WhatsApp · First messages

WhatsApp Business Greeting Message Templates That Open the Chat

A first message can start in two ways. The customer writes to you, and an automatic greeting answers; or they join your list, and you open with a welcome template. This page has four of each, built with buttons, images and a lookbook.

Pick a first message

See all eight Write your greeting

A greeting with a three-button menu: WhatsApp greeting message on an iPhone

A greeting with a three-button menu: WhatsApp greeting message on an Android phone

Reply menu as it appears on two phonesOpen it →

Greetings, then sign-ups

WhatsApp business greeting message examples, then four welcome templates

Numbers one to four are greetings: replies to a customer who wrote first. Five to eight are welcome templates you send after an opt-in. Each card gives the send moment, the fields and an iPhone preview, with Android a tap away.

No. 01 · Reply menu

A greeting with a three-button menu

Greeting replyBeautyInstantly, on a customer's very first message

Most first messages are one of three questions. Offering those as buttons gets the customer to the right answer in one tap, and tells your team what each chat is about.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

Hi {{first_name}}, welcome to LUMA on WhatsApp. Tell us what you need: pick an option or simply type your question.

Buttons

Track my order Find my routine Talk to a person

Greeting reply · 3 buttons · body 115 / 1,024 characters

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Replying after closing time: WhatsApp greeting message on an iPhone

No. 02 · Out of hours

Replying after closing time

Greeting replyFashionWhen someone writes outside opening hours

Silence overnight looks like nobody is there. A greeting that gives the reply time, plus one thing the customer can do now, keeps the question alive until morning.

Fields

Body

Thanks for writing, {{first_name}}. The MAREN team is offline until 9am, but your message is saved and it will be the first one we answer. Order details are always at maren.co/orders in the meantime.

Greeting reply · 0 buttons · body 199 / 1,024 characters

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A greeting for people who tapped an ad: WhatsApp greeting message on an iPhone

No. 03 · From an ad

A greeting for people who tapped an ad

Greeting replyHomeWhen a click-to-WhatsApp ad opens the chat

A person arriving from an ad already has one product in mind. Naming that product and the two likeliest questions saves them from starting the conversation from scratch.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

Hello {{first_name}}, you came over from our post about the Round oak table. Ask us anything about sizes, finishes or delivery, or choose a topic below.

Buttons

Sizes and seating Delivery dates See the table

Greeting reply · 3 buttons · body 154 / 1,024 characters

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Greeting a customer after a quiet spell: WhatsApp greeting message on an iPhone

No. 04 · Returning

Greeting a customer after a quiet spell

Greeting replySupplementsWhen a known customer writes after two weeks or more

A returning customer is usually writing about an order. Asking for the order number upfront shortens the conversation for both sides.

Fields

Header

Hello again from Northwell

Body

Good to hear from you again, {{first_name}}. If this is about an order, send the order number and we will look it up straight away.

Buttons

It is about an order Product question

Greeting reply · 2 buttons · body 131 / 1,024 characters

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No. 05 · First-order code

A welcome template after a website sign-up

MarketingFashionSeconds after the WhatsApp box is ticked on the website

This is the message the customer was promised in exchange for their number. Deliver the code first and say how often you will write, so the first impression is a kept promise.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

Welcome to MAREN on WhatsApp, {{first_name}}. New collections will reach you here first, a few times a month at most. As promised, your first order gets 10% off.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

Copy offer code · HELLO10 Shop new in

Marketing · 2 buttons · body 163 / 1,024 characters

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A first question about interests: WhatsApp greeting message on an iPhone

No. 06 · Preferences

A first question about interests

MarketingBeautyRight after a new WhatsApp subscriber joins

One question on day one sorts a new subscriber into the right segment. Every message after that can be about the part of the routine they actually care about.

Fields

Header

Image product photo

Body

You are in, {{first_name}}. Which part of your skincare routine matters most to you? Pick one and we will keep our news to that.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

Cleansing Hydration Sun care

Marketing · 3 buttons · body 128 / 1,024 characters

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Where first-time customers usually start: WhatsApp greeting message on an iPhone

No. 07 · Carousel

Where first-time customers usually start

MarketingSupplementsOne day after a new subscriber joins

A new subscriber faces a whole catalogue. Three products that most first orders include give them a short, safe place to begin.

