Why it matters
Creating campaigns is how you send messages at scale to your contacts. A clear setup process helps you choose the right channel, reuse templates when helpful, and configure audiences, content, and scheduling correctly so campaigns go out to the right people at the right time.
Key Concepts
Channel: The messaging type used for a campaign. Whippy supports SMS, Email, and WhatsApp campaigns, each with its own campaign list and editor.
Template: A prebuilt campaign starting point. Templates usually include message content and can include other settings. You can browse and select templates or start a campaign from scratch.
Create campaign modal: The first modal shown when you click Create campaign. It lets you either browse templates or choose to create a new campaign from scratch.
Basic info: First section in the campaign editor. You name your campaign and select which SMS number, email sender, or WhatsApp channel to send from.
Audience: Defines which contacts will receive or be excluded from the campaign. You can use quick filters, lists, tags, segments, or advanced filters (especially for email).
Message: Where you write the message content. Each channel has its own editor: SMS and WhatsApp use a text box, email adds subject and sender details.
Schedule and settings: Optional configuration for send time, recurring sends, batching, quiet hours, and link tracking.
Automations: Optional for SMS and Email campaigns. Lets you trigger workflows based on replies, link clicks, or calls. Not available for WhatsApp campaigns.
Step-by-Step: Create a new campaign
1. Open the Campaigns section and select a channel
In the left sidebar, click Campaigns.
From the expanded menu, choose SMS, Email, or WhatsApp.
Confirm you are on the correct channel page by checking the header and the tabs (All campaigns, Drafts, Scheduled, etc.).
2. Start a new SMS campaign
2.1 Open the SMS campaigns page
Click Campaigns in the sidebar.
Click SMS under Campaigns.
You will see the SMS campaigns list with tabs for All campaigns, Drafts, Scheduled, Recurring, Complete, and Archived.
2.2 Create an SMS campaign from a template
On the SMS campaigns page, click Create campaign in the top right corner.
In the modal, browse the list of templates.
Use filters if needed:
Channel
Industry
Use case
Event
Scroll and click the template you want to use (for example “Job offer”, “Merry Christmas”, “Happy Birthday”).
The editor will open with template content prefilled. Continue with Section 5: Complete the campaign sections.
2.3 Create an SMS campaign from scratch
On the SMS campaigns page, click Create campaign.
In the modal, click Create campaign from scratch.
You will be taken to the Create new campaign page with the sections:
Basic info
Audience
Message
Schedule and settings
Automations
Continue with Section 5: Complete the campaign sections.
3. Start a new Email campaign
3.1 Open the Email campaigns page
Click Campaigns in the sidebar.
Click Email under Campaigns.
Confirm you see the email campaign tabs: All campaigns, Drafts, Scheduled, Recurring, Complete, Archived.
3.2 Create an Email campaign from a template
On the Email campaigns page, click Create campaign.
If your organisation has email templates, they appear in a modal.
Browse or search templates, or filter by channel, industry, use case, etc.
Click the email template you want to use.
The campaign editor opens with the template subject and body filled. Continue with Section 5: Complete the campaign sections (email-specific details are in step 5.3).
3.3 Create an Email campaign from scratch
On the Email campaigns page, click Create campaign.
In the modal, click Create campaign from scratch.
You are taken to the new email campaign editor with sections:
Basic info
Audience
Message (email specific)
Schedule and settings
Automations
Continue with Section 5: Complete the campaign sections.
4. Start a new WhatsApp campaign
4.1 Open the WhatsApp campaigns page
Click Campaigns in the sidebar.
Click WhatsApp under Campaigns.
You will see the WhatsApp campaigns list with the same status tabs as other channels.
4.2 Create a WhatsApp campaign from a template
On the WhatsApp campaigns page, click Create campaign.
In the modal, browse available WhatsApp templates, if your organisation has them.
Select a template by clicking on it.
