. If the survey surpasses this threshold, consider switching to a compatible asset type like Reply by Number, text-based enumeration, or another supported selection asset capable of managing additional languages.

   Important: How translated assets are applied

   Translated message assets are optional and are required on a best-effort basis.

   Due to WhatsApp template approval workflows, cost considerations, and Meta review timelines, you are not required to configure translated assets for every message type. The distribution will not be blocked if some translated assets are missing.

   However:

   • Base language assets are mandatory and must be configured for all enabled message types.

   • If a translated asset is unavailable, the system will automatically fall back to the base language asset for that message.

   This ensures your distribution can proceed without delays while still delivering a valid WhatsApp message to every recipient.

   Example →

   Base language: English
   Additional language: Spanish

   Configured assets:

   • Invitation: English and Spanish

   • Reminder: English only

   • Thank You: English only

   Behavior:

   • Spanish recipients receive the Invitation in Spanish.

   • Reminder and Thank You messages are sent in English.

7. Go to Scheduling page:

   1. Go to Schedule Distribution page and fill in the details:

      1. Type: You can select the type of distribution from the drop-down.

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         1. Schedule: This option allows users to schedule the distribution for a specific date and time. For example, you may want to send an event feedback survey two days after the event ends. Simply enter the desired date and time, choose the sender account, and select the recipients.

         2. Send Now: This option allows you to send the distribution immediately after the configuration is completed and saved.

            Enter the sender account and choose your recipients, these can be individual profiles, profile lists, profile segments, or profile samples.

            For guidance on selecting recipients based on your needs, refer to the linked articles for more detailed information.

            Note: The system automatically detects and skips duplicate profiles from the selected sources by default.

            Note: When importing profiles for WhatsApp recipients into the audience profile, make sure to specify the channel name as "WHATSAPP_BUSINESS", regardless of whether the recipient is using a personal WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business account. This consistent channel naming is required across platforms to ensure proper functioning of WhatsApp distributions. Using "WHATSAPP" instead may lead to issues.

            You can save your progress at any time by clicking the “Save as Draft” option.

         3. Trigger Based: You can automatically distribute your survey based on workflow events or conditions.

      2. You can slide the toggle that states "Stop sending surveys if Meta changes template category" to avoid sending surveys when the template is changed. You can enable auto-pause for a WhatsApp distribution to prevent distributions from being sent if Meta reclassifies a template after it has already been approved.

         1. If Meta reclassifies any template used in the distribution:

            1. All new invites are automatically paused.

            2. Messages that were already sent are not affected.

            3. To resume sending:

               1. Edit the paused distribution.

         2. Replace the affected template with another approved template of the same type, or turn the toggle off

         3. Save and resume the distribution.

            Note on cost control and scheduling

            Auto-pause can also be used as a cost-safety mechanism.

            In some cases, a template may be reclassified by Meta from a lower-cost category (for example, Utility) to a higher-cost category (for example, Marketing) after the distribution is created. If you want to avoid sending messages under a more expensive category, enabling auto-pause ensures that the distribution automatically stops if such a reclassification occurs.

            This can relevant for scheduled ad-hoc distributions:

            • Between the time a distribution is created and the time it is scheduled to run, Meta reclassification can occur.

            • Auto-pause acts as a fallback to prevent unexpected costs or policy violations at send time.

            For Send Now distributions, this feature is generally less impactful since messages are sent immediately and do not continue over time. However, for distributions scheduled days in advance or spread over a longer window, auto-pause provides an additional layer of protection.

   2. Go to Recepients and fill in the details:

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      1. Select the Recepient Type from the drop-down. You can select the recepient type from the drop-down.

         1. Profile Based: You can focus on identified users by utilizing profile lists, segments, or samples.

            1. Choose the Profile Type, which can be a profile, profile list, or profile samples, and then select the corresponding value. You may include any combination of: Individual profiles, Profile lists, Profile samples.

               The system aggregates all selected profiles and removes duplicates automatically.

