Since its creation, WhatsApp has stood apart from the other apps in the Meta group (Facebook, Instagram) thanks to the complete absence of advertising. That model is now coming to an end. On June 16, 2025, WhatsApp officially announced the arrival of new advertising formats within the app, opening up new digital marketing opportunities for businesses.
This announcement raises many questions about the implications for users and businesses, as well as the marketing strategies to adopt in order to engage customers effectively through WhatsApp.
This development marks a strategic turning point in content monetization while promising to maintain a high level of privacy. But WhatsApp is not limited to displaying ads. With its new features such as channels and subscriptions, it aims to become a central tool for business communication and marketing.
Concretely, what are the new developments in advertising campaigns, where will we see promotions in the WhatsApp app, and what opportunities does this represent for brands in their digital marketing strategies? Let's find out together.
Why is WhatsApp finally introducing advertising?
Since it was acquired by Meta in 2014, WhatsApp has kept a model without direct advertising. Yet, with an impressive 2 billion monthly active users, the platform remains an economic gold mine that is still untapped for business marketing and targeted advertising to customers.
Industry analysts have long anticipated this change, and Meta is now responding to a twofold requirement:
- Monetizing WhatsApp's massive audience while preserving the user experience through innovative marketing tools.
- Providing direct access for businesses and creators so they can leverage the platform's new marketing tools for effective advertising campaigns.
WhatsApp goes beyond traditional ads: it offers a range of tools to businesses, such as WhatsApp newsletters that allow them to communicate directly with their customers through rich and engaging marketing campaigns.
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Where will ads appear on WhatsApp?
Ads will be integrated exclusively in the "Updates" tab (or "Actus" in French), which brings together:
- Statuses (working in a similar way to Instagram Stories),
- Channels, which can be public or private depending on their nature, thus offering different types of targeted advertising.
According to WhatsApp, this tab is used by around 1.5 billion people every day. Ads will be integrated there in the form of sponsored cards or through personalized suggestions, thereby optimizing marketing campaigns. If this does not suit users, they will nonetheless be able to disable the Updates tab in the app settings.
In addition, the app allows brands to send ads directly in the form of large-scale newsletters to target opt-in audiences. This further reinforces WhatsApp's appeal as a marketing communication platform and offers new tools for businesses' advertising campaigns.
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What new features are being introduced?
Ads in Statuses
Just like Stories on other social networks, WhatsApp will integrate sponsored cards between Statuses.
These cards will display:
- The brand name,
- An image or a video, optimized for advertising campaigns,
- A concise description,
- A call-to-action (CTA) button that can prompt users to subscribe, check out a channel, or interact directly with the brand through personalized messages.
Sponsored suggestions and boosted Channels
Channels, accessible in the WhatsApp directory, will be able to be sponsored, which ensures:
- Better visibility in the discovery tools,
- Personalized suggestions based on user preferences (language, followed channels, popularity), thereby improving the targeting of advertising campaigns.
By improving navigation across themes and categories, WhatsApp allows brands to target their audiences with more relevant and engaging messages, thereby increasing the conversion rate of marketing campaigns.
Paid subscriptions to channels
To build even greater audience loyalty, some channels will introduce premium content accessible through a monthly subscription.
This model is particularly useful for media outlets wanting to offer exclusives, creators looking to monetize their high-value content, and businesses offering training or early access to their products/services, thereby strengthening their digital marketing strategies.
Sending WhatsApp newsletters
WhatsApp now allows a format for sending large-scale newsletters via its API for businesses. These newsletters resemble traditional email campaigns, with impressive open rates close to 98%. Integration with solutions such as Brevo or Callbell greatly simplifies their use, thereby offering new tools for marketing campaigns.
What about privacy?
Meta stresses one key point: no private content (messages, calls, groups) will be used for advertising purposes. The ads displayed in the Updates tab are placed based on:
- The general location (city or country) and the language of the user,
- The channels followed or interactions within Updates,
- (Optional) data cross-referenced with the Meta Accounts Center if enabled, thereby ensuring precise ad targeting.
What impacts will there be for users?