Fields

Body

Glad you joined Northwell, {{first_name}}. Not sure where to begin? These three are what most new customers pick for their first order.

Cards

Daily Greens · $38 Electrolyte sachets · $24 Ashwagandha drops · $29

Marketing · carousel of 3 cards · body 135 / 1,024 characters

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A lookbook sent as a document: WhatsApp greeting message on an iPhone

No. 08 · Lookbook PDF

A lookbook sent as a document

MarketingHomeA few hours after a new subscriber joins

Furniture buyers like to browse slowly. A PDF lookbook stays in the chat, ready to open again whenever the room planning starts.

Fields

Header

Document Alder & Co autumn lookbook.pdf

Body

Thanks for joining Alder & Co on WhatsApp, {{first_name}}. Our autumn lookbook is attached: twelve rooms, with every piece in them listed by name.

Footer

Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Buttons

Shop the lookbook

Marketing · 1 button · body 146 / 1,024 characters

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Greeting builder

Draft your own first message and see it in the chat

Load a greeting or a sign-up message, rewrite it in your voice, and the phone shows the result as you type. Every field displays its count against WhatsApp's limit, and the checklist confirms the basics.

Base message

Header text0 / 60

Body0 / 1,024

Bold a word with *asterisks*. The sample customer's name replaces {{first_name}} in the preview.

Footer0 / 60

Button 10 / 25

Button 20 / 25

Body within the 1,024 limit
Each field inside its cap
Name sits inside the sentence
Offers a next step

9:41

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Business account

Today

Message

An automatic greeting with three reply buttons, on an iPhone

Two kinds of hello

Greeting reply or welcome template: which one you need

Who writes first decides the rules. An automatic reply answers the customer inside their own conversation; a welcome template opens one, and needs Meta's approval to do it.

Customer writes first

Your reply sits inside the conversation they opened, so it can be a free-form greeting with no template approval.

You write first

Any message that opens the conversation has to use a template Meta approved, and an opening offer counts as marketing.

The 14-day greeting

In the WhatsApp Business app, the greeting goes out on a customer's first message, or once 14 quiet days have passed.

Opt-in comes first

A welcome template is for people who agreed to WhatsApp messages from your brand, for example by ticking a box at sign-up.

Good practice

Five habits of a good first message

Answer in secondsA reply that arrives a minute later has missed the point. Trigger it on the incoming message itself.
Say who is replyingMake clear whether a person or an automatic reply is speaking, and when a person will pick up.
Offer two or three pathsButtons for the most common questions beat a long paragraph of instructions.
Keep the promise from sign-upIf the form promised a code, deliver it in the first message, not the third.
Tell them how oftenA line about frequency in that first template sets expectations and cuts early opt-outs.

Make every first message count with Zefir

Zefir writes your greetings and welcome templates, sends them the moment a chat opens or a subscriber joins, while logging every opt-in and honouring each unsubscribe request.

Request access See how it works

1,000+online brands message customers with Zefir

12 to 15%average increase in revenue per order

Questions

First messages on WhatsApp, explained

What does a WhatsApp Business greeting message do?

It is an automatic reply sent the first time a customer contacts you, or in the Business app after 14 days with no contact. Zefir writes greetings that point each customer to the right answer in one tap.

Does a greeting need Meta's template approval?

No, a reply inside a conversation the customer opened is a free-form message, while a message you send first has to be a template Meta approved. Zefir handles both and knows which one each moment needs.

What should a welcome template include?

The thing you promised at sign-up, such as a code, plus how often you will write and how to unsubscribe. Every such message Zefir sends is logged against the customer's consent and respects their quiet hours.

Can a greeting use buttons?

Yes, quick-reply buttons work well for the two or three most common first questions. Zefir sets those up so every tap is routed to the right reply or team member.

How quickly can greetings go live?

As soon as the wording is agreed and the WhatsApp number is connected. Zefir brands typically go live within 72 hours.

Next steps

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