         2. Transaction Based: Surveys can be distributed according to transaction records associated with the user profile.

            1. Transaction Group: Choose the Transaction Group that has been linked to the survey, and you may apply filters to refine which transactions will receive the survey. The transaction group must be connected to the survey.

               Refine the selection of transactions using filters like:

               1. Transaction Created Time
                  Define the time window from which qualifying transactions should be picked

               2. Transaction Custom Fields

                  For example:

                  • Transaction group: Support Cases

                  • Send only when Region = India and Support Channel = WhatsApp

               3. Additional field-based conditions to refine the eligible transactions

         3. Understanding the Recipient Summary: The panel on the right shows the total number of unique recipients

            1. Suppressed recipients who have opted out

            2. Any duplicates identified.

   3. Expiry & Limit Details: Choose how long the survey link should remain active after it is sent. You can now select between:

      1. Static Expiry (Default): If you are using “Send Now“ or “Schedule“ distribution type

         1. Define a fixed start date/time to define the start of survey response collection. If the field is left empty, survey collection will start from the moment survey is sent out

         2. Define a fixed end date/time for the survey link to expire after which survey responses will not be accepted.

      2. Dynamic Expiry: Available only for trigger-based distributions. With this setting, the expiration is calculated dynamically based on when the link is sent to each respondent.

         For example, if dynamic expiry is set to 1 day and a user receives the link at 10 AM on June 4, their link will expire at 10 AM on June 5 — regardless of when the distribution was created.

         You can configure dynamic expiry in:

         • Hours (1–24)

         • Days (1+)

         Note: This setting overrides any fixed end date. It ensures all respondents get an equal window to respond, based on their interaction time.

   4. Go to Survey Link Duration and fill in the details:

      

      1. Start Date and Time: You have the option to choose the start date and time for the duration of the survey link. If you do not specify a time, the survey will begin collecting responses as soon as the distribution is set up.

      2. End Date and Time: You can select the end date and time.

      3. Limit Submissions per respondent: You have the option to enable or add the permitted submissions.

      4. Reset limit after time interval: You can also adjust the reset limit after a specified time interval to refresh the limit and include the frequency.

   5. Go to Distribution Tagging section and configure custom tags for reporting related to this distribution, Each custom field here will create a new column in the Responses Tab and click Save.

      The system will automatically check for duplicate profiles from the chosen sources and will skip them by default.

      Note: When importing profiles for WhatsApp recipients in the audience profile ensure that the channel name is mentioned as “WHATSAPP_BUSINESS” irrespective of whether the recipient profile is WhatsApp or WhatsApp business. The channel name is kept consistent across platforms for importing WhatsApp profiles and if WhatsApp is added as a channel then problems might start occurring with the functioning of WhatsApp distribution. Importing instructions to be added as part of the roadmap.

      You can save your progress at any time by using the “Save as Draft” option.

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Manage Distribution

Navigate to the Record Manager and click the Vertical Ellipses(3 dots) against the distribution. Let's have a look at the options:

• Edit Distribution: You can make changes to the distribution.

• Clone: You can clone the distribution.

• Distribution Report: Monitors responses and manage follow-ups using WhatsApp distribution Report.

• Delete: You can delete the distribution.

• View: You can view the distribution details by clicking the eye icon.

Monitor distribution metrics from the distribution Record Manager as the respondents start filling the survey and view distribution Report.

Preview

You can use the Preview feature to see how your message will appear in the WhatsApp chat interface for respondents. While the survey builder lets you test the survey experience, you'll need to create a test distribution targeting a specific test account to fully test the WhatsApp distribution, including message delivery, timing, and reminders. Once you're satisfied with the results, clone the distribution and make any necessary changes before sending it to your actual audience.

Best Practices

• Clear and Concise Messaging: Use simple, direct language to ensure your message is quickly understood.

• Optimal Timing: Schedule messages strategically to reach recipients when they’re most likely to engage.

• Smart Use of Multimedia: Incorporate images, videos, or GIFs to make your messages more engaging and impactful.

• Compliance with WhatsApp's Terms of Service: Respect user privacy and avoid sending unsolicited or spammy messages.

FAQs