The editor opens with the template message. Continue with Section 5: Complete the campaign sections (WhatsApp-specific details are in step 5.4).
4.3 Create a WhatsApp campaign from scratch
On the WhatsApp campaigns page, click Create campaign.
In the modal, click Create campaign from scratch.
The editor opens with sections:
Basic info
Audience
Message
Schedule and settings
(No Automations section for WhatsApp campaigns)
Continue with Section 5: Complete the campaign sections.
5. Complete the campaign sections (all channels)
The following steps apply to SMS, Email, and WhatsApp. Where a section behaves differently per channel, that is noted.
5.1 Fill out Basic info
In Basic info, enter a clear internal name in Name campaign.
In Send campaign from, select the sender:
For SMS: choose the SMS number from the dropdown.
For Email: choose the email sending channel (from address).
For WhatsApp: choose the WhatsApp channel.
Click Save to confirm Basic info.
5.2 Configure the Audience (quick or advanced)
Go to the Audience section.
Choose between Quick filters and, where supported, Advanced filters.
Quick filters (all channels):
In Include contacts, start typing a contact name to search and select them.
Switch to Lists, Tags, or Segments tabs to include larger groups:
Type to search for a list, tag, or segment.
Click an item to add it. Tokens appear as boxes that you can remove with the X.
Use Add new contact if you need to create a contact and include it immediately.
In Exclude contacts, repeat the same pattern for contacts, lists, tags, or segments you want to exclude.
Use the paste or upload contacts icon on the right side of both include and exclude fields if you want to bulk add contacts.
Advanced filters (especially for email):
Switch to Advanced filters for more complex logic.
Build a condition by selecting:
Resource (for example contact, campaign, contact message, contact tag, contact list, conversation, communication preference, segment, or custom object).
Property relevant to the resource.
Operator (equals or does not equal).
Value.
Use More options on a condition to:
Add another condition.
Change the join type (AND / OR).
Duplicate or remove conditions.
Use Copy raw filter JSON, Copy clean filter JSON, or Import filter JSON if you work directly with filter JSON.
Audience safety toggles (as available):
Turn on Exclude contacts with open conversations in any location, regardless of access if you want to avoid messaging contacts who already have open threads.
Turn on Exclude contacts who have recently received another campaign.
Set the number of days for “recently” using the numeric field or the plus/minus buttons.
Click Save to confirm the audience.
5.3 Write the message (SMS, Email, WhatsApp)
SMS message:
In the Message section for SMS:
Type your message in the text editor.
Use the controls to:
Add attachments.
Insert an existing template.
View how many credits the message will use.
Add a message variable.
Translate the message.
Enable or disable a signature.
Click Save or move to the next section if all required fields are complete.
Email message:
In the Message section for Email, fill:
Subject.
Sender name.
Sender email.
Reply-to email.
Choose the plain text editor and type the email body in the left text area.
Use the controls to:
Add attachments.
Insert templates.
Add message variables.
Translate the message.
Enable or disable a signature.
Review the live preview of the email on the right side.
Click Save.
WhatsApp message:
In the Message section for WhatsApp:
Type your WhatsApp message in the editor.
Use the controls to add attachments, templates, variables, translation, and signature, similar to SMS.
Click Save.
5.4 Configure Schedule and settings
Go to Schedule and settings.
To send at a specific time:
Toggle Schedule message on.
Choose the date, time, and time zone.
To send repeatedly:
Toggle Recurring scheduled message on.
Choose frequency (daily, weekly, monthly, yearly).
Set time, time zone, start date, and end date.
To limit sending volume over time:
Toggle Send messages in batches on.
Set the number of messages per batch.
Set the interval value and unit (minutes, hours, or days).
Under Campaign settings (primarily for SMS):
Toggle Pause sending during SMS quiet hours on to pause before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m.
Toggle Pause sending on weekends on if needed.
Toggle Pause sending outside of business hours on to respect business hours.
Under Campaign link tracking settings:
Toggle link tracking on to allow Whippy to shorten and track links.
