# Send one-time WhatsApp messages
To send a one-time WhatsApp message in Pushwoosh, navigate to the **Campaigns** section, select **One-time messages**, and click **Send message** > **WhatsApp**.
## Select WhatsApp content
In the **Content** step, choose an approved [WhatsApp template](https://www.facebook.com/business/help/2055875911147364?id=2129163877102343) from the dropdown. The preview on the right shows the template's header and body text.
### Configure template variables
If the selected template contains placeholders in the header, body, or a button URL, configure a value for each one before you can proceed.
For each placeholder, choose the **Variable Type**:
* **Tag**: value from a user tag (e.g. `first_name`). Select the tag, a text-case modifier (**CapitalizeFirst**, **CapitalizeAllFirst**, **UPPERCASE**, **lowercase**, or **regular**), and optional fallback text used when the tag is empty.
* **Custom text**: a fixed value entered manually.
### Select message type
Choose how this WhatsApp message is treated for subscription and delivery rules:
* **Marketing message**: Respects user opt-outs and frequency capping. Not sent to [global control group](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/global-control-group/) users.
* **Transactional message**: Sent to all users regardless of subscription status. Bypasses opt-outs and frequency capping. Delivered to control group users.
[Learn how message type affects delivery](/product/messaging-channels/marketing-vs-transactional/).
## Select the audience for your WhatsApp campaign
In the **Audience** step, define who will receive your WhatsApp message.
### Send to segment
Target a predefined [segment](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/segmentation/) of your audience based on tags, events, or behavior. Select a segment from the dropdown, or click **Create segment** to [build](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/segmentation/create-segments/) or [import](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/segmentation/create-segments/by-import/#how-to-import-a-segment) one.
### Send to a list of phone numbers
Send the message to a specific list of phone numbers entered directly in the form. Phone numbers that are not yet in your project are automatically registered as WhatsApp devices and included in the send.
### Send to all subscribers
Target your entire WhatsApp-reachable audience.
Once you've set your audience, click **Next** to proceed to the scheduling step.
## Schedule WhatsApp message
Choose when to send your WhatsApp message.
### Send immediately
Send the message as soon as the campaign setup is complete. This is ideal for urgent or time-sensitive messages.
### Selected time
Schedule your WhatsApp message for a specific date and time.
* **Set the date and time**: Use the calendar to pick the date, then specify the time in hours and minutes (24-hour format).
* **Select the timezone**:
* **Subscriber's device timezone**: The message is sent at the specified local time for each recipient.
* **Custom timezone**: The message is sent at the same time for all recipients, useful for targeting a particular region.
### Configure message delivery settings
#### Set frequency capping
Use [**Frequency capping**](/product/messaging-channels/global-frequency-capping/#enable-global-frequency-capping) to limit how often users receive WhatsApp messages, preventing over-messaging and reducing opt-outs. Choose one of the following options:
* **Use Global frequency capping settings**
Apply the project-wide limits configured in your [Global frequency capping settings](/product/messaging-channels/global-frequency-capping/#enable-global-frequency-capping). For example, if the global limit is 3 messages in 9 days, additional messages exceeding this limit are skipped.
* **Ignore Global frequency capping**
The user receives this message even if they've exceeded the channel's message limits. Use with caution to avoid over-messaging.
* **Use custom frequency capping**
Set a custom message limit for this message. If the user exceeds this custom cap, the message is skipped.
#### Set send rate limits
The **Send rate** setting controls how quickly messages are delivered to your audience. Adjusting the send rate helps you manage delivery speed, prevent backend overload, and improve overall deliverability.
Choose one of the following options:
* **Use global send rate settings**
Applies the send rate limits configured in your project's message delivery settings. If no limits are set, all messages are sent immediately. [Learn more about global send rate limits](/product/messaging-channels/global-frequency-capping/#set-send-rate-limits)
* **Send messages without send rate**
Sends messages as fast as possible, ignoring any global send rate limits. Use with caution to avoid delivery spikes.
* **Use custom send rate**
Overrides the global send rate for this message only. Specify the number of messages sent per minute for full control over delivery speed.
Once you've configured the options, click **Next** to proceed to the confirmation step.
## Review and send
In **Review**, check the preview and the summaries for content, audience, and schedule. Update anything that still needs to change before you send.
Once everything is verified, click **Schedule** to set it for later delivery or **Send Now** to send it immediately, depending on your selected scheduling options.
## Cancel or edit a scheduled WhatsApp message
For WhatsApp messages that are scheduled and not yet sent (status **PENDING**), you can change or cancel them. Open the list of messages in **Campaigns** → **One-time messages**, then open the actions menu (⋮) for the message:
* **Edit message**: opens the WhatsApp form with the message data loaded. You can update the content, audience, schedule, and delivery settings.
* **Delete message**: cancels the scheduled delivery and changes the status to **Canceled**.
## Example scenario
Imagine you run an e-commerce store and want to send a flash-sale alert by WhatsApp to customers who purchased in the last 90 days, scheduled for the morning the sale starts.
**1.** Navigate to **Campaigns**, select **One-time messages**, click **Send message**, and choose **WhatsApp**.
**2.** In the **Content** step, select the **Flash Sale Alert** template and fill in its placeholders. For example, map the body's `{{1}}` variable to the `discount` tag with a `50%` fallback.
Keep the message type as **Marketing** so it respects opt-outs and frequency capping.
**3.** In the **Audience** step, choose **Send to segment** and select **Recent buyers (90 days)**.
**4.** In the **Schedule** step, choose **Selected time**, set the date and time to the sale's start, and select **Subscriber's device timezone** so each customer receives it at the same local time.