WhatsApp guarantees that users who use messaging exclusively for their personal contacts or groups will see no change: no advertising in private conversations.
For those who have no interest in the Updates tab, disabling it is always available. But this section now offers richer possibilities to discover channels, explore topics, or access exclusive content through paid subscriptions, thereby broadening businesses' digital marketing options.
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What opportunities are there for brands and digital professionals?
A new direct communication channel
With sponsored channels and WhatsApp newsletters, brands can establish a close and personalized relationship with their customers. This allows them to engage an attentive community in a secure environment, thereby improving the customer experience and strengthening brand loyalty.
Monetization through premium content
The introduction of paid subscriptions reinforces WhatsApp's strategy as a monetization platform. Brands can find an additional source of revenue there and diversify their marketing campaigns thanks to premium content.
Immersive and high-performing advertising
Campaigns through Statuses offer immersive formats, designed to maximize engagement at a controlled cost, thereby optimizing the performance of digital ads.
Risks to watch out for
An overload of ads in the Updates tab could potentially annoy users, which would heighten their reluctance or push them to disable it, thereby affecting mass marketing campaigns.
Producing content that is too generic or intrusive risks failing to appeal to WhatsApp's specific audience, reducing the effectiveness of targeted advertising campaigns.
Poorly targeted newsletters could lead users to report and block your profile, which would affect your reputation and your sending quotas, negatively impacting your digital marketing initiatives.
Conclusion: should you include WhatsApp in your marketing strategy?
The introduction of advertising on WhatsApp marks a major turning point in the messaging ecosystem, which until now had been kept free of the commercial logic visible on the other platforms in the Meta group. With the arrival of ads in the Updates tab, sponsored channels, premium content through subscriptions, and marketing newsletters, WhatsApp is now establishing itself as an essential digital marketing channel.
For brands, these new features represent a unique opportunity: reaching engaged audiences in a highly proximate conversational space, while benefiting from advanced targeting tools. But this transformation will not happen without vigilance. Success will depend on businesses' ability to offer relevant, personalized content that respects the user experience.
Between the promise of marketing effectiveness and the need to preserve privacy, brands will have to find the right balance to take full advantage of this new space for expression, without undermining users' trust. WhatsApp is entering a new era, and digital professionals have every interest in preparing for it now.
At datashake, thanks to our SEA/SMA know-how and our WhatsApp expertise, notably through our CRM entity, we master the activation of high-performing campaigns across all Meta channels, including WhatsApp, to help brands fully leverage this new marketing lever, combining smart targeting, engaging content, and respect for the user experience.
Would you like support with your digital marketing strategy? Feel free to contact us!
FAQ
Does WhatsApp run advertising?
WhatsApp is beginning to introduce advertising in 2025, exclusively in the "Updates" or "Statuses" tab, used by around 1.5 billion users daily. Private chats remain ad-free, and messages are still end-to-end encrypted, ensuring privacy.
How can you get support with your WhatsApp strategy?
At datashake, thanks to our SEA/SMA expertise and our CRM entity, we support businesses in setting up high-performing WhatsApp marketing strategies: sponsored campaigns, engaging content, advanced segmentation, and smart automation.
Will WhatsApp display advertising in private conversations?
No. WhatsApp guarantees that private messages, groups, and calls will remain free of ads. Ads will be limited to the Updates tab (Statuses and Channels).
Where will ads appear in the app?
Ads will be displayed only in the Updates tab, in the form of:
- sponsored cards in Statuses (similar to Instagram Stories),
- sponsored suggestions or channels highlighted in the directory.
How can you disable ads on WhatsApp?
To disable ads on WhatsApp, note that these are currently only in the "Updates" tab, including Statuses and Channels. Unfortunately, there is no native option to disable them completely. You can avoid seeing them by staying in your private conversations and groups, where no ads appear.
Are WhatsApp ads free?
Ads on WhatsApp are not free. Businesses pay for ads that redirect to WhatsApp. However, chatting with prospects is free during the first 72 hours after the click. The Business platform itself offers pricing based on engaged conversations.
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