Playbook
WhatsApp etiquette for businesses
Sara Haddad · June 2026 · 5 min read
WhatsApp is a personal space that customers let businesses into. The ones that thrive there follow house rules — and the ones that get blocked don’t know the rules exist.
Consent comes first, always. A customer who asked about a haircut did not sign up for your weekly promotions. Follow-ups about their enquiry are welcome; broadcasts need a real opt-in.
A good follow-up gets more useful, not more frequent: a reminder, then something helpful they didn’t ask for yet, then a graceful close — “I’ll leave this with you, message any time.” Three touches, then silence. Silence is also a message, and it’s a polite one.
Match their register, too. Formal Arabic gets formal Arabic back; “hey bro how much” does not get a paragraph with a salutation. Mirroring isn’t a trick — it’s manners.