**5.** In **Review**, check the preview and the audience and schedule summaries, then click **Schedule** to finalize the campaign.
### Configure template variables
If the selected template contains placeholders in the header, body, or a button URL, configure a value for each one before you can proceed.
For each placeholder, choose the **Variable Type**:
* **Tag**: value from a user tag (e.g. `first_name`). Select the tag, a text-case modifier (**CapitalizeFirst**, **CapitalizeAllFirst**, **UPPERCASE**, **lowercase**, or **regular**), and optional fallback text used when the tag is empty.
* **Custom text**: a fixed value entered manually.
### Select message type
Choose how this WhatsApp message is treated for subscription and delivery rules:
* **Marketing message**: Respects user opt-outs and frequency capping. Not sent to [global control group](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/global-control-group/) users.
* **Transactional message**: Sent to all users regardless of subscription status. Bypasses opt-outs and frequency capping. Delivered to control group users.
[Learn how message type affects delivery](/product/messaging-channels/marketing-vs-transactional/).
## Select the audience for your WhatsApp campaign
In the **Audience** step, define who will receive your WhatsApp message.
### Send to segment
Target a predefined [segment](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/segmentation/) of your audience based on tags, events, or behavior. Select a segment from the dropdown, or click **Create segment** to [build](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/segmentation/create-segments/) or [import](/product/audience-data-and-segmentation/segmentation/create-segments/by-import/#how-to-import-a-segment) one.
### Send to a list of phone numbers
Send the message to a specific list of phone numbers entered directly in the form. Phone numbers that are not yet in your project are automatically registered as WhatsApp devices and included in the send.
### Send to all subscribers
Target your entire WhatsApp-reachable audience.
Once you've set your audience, click **Next** to proceed to the scheduling step.
## Schedule WhatsApp message
Choose when to send your WhatsApp message.
### Send immediately
Send the message as soon as the campaign setup is complete. This is ideal for urgent or time-sensitive messages.
### Selected time
Schedule your WhatsApp message for a specific date and time.
* **Set the date and time**: Use the calendar to pick the date, then specify the time in hours and minutes (24-hour format).
* **Select the timezone**:
* **Subscriber's device timezone**: The message is sent at the specified local time for each recipient.
* **Custom timezone**: The message is sent at the same time for all recipients, useful for targeting a particular region.
### Configure message delivery settings
#### Set frequency capping
Use [**Frequency capping**](/product/messaging-channels/global-frequency-capping/#enable-global-frequency-capping) to limit how often users receive WhatsApp messages, preventing over-messaging and reducing opt-outs. Choose one of the following options:
* **Use Global frequency capping settings**
Apply the project-wide limits configured in your [Global frequency capping settings](/product/messaging-channels/global-frequency-capping/#enable-global-frequency-capping). For example, if the global limit is 3 messages in 9 days, additional messages exceeding this limit are skipped.
* **Ignore Global frequency capping**
The user receives this message even if they've exceeded the channel's message limits. Use with caution to avoid over-messaging.
* **Use custom frequency capping**
Set a custom message limit for this message. If the user exceeds this custom cap, the message is skipped.
#### Set send rate limits
The **Send rate** setting controls how quickly messages are delivered to your audience. Adjusting the send rate helps you manage delivery speed, prevent backend overload, and improve overall deliverability.
Choose one of the following options:
* **Use global send rate settings**
Applies the send rate limits configured in your project's message delivery settings. If no limits are set, all messages are sent immediately. [Learn more about global send rate limits](/product/messaging-channels/global-frequency-capping/#set-send-rate-limits)
* **Send messages without send rate**
Sends messages as fast as possible, ignoring any global send rate limits. Use with caution to avoid delivery spikes.
* **Use custom send rate**
Overrides the global send rate for this message only. Specify the number of messages sent per minute for full control over delivery speed.
Once you've configured the options, click **Next** to proceed to the confirmation step.
## Review and send
In **Review**, check the preview and the summaries for content, audience, and schedule. Update anything that still needs to change before you send.
Once everything is verified, click **Schedule** to set it for later delivery or **Send Now** to send it immediately, depending on your selected scheduling options.
## Cancel or edit a scheduled WhatsApp message
For WhatsApp messages that are scheduled and not yet sent (status **PENDING**), you can change or cancel them. Open the list of messages in **Campaigns** → **One-time messages**, then open the actions menu (⋮) for the message:
* **Edit message**: opens the WhatsApp form with the message data loaded. You can update the content, audience, schedule, and delivery settings.
* **Delete message**: cancels the scheduled delivery and changes the status to **Canceled**.
## Example scenario
Imagine you run an e-commerce store and want to send a flash-sale alert by WhatsApp to customers who purchased in the last 90 days, scheduled for the morning the sale starts.
**1.** Navigate to **Campaigns**, select **One-time messages**, click **Send message**, and choose **WhatsApp**.
**2.** In the **Content** step, select the **Flash Sale Alert** template and fill in its placeholders. For example, map the body's `{{1}}` variable to the `discount` tag with a `50%` fallback.
Keep the message type as **Marketing** so it respects opt-outs and frequency capping.
**3.** In the **Audience** step, choose **Send to segment** and select **Recent buyers (90 days)**.
**4.** In the **Schedule** step, choose **Selected time**, set the date and time to the sale's start, and select **Subscriber's device timezone** so each customer receives it at the same local time.
**5.** In **Review**, check the preview and the audience and schedule summaries, then click **Schedule** to finalize the campaign.