This article shows you how to send a recorded voice message to your leads on WhatsApp, from inside a lemlist campaign. You add a dedicated voice message step to your sequence, choose the WhatsApp number it goes out from, and either record the audio in lemlist or upload a file you already have.
It is especially useful on a virtual number bought through lemlist, where you cannot fall back on sending from your phone.
Before you start
A voice note is its own step type, WhatsApp voice message. You cannot attach one to a WhatsApp chat message step.
The audio has to be yours, either recorded in lemlist or uploaded. There is no AI voice option for WhatsApp voice notes.
Voice notes are sent from one specific sender, which you assign on the step.
A voice note can be at most one minute long.
Voice notes follow the daily sending limit you have set for that sender, the same as your other steps.
Prerequisites
A WhatsApp account connected to lemlist. See How to connect WhatsApp to lemlist.
A campaign you can edit.
Add the voice note to your sequence
Phase 1: Open your campaign
Go to Campaigns in the left sidebar.
Open the campaign you want to add the voice note to. This opens the sequence builder.
Phase 2: Add the voice message step
Click Add step at the point in the sequence where the voice note belongs.
Under Other channels, select WhatsApp voice message.
✅ Verify: a WhatsApp voice message step appears in your sequence, on its own, not inside a WhatsApp chat message step.
Phase 3: Choose the sender and add your audio
Open the step and choose the sender, the WhatsApp number the voice note will be sent from.
Click Start recording to record directly in lemlist, or choose a file to upload. You can also drag and drop an audio file into the upload area.
If you are recording, select the right microphone source first.
✅ Verify: the step shows your audio with a duration under one minute, and the sender field shows the number you picked.
Send a voice note from the inbox
You can also send a voice note one at a time from the inbox, rather than as a campaign step. This is useful when you are replying to someone directly, and it is the practical option when you are working on a virtual number bought through lemlist, since it keeps the conversation in lemlist instead of on your phone.
An example
A voice note lands best as a follow-up, once a prospect has already seen a step from you. Instead of a fourth plain text message, send something short and spoken the way you would actually say it:
“Hey Sarah, sending a quick note instead of another text. I had an idea based on how your team runs outbound and thought it might be relevant. Happy to share more if you’re open to it.”
That is about fifteen seconds, well inside the one minute limit, and it does one thing only.
Troubleshooting
There is no voice note option inside my WhatsApp message step
Voice notes are not attachments, they are their own step type.
Fix: add a new step and pick WhatsApp voice message under Other channels. It will not appear inside a WhatsApp chat message step.
I cannot use an AI-generated voice
There is no AI voice option for WhatsApp voice notes.
Fix: record the voice note yourself in lemlist, or upload an audio file you recorded elsewhere.
The voice note went out from the wrong number
The sender is set per step, not per campaign.
Fix: open the voice message step, check the sender assignment field, and select the WhatsApp number you want.
My recording is longer than the editor allows
The step caps voice notes at one minute.
Fix: re-record a shorter version covering one idea and one call to action.