How to Send Bulk WhatsApp Campaigns from CSV Upload

Too Long? Didn't Read ● A WhatsApp campaign is a bulk message sent to opted-in contacts using an approved template through the WhatsApp Business API, not a one-to-one chat. ● Every campaign needs three things: an active API connection, an approved template, and an audience to send to. ● A CSV file is the fastest way to build your audience when contacts already exist outside AiSensy. Name and Mobile Number are the only mandatory columns. ● The flow is simple: log in, import or sync contacts, create the campaign, segment the audience, send or schedule, and monitor performance. ● AiSensy supports unlimited contacts per broadcast, compared with the 256-contact limit on the standard WhatsApp Business App.

Want to send a WhatsApp campaign to hundreds or thousands of contacts at once?

More than 175 million people message a WhatsApp Business account every day. A CSV file and one approved WhatsApp template are all it takes to send that first campaign.

With AiSensy, you can simply upload your contacts through a CSV file, select an approved WhatsApp template, and send or schedule your campaign.

In this guide, you’ll learn what a WhatsApp campaign is and how to send a bulk WhatsApp campaign or a broadcast using a CSV file, from importing contacts to tracking campaign performance.

What is a WhatsApp Campaign?

A WhatsApp campaign is a message, or a short series of messages, sent from a business number to a group of opted-in contacts through the WhatsApp Business API. It reaches many people at once, and unlike a personal chat, it can only run on a template WhatsApp has already approved.

Why Not Use Regular WhatsApp for Bulk Messages?

Some businesses use unofficial WhatsApp tools, browser extensions, or modified apps to send bulk messages. These methods can violate WhatsApp policies and may put your number at risk of being blocked.

The safer option is the WhatsApp Business API. It is built for sending messages at scale and supports approved templates, personalization, and delivery tracking.

With AiSensy, an official WhatsApp Business Solution Provider, you can upload contacts through CSV, get templates approved, and send bulk campaigns without coding.

Read more: How to create a WhatsApp marketing campaign

The Six-Step Process, Bulk CSV WhatsApp Broadcast from Sheets via AiSensy

Step 1: Log in to Your AiSensy Dashboard

Sign in to the AiSensy dashboard and confirm the WhatsApp Business API connection is approved and active. Broadcast messaging, including a CSV-based send, stays switched off until the API is live.

You cannot send WhatsApp broadcasts until the API is live.

If you have not set it up yet, see how to apply for the WhatsApp Business API.

A newly activated WhatsApp API account can initially send broadcasts to up to 250 unique users per day.

The Free Forever plan does not include broadcast sending. To send a broadcast, you need either the 14-day free trial or a paid AiSensy plan.

You can also complete KYC verification to increase the daily broadcast limit from 250 to 2,000 users.

Step 2: Go to the Contacts Section and Import Your Contacts

Go to the Contacts section in AiSensy.

If your contacts are stored in Excel or Google Sheets, download the file as a CSV before uploading it.

You can also follow AiSensy's import and export contacts tutorial.

Import Your Contacts via CSV

- Click Import and choose one of these options:

• Import Contacts: Adds the contacts to your AiSensy contact list.
• Import and Broadcast: Uploads the contacts and takes you directly to campaign creation.
  
  You can also follow AiSensy's contact import and export tutorial.  
  
  

- Upload your CSV file.
Click Upload File and select the file from your system.

AiSensy currently accepts only .csv files, so Excel or Google Sheets files must first be downloaded in CSV format.

- Use the sample sheet if needed.

If you are creating the file from scratch, you can use AiSensy's sample Excel sheet. Add your contacts and tags, then download the sheet as a CSV file.One import can be up to 50 MB, which is roughly 2 lakh contacts. Larger lists need to be split into multiple files.

- Match your CSV columns with AiSensy fields.
For example: Name → User Name
Mobile Number → Phone NumberDo the same for the other columns in your CSV.

- Click Import.
After the upload, AiSensy shows how many contacts were:

- Added
- Updated
- Skipped

It also shows the reason for any failed imports.

- Added
- Updated
- Skipped

Your CSV must contain Name and Mobile Number. Other fields are optional.

Two columns are mandatory in the CSV: Name and Mobile Number. Everything else below is optional but useful for later segmentation.

Step 3: Create Your Campaign

If you selected Import and Broadcast, AiSensy will directly take you to campaign creation.

You will go through four steps:

Campaign Name → Upload CSV → Create Message → Test & Preview

Using plain Import Contacts instead, filter and select the imported contacts on the Contacts page, then click Broadcast in the toolbar, next to Import and Actions. That opens the same Create Campaign screen, with the audience already attached.

This opens the Create Campaign screen.

At the top, AiSensy shows your Quality Rating, Template Messaging Tier, Remaining Quota, Selected Audience, and Final Audience. Check these before continuing.

Then complete the campaign setup:

1. Enter a Campaign Name. Use a unique name so you can easily identify the campaign later.
2. Select an approved WhatsApp template. Search for and choose the template you want to send. Only WhatsApp-approved templates can be used for a broadcast.
3. Choose whether to schedule the campaign. Turn on Schedule Date and Time if you want to send it later. Otherwise, keep it off to send immediately.
4. Set up Retry Campaign if needed. AiSensy lets you retry failed messages automatically, with up to 3 retries.
5. Keep opted-out users excluded. The Exclude Opted-out data option helps prevent messages from being sent to contacts who have opted out of future campaigns.
6. Send a test message. Enter a WhatsApp number under Test Campaign and send a test to check how the message looks before broadcasting it to your audience.
7. Once everything looks correct, click Send Now or schedule the campaign for later.
   

Next, select an approved WhatsApp template.

If you do not already have one, create a new template under Manage, submit it for WhatsApp approval, and wait for it to be approved before sending the campaign.

