WhatsApp brings real-time, more personal conversations into your lemlist multichannel outreach, right alongside Email and LinkedIn. This guide walks you through connecting WhatsApp, using it in campaigns, previewing messages, and monitoring performance safely.
Note: WhatsApp is available exclusively on Multichannel Expert and Enterprise plans.
Multichannel Expert and Enterprise clients can now test the WhatsApp add-on for free with a 14-day trial, which automatically converts to the paid add-on unless cancelled.
Learning Objective
By the end of this tutorial, you’ll know how to connect WhatsApp to lemlist, add WhatsApp steps to campaigns, preview messages, monitor replies, and keep your WhatsApp account healthy and safe.
Why This Matters
WhatsApp can help you stand out from crowded inboxes by enabling fast, direct conversations. Used correctly, it can increase response rates, while the built-in health score, notifications, and best practices help reduce the risk of disconnections or bans.
Prerequisites
You’re on a Multichannel Expert or Enterprise plan.
You have access to the WhatsApp add-on via WhatsApp seatsor an active 14-day free trial (each connected number requires a seat).
You have a WhatsApp account you can connect via QR code (personal WhatsApp recommended).
⚠️ While it’s technically possible to connect a WhatsApp Business account to lemlist using the QR code, we strongly recommend not doing so.
Core Lesson: Step-by-Step Workflow
Phase 1: Connect WhatsApp to lemlist
Open your Sending settings.
From your lemlist workspace, click your name in the bottom-left, then select Settings.
Start the WhatsApp connection from Sending settings.
In Sending settings, select Sending settings in the left sidebar, then expand WhatsApp.
Click Connect WhatsApp account.
In the WhatsApp section, click Connect WhatsApp account to start the setup.
If you don’t have WhatsApp seats yet, team admins can start the 14-day free trial from Sending settings or Billing. Once the trial starts, WhatsApp can be used instantly (connect an account, add steps in campaigns, use the inbox, etc.).
Review the onboarding message and continue.
Read the information shown, then click Next.
Review the recommended practices (Practices to follow).
Carefully read the Practices to follow, then continue.
Review the recommended practices (Practices to avoid).
On the next screen, review the practices to avoid, then click Next.
Confirm that you understand the risks and connect your account.
Tick both confirmation checkboxes, then click Connect my account.
Scan the QR code with your phone to complete the connection.
In WhatsApp on your phone, go to Linked devices and scan the QR code shown in lemlist (the QR code expires, so scan within the displayed time).
Confirm your account is connected.
Once verified, you’ll see a success confirmation. Click Got it.
Phase 2: Manage multiple WhatsApp numbers (seats + visibility)
You can connect up to 5 different WhatsApp numbers to the same lemlist user to scale outreach and manage multiple warm-up numbers in one place.
Important: each connected number requires a seat (e.g., 5 numbers = 5 WhatsApp seats).
Phase 3: Monitor account health (score + risk levels)
Each connected WhatsApp account has a health score from 0 to 100. This score helps you understand if your account is safe to use for outreach and is influenced by factors like sending patterns, reply rates, account age, new-contact stability, and potential bans.
You’ll also see risk levels (Danger, Risk, Watch, OK). Clicking the score shows more detail (e.g., message volume, reply rate, and score evolution).
Phase 4 (Optional): Configure WhatsApp warm-up
Warm-up helps gradually increase the number of messages sent to reduce the risk of being flagged.
Open your WhatsApp account settings.
In the WhatsApp list, click Settings for the connected number. In the WhatsApp account pop-up, you can also click Settings in the warm-up section to open warm-up settings.
Adjust the warm-up increment and daily cap.
Set your WhatsApp warmup increment and WhatsApp warmup daily cap using the +/- controls.
Enable warm-up for the account.
Toggle Enable warm up on to start the warm-up process.
When warm-up is active, you can see its status directly in the WhatsApp accounts list (for example, In progress).
Phase 5: Add WhatsApp steps to a campaign
Create (or open) a campaign, then add a WhatsApp step.
Go to Campaigns, click Create campaign, then in the sequence builder select WhatsApp as a step type.
