WhatsApp Communities, and whether your business needs one
Communities group several related chats under one umbrella with an announcement channel that reaches everyone. They were built for schools, residential associations and clubs rather than for selling.
Published
How they differ from groups
A community holds multiple groups and adds an announcement group that only admins can post to, reaching every member across every sub-group.
That announcement channel is the useful part: one message to everyone, without the cross-talk that makes large groups unbearable.
Where they fit
Schools with a group per class, gyms with a group per batch, associations with a group per block. Anywhere the audience is genuinely already organised into sub-groups.
- School: a group per class, announcements to all parents
- Fitness studio: a group per batch, timetable changes to everyone
- Association: a group per building, notices to all residents
Where they do not
Communities are not a marketing channel. Members see each other, can leave visibly, and the format invites discussion you may not want to moderate.
For customer messaging, broadcasts on the Business API are the right tool: individual, private, measurable, and no cross-talk.
Members of a group can see one another's numbers. For a customer list that is a privacy problem, and in some cases a regulatory one.
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a Community for customers?
You can, but broadcasts are almost always better. Community members see each other's numbers, which is rarely acceptable for a customer list.
How many people can a Community hold?
Considerably more than a single group, across its sub-groups. The limit is rarely the constraint; moderation is.
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