You can personalize the message using details from your CSV, such as:

• $FirstName
• $Name
• Custom attributes

For example, instead of sending:

Hi, check out our latest offer.

You can send:

Hi $FirstName, check out our latest offer.

Always use Test & Preview before sending to check how the final message will appear.

See the WhatsApp template message guide for more details.

Step 4: Choose Your Audience

Now select the contacts who should receive the campaign.

You can filter contacts using:

• Tags
• Custom attributes
• Previous campaign activity
• Messages read
• Replies
• Link clicks

For example, if you added the tag September Leads during CSV import, you can simply filter by that tag and send the campaign only to those contacts.

See how to filter your audience for more options.

Step 5: Send or Schedule the Campaign

Once your audience and message are ready, choose whether you want to:

• Send the campaign now, or
• Schedule it for later

AiSensy's WhatsApp Scheduler lets you schedule messages up to two months in advance.

You can also add images, videos, or documents if your approved template supports them.

Step 6: Track Campaign Performance

After sending the campaign, go to the Campaigns page.

Here you can track:

• Messages delivered
• Messages read
• Replies
• Link clicks

Use this data to understand how the campaign performed.

You can also retarget people based on their actions. For example, you can follow up with contacts who opened your message but did not reply, or clicked a link but did not convert.

For more tips, see the official WhatsApp broadcasting guide.

AiSensy Features : Beyond Bulk WhatsApp Messaging

AiSensy is more than a WhatsApp bulk message sender. You can use AiSensy to automate conversations, generate leads, manage support, and drive sales directly on WhatsApp.

•  No coding required: Set up broadcasts, chatbots, automations, and workflows on AiSensy without needing a developer.
•  AI Agents on WhatsApp: Use AiSensy AI Agents to answer customer queries, qualify leads, recommend products, and support sales 24/7, with human handoff when needed.
•  Drag-and-drop chatbot builder: Build no-code chatbot flows on AiSensy for lead capture, FAQs, bookings, support, and more.
•  Smart broadcasting and automation: Send personalized bulk WhatsApp campaigns with AiSensy and automate messages such as order updates, reminders, webinar confirmations, and cart recovery.
•  Built-in Ads Manager: Run Click-to-WhatsApp, Website, and Lead Form ads from AiSensy across Facebook and Instagram.
•  WhatsApp Blue Tick support: AiSensy helps businesses apply for WhatsApp Blue Tick verification.
•  Commerce inside WhatsApp: Use AiSensy to share product catalogs and collect payments directly inside WhatsApp through WhatsApp Payments.
•  Multi-agent live chat: Manage conversations from one WhatsApp number with your entire team using AiSensy, with chat assignment and routing.
•  Advanced retargeting: Use AiSensy to retarget users based on message reads, replies, and CTA clicks.
•  Actionable analytics: Track delivery, reads, replies, clicks, and campaign performance in real time from the AiSensy dashboard.
•  Integrations: Connect AiSensy with CRMs, e-commerce platforms, and APIs to automate customer communication.
•  Transparent pricing and support: Choose from clear AiSensy pricing plans and get help from the support team when needed.

Can You Send Bulk WhatsApp Messages for Free with AiSensy?

Not completely.

You can start using AiSensy with its Free Forever plan, but sending bulk WhatsApp broadcasts requires an active trial or paid plan.

You also need enough WhatsApp message credits to cover Meta’s messaging charges when sending bulk campaigns.

So while AiSensy makes it easy to set up and manage bulk WhatsApp messaging, the actual message delivery is not completely free.

You can check the latest AiSensy pricing plans here.

Best Practices for Sending Bulk WhatsApp Messages from a CSV

Uploading a CSV is easy, but the quality of that list matters. A bad list can quickly increase blocks, reports, and failed deliveries.

•  Use only opted-in contacts: Upload people who have agreed to receive WhatsApp messages from your business. Avoid scraped or purchased lists.
•  Clean the CSV before upload: Remove invalid, duplicate, or old numbers so you are not sending messages to poor-quality contacts.
•  Segment before sending: Use tags and attributes in the CSV to group users by interest, source, location, or past activity instead of sending the same message to everyone.
•  Avoid sending to the full list at once: If the list is large, send in smaller batches and watch how users respond.
•  Keep messages relevant: Match the message to the audience you imported. Irrelevant broadcasts are more likely to get ignored or reported.
•  Watch your quality rating: Check your WhatsApp quality rating inside AiSensy. If it starts dropping, pause large broadcasts and review the audience and message before sending again.
  
  Read More: How to Grow Your WhatsApp Subscriber List

CSV Checklist Before You Hit Import

Before uploading the file, quickly check these points:

•  Make sure every row has a Name and Mobile Number. Both are required.
•  Create all tags in AiSensy first under Manage → Tags → +Create. The tag name in your CSV must match exactly, including spelling and capital letters. See how to add and manage tags.
•  Add the country code with a + sign for every non-Indian number. Numbers without a country code are treated as Indian numbers.
•  Check the column mapping before importing so Name, Mobile Number, Tags, and other fields are matched correctly.
•  If you are creating the file from scratch, use the sample sheet available in the Import section so the format is already correct.

A quick check before import can save you from fixing hundreds or thousands of contacts later.

Conclusion

Sending bulk WhatsApp messages from a CSV with AiSensy is simple once your file is prepared correctly.

The basic flow is straightforward: prepare the CSV, import contacts, segment the audience, choose an approved template, send or schedule the campaign, and track the results.

The most important part is the quality of your contact list. Use opted-in contacts, keep your CSV clean, segment users properly, and monitor campaign performance. That helps you send more relevant messages while keeping your WhatsApp account in good standing.

Ready to get started?

Get Started

FAQs