Optionally toggle Disable link tracking for this campaign only to keep original links. Note that long links or third party shorteners increase spam risk.
Choose the default domain for link tracking from the dropdown.
Click Save.
5.5 Add Automations (SMS and Email only)
Go to Automations (available for SMS and Email, not WhatsApp).
Click Add trigger.
To create a new automation:
Click New automation.
Choose a trigger type:
Keyword trigger when a contact responds with a specific keyword.
Response trigger when a contact replies.
Link click trigger when a contact clicks a tracked link.
Call trigger when a contact calls in response.
To use an automation template:
Click Automation templates.
Search by template name or browse the list available to your organisation.
Click the eye icon to preview a template.
Optionally click Go to template to open the full template in a new tab.
Tick the checkbox beside the template you want and click Select.
After linking, verify the template appears in the Automations section.
Use the bin icon to remove a template, the eye icon to preview it, and the link icon to open it in a new tab.
5.6 Use the side drawer tools
On the right side of the campaign editor, use:
View audience to see included contacts and a linked audience-help article.
View excluded audience to see excluded contacts and totals.
View message preview to see how the message appears on a contact’s device.
View help to open relevant help articles.
Each of these opens a side drawer with more detail.
5.7 Save, test, and send the campaign
Use Save as draft in the top bar to keep working later. The campaign will appear in Drafts.
Click Send test message:
In the modal, enter Phone number (for SMS and WhatsApp tests) and Recipient name.
Send the test to verify content and formatting.
When ready, click Send campaign:
A confirmation modal appears warning that you are about to send a campaign.
Type confirm to proceed.
After sending, your campaign will appear at the top of All campaigns for that channel.
Tips and Best Practices
Decide your channel first based on content and compliance needs, then start on that channel’s page.
Use templates for recurring patterns, such as job offers or holiday messages, and adjust only the details for each send.
When creating from scratch, complete Basic info and Audience first before writing the message. This keeps you focused on who you are contacting.
Always send a test message before sending a campaign, especially for email subject lines and link-heavy content.
Use exclude recent campaign recipients to limit message fatigue and maintain healthy unsubscribe rates.
For SMS and WhatsApp, keep messages short and use tracked links for longer content.
For email, check the preview pane and confirm sender name and email are correct before sending.
For WhatsApp campaigns, remember that Automations are not available, so plan any follow-up flows separately.
Use Save as draft frequently while building complex audiences or automation setups.
Troubleshooting
Issue | Possible Cause | Fix |
Cannot see the right channel when creating a campaign | Wrong channel selected in Campaigns menu | In the sidebar, click Campaigns, then explicitly select SMS, Email, or WhatsApp and try again. |
Template list is empty | No templates created for that channel | Create a new campaign from scratch, then consider saving a similar campaign as a template later, or ask an admin to create templates. |
“Send campaign” button does not work | Required fields missing in Basic info, Audience, or Message | Check each section for missing values (for example campaign name, sender, subject, message body, audience) and click Save. |
Audience size seems too small or too large | Include and exclude rules overlap, or advanced filters are too broad / narrow | Review Include and Exclude fields and any advanced filters. Adjust lists, tags, or filter conditions, then save again. |
Test message not received | Wrong test phone number or email, or spam filtering | Verify the test recipient details, resend the test, and confirm network or spam folder for email. |
Automations section missing for a WhatsApp campaign | Automations are not supported for WhatsApp campaigns | Use SMS or Email campaigns if you require automations, or handle follow-ups through other workflows. |
Links appear long in messages | Link tracking disabled or not using short links | In Schedule and settings, check Campaign link tracking settings and ensure tracking is enabled, or use a tracked link from the Links section. |
Campaign sent at an unexpected time | Scheduling or recurring settings misconfigured | Reopen Schedule and settings to review scheduled date, time, time zone, recurring options, and batch settings before sending future campaigns. |