Phase 6: Preview WhatsApp messages before sending
Preview your message from the WhatsApp step editor.
Select the sender, write your message, then click Preview.
Check how it renders on a phone screen.
The preview shows how the message will appear for the lead in a phone-style conversation view.
Validate long messages and “Read more” behavior.
If your message is long, the preview shows how it will appear with a Read more cut.
Watch for link warnings.
If your message includes a link, lemlist displays a warning because links can increase the risk of being flagged.
Phase 7: Track delivery, views, and replies
You can track WhatsApp activity on the lead timeline (sent, delivered, seen, replied) to understand engagement in real time.
Phase 8: Reply from the centralized inbox
All WhatsApp conversations can be handled directly in your lemlist inbox—so you don’t need to switch tools to respond.
Go to Inbox, then open the channel selector (shown as Email by default).
Select WhatsApp to view and reply to WhatsApp conversations.
Phase 9: Reconnect if your WhatsApp account disconnects
Use the in-app notification to start reconnection.
If your account disconnects, you’ll see a notification. Click Reconnect my account from the notification.
Reconnect from Sending settings for the specific number.
Go to Settings → Sending settings, then click Reconnect next to the disconnected number.
Provide feedback on the disconnection cause.
Fill in the disconnection feedback (required). This helps reduce future disconnections by improving detection and guidance.
Scan the QR code to connect again.
After submitting feedback, a new QR code is generated so you can reconnect.
Practical Application / Real-Life Example
Example sequence (simple + safer):
Day 1: Email intro (personalized).
Day 2: WhatsApp short follow-up (no links, ask a simple question).
Day 4: LinkedIn touch (if connected) or a second email.
Try-it-yourself checklist for WhatsApp messages:
Keep it short and specific (1–3 lines).
Personalize (name/company/context).
Avoid links in your first WhatsApp message.
Preview before launching.
Troubleshooting & Pitfalls
Issue: My WhatsApp account disconnected.
Root cause: WhatsApp may flag sending patterns (volume spikes, repetitive messages, links) or device/account instability.
Fix: Use the notification to reconnect, submit the disconnection feedback, then scan the new QR code.
Issue: I can’t connect more numbers.
Root cause: You may have reached the limit (up to 5 numbers per user) or you don’t have enough WhatsApp seats.
Fix: Purchase additional WhatsApp seats or remove an unused number before adding a new one.
From Settings → Sending settings → WhatsApp, click the trash icon next to the number you no longer need.
Click Confirm and disconnect.
Issue: I added a link and see a warning.
Root cause: Links can increase the risk of being flagged and link previews aren’t available.
Fix: Remove the link from the first WhatsApp message and move it to a later step (after engagement).
Knowledge Check
Did you connect the correct WhatsApp account (personal WhatsApp recommended)?
Did you preview your message for at least one lead before launching?
Is your first WhatsApp message short, personalized, and free of links?
Did you confirm your WhatsApp health score is in a safe range before scaling volume?
WhatsApp add-on trial & billing details
Multichannel Expert and Enterprise clients can test the WhatsApp add-on for free with a 14-day trial. Team admins can start the trial from Sending settings or from the Billing section.
How the 14-day free trial works
Instant access: Once the trial starts, you can use WhatsApp immediately (connect your account, add WhatsApp steps in campaigns, use the inbox, etc.).
Cancel anytime during the trial: You can cancel from Sending settings or Billing by clicking Manage trial. If cancelled, WhatsApp will remain available until the end of the 14 days.
Automatic conversion (tacit renewal): If you don’t cancel, the trial converts automatically to the paid add-on.
Reminder before renewal: You’ll be reminded 3 days before the trial ends that it will convert automatically and that you’ll be billed $20/month (per seat) unless you cancel.
After cancellation: When the trial ends and the add-on becomes invalid, the WhatsApp account is disconnected and campaigns containing WhatsApp steps are blocked.
If you keep it running: You’ll be converted to the paid add-on, invoiced, and your WhatsApp account + campaigns continue running normally.
Using WhatsApp across multiple teams
If you’re part of multiple teams, you can connect to WhatsApp separately for each team. Make sure you switch into the correct team view before connecting and configuring WhatsApp.