--- title: "WhatsApp Marketing Readiness Survey" description: "Are you ready to send WhatsApp marketing messages? Answer a few questions and get a plan: what's left on Meta, in the order that saves the most time." url: https://getrapio.com/resources/whatsapp-readiness-check/ updated: 2026-10-01 --- [Resources](https://getrapio.com/resources/) › Readiness survey # Are you ready to send your first WhatsApp marketing message? Find out what stands between your business and its first send. You answer up to nine short questions about your Meta business portfolio, your WhatsApp Business Account and your target audience. You get a score out of 10 and a to-do list with only the steps you're missing. - **A readiness score out of 10** — so you know how close you are - **Your own to-do list** — in the order to do the steps, sent to your inbox - **A free consultancy call** — if you'd rather not do the steps alone No account needed. Your answers stay in your browser until you ask for your list. Question 1 Does your business sell any of these? Alcohol, tobacco, weapons, gambling, adult products, dating services, drugs, animals, digital subscriptions, real or virtual currency, medical devices. No Yes I'm not sure Does your business have a Meta business portfolio? It used to be called Business Manager. It's where your company's Facebook page, Instagram and WhatsApp Business Account live. Yes No I'm not sure Are you an admin of your Meta business portfolio? The steps on Meta need someone with admin access to your Meta business portfolio. Yes No, someone else in my company is I'm not sure Do you have a WhatsApp Business Account? Where your WhatsApp number, templates and billing live on Meta. It's not the WhatsApp Business app on your phone. Yes No I'm not sure Have you added the phone number you'll send from? To your WhatsApp Business Account, not to the app on your phone. Yes Not yet I'm not sure Have you added a payment method to your WhatsApp Business Account? Meta charges for each marketing message it delivers, so it needs a card on the account. Yes No I'm not sure Have you created a message template? Marketing messages are sent from a message template: the text, image and buttons of your message, saved on your WhatsApp Business Account. Yes Not yet I'm not sure Has Meta approved your message template? Meta reviews every message template before it can be sent. Yes It's waiting for approval It was rejected I'm not sure Has your target audience (website visitors, leads or registered users) agreed to hear from you on WhatsApp? Yes, all of it Only part of it No I'm not sure **Your to-do list** Checked against Meta's documentation 1 October 2026. ## Is your business ready for WhatsApp? Here's what to check. Before your first marketing message can go out, a few things need to be in place on Meta's side. Most of them take minutes; one takes longer, so it's good to know early. The survey walks you through all six and tells you exactly what's left. 1. **Can you market what you sell on WhatsApp?** Most businesses can. A few categories, like alcohol or gambling, can't. 2. **Do you have a Meta business portfolio, and are you its admin?** Everything on Meta lives inside it, and the set-up steps need admin access. 3. **Is your WhatsApp Business Account set up with a phone number?** Your messages go out from this number, under the name your customers see. 4. **Is there a payment method on the account?** Meta charges for every message it delivers. Nothing goes out without a card. 5. **Have you created a message template, and has Meta approved it?** Written once, reviewed by Meta, usually within a day (as of October 2026). 6. **Has your target audience agreed to hear from you?** Only message customers who said yes to hearing from you. If you don’t, they report you, and Meta can stop your messages. [How to get their yes →](https://getrapio.com/resources/whatsapp-opt-in/) See how many of these you already have.