# Write the broadcast message

Each number sends one approved template, with its blanks filled from the contact or from a fallback you choose.

## Quick start

1. In the broadcast, scroll to **Message Content**. A channel must be chosen first.
2. Click **Add Content** (or a number's tab), then choose an approved **Template** — what this number's recipients will receive.
3. For each blank pick a **Source**: **Contact field**, **Same text for everyone** or **Tracked link**.
4. A **Contact field** also needs a **Fallback**. Fill any **Header** link and button value.
5. Read the preview, then go on to **Review**. Nothing is sent here.

## Watch out

- You cannot write free text. A broadcast always sends an approved template.
- A fallback is required on every blank filled from a contact detail, and it cannot be empty.

![The picked template above Body variables, {{2}} mapped to a fixed order number.](https://inchat.inseller.my/help/broadcasts/broadcast-message-content-1.webp)

![Preview · Avery Chen: the template text with Avery's first name and order #1082 filled in.](https://inchat.inseller.my/help/broadcasts/broadcast-message-content-2.webp)

## Getting here

**Broadcasts** → open the broadcast → the **Message Content** section, under **Configuration**.

## Before you start

- A channel has to be chosen first. Clicking **Add Content** without one outlines the **Channel** field instead.
- The template must already be approved on that number. Templates are synced under **Settings → Templates**.
- With **Last interacted channel**, every ticked number gets its own tab and its own template.

## Fields

| Field | What it means | Default | Limits |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Template | The approved template to send, shown as its name and language. | — | — |
| Header variable | The blank in a text header. | — | — |
| Image / Video / Document URL | The web address of the picture, video or file a media header carries. | — | — |
| Body variables | One row per blank in the message body, numbered the way the template numbers them. | — | — |
| Contact field | Fill the blank from that person's **Full name**, **First name**, **Phone** or **Email**. | — | — |
| Same text for everyone | One fixed piece of text. | — | — |
| Tracked link | A link each person gets their own copy of, so clicks can be counted. | — | — |
| Fallback | What to use when that contact's field is empty. | there | Required, and it cannot be blank: WhatsApp refuses an empty value. |
| Buttons | A quick-reply value, a copy code, or the ending of a link, depending on what the template's buttons are. | — | Only buttons that need a value from you appear. |

## How it works

- Choosing a template lays out exactly the blanks that template has. Change the template and the rows are rebuilt to match.
- Every body blank starts as **First name** with the fallback **there**, so a message reads sensibly before you touch anything.
- A fallback is required on any blank filled from a contact detail, and it cannot be empty: WhatsApp refuses an empty value and would take the whole send down with it.
- A **Tracked link** gives each person their own copy of your link. Clicks on it are what the report's **Clicked** and **Click rate** count.
- Choosing **Tracked link** renames the box beside it to **Link**, and that is where the web address goes.
- A text header takes the same three sources as a body blank. A picture, video or document header takes a plain web address instead, the same for everybody.
- Buttons come from the approved template, and only the ones that need a value from you appear. A quick-reply button takes a value your workflow can read, a copy-code button takes the code, and a link button takes the part of the address that changes per person.
- The preview under the rows shows the template with your choices applied.
- What this section accepts is exactly what publishing accepts, because both read the template's shape with the same reader.
- With **Last interacted channel**, the tabs across the top are your ticked numbers. A tab with nothing written yet carries a red dot.
- Everything saves by itself as you work.

## When it fails

- No approved template on that number: **No approved templates on this channel — sync them under Settings → Templates.**
- Publishing before choosing a template: **Pick a template for the message.**
- A template that is not approved: **Only approved templates can be broadcast.**
- A template that belongs to another number: **That template belongs to a different channel.**
- A blank left with an empty fallback: **Give a fallback — WhatsApp rejects an empty parameter.** The message points at the row it means.
- With several numbers, one tab left empty: **Every selected channel needs a message.**
- **Add Content** clicked before a channel is chosen: the **Channel** field is outlined and says **This field is required.**

## Limits

- You cannot write free text here. A broadcast always sends an approved template, because many people on a list are outside the 24-hour window in which WhatsApp allows free text.
- You cannot edit the template itself from here, and you cannot add a button the template does not have.
- Only four contact details can fill a blank: **Full name**, **First name**, **Phone** and **Email**. Your own contact fields are not offered.
- The preview shows your setup, not a real person's message. It does not prove the number is reachable or the picture loads — a test send does that.
- One template per number. Two versions of a message need two broadcasts, or two numbers.
- A media header takes a web address, not a file from your computer.

## Best practices

- Write the fallback as a real greeting, not a blank. Every contact with no first name reads it.
- Send yourself a test before you publish. It is the only way to see what the picture and the buttons actually do.
- Use a **Tracked link** whenever you want to know whether the campaign worked. Without one the report has no click figures.
- Keep the same template name across numbers when you use several, so the tabs are easy to check.

## Use cases

- A festival greeting with the customer's first name, and a fallback of **there**.
- A back-in-stock message with the same text for everybody and one tracked link to the product.
- Two numbers, two brands: one tab each, two templates, one broadcast.
- A voucher template with a copy-code button, where you type the code once.

## FAQ and troubleshooting

### Can I just type my own message?

No. A broadcast always sends an approved template, because many people on a list are outside the 24-hour window in which WhatsApp allows free text.

### What happens to somebody with no first name?

They get the fallback you typed. That is why it is required.

### Why can I not use one of my own contact fields in a blank?

The picker offers name, first name, phone and email only. Put the value in the template as fixed text, or split the send by segment.

### Does the preview mean it will work?

It means your setup is complete. Only a test send proves the picture loads and the buttons behave.

### Can I change the message after publishing?

No. Cancel the broadcast back to a draft while it is still scheduled, change it, choose the timing again, and publish.

## Related

- [Choose who receives a broadcast](https://inchat.inseller.my/help/broadcasts/choose-who-receives-a-broadcast)
- [Review, test-send and publish a broadcast](https://inchat.inseller.my/help/broadcasts/review-test-send-and-schedule)
- [Read a broadcast's results](https://inchat.inseller.my/help/broadcasts/broadcast-report)
- [Send WhatsApp Template](https://inchat.inseller.my/help/workflows/send-whatsapp-template)

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Source files: `src/components/broadcasts/MessageContentStep.tsx`, `src/components/broadcasts/TemplatePreview.tsx`, `src/components/broadcasts/BroadcastBuilder.tsx`, `src/lib/broadcasts/template-vars.ts`, `src/lib/broadcasts/tracked-links.ts`, `src/lib/broadcasts/audience.ts`, `src/lib/broadcasts/draft.ts`, `src/lib/inbox/wa-window.ts`, `src/app/(app)/broadcasts/actions.ts`