On February 26, 2026, WhatsApp announced that Status ads and paid promotion of channels are now available worldwide. This means that advertising on WhatsApp, which until now was mostly limited to Facebook and Instagram ads that lead to a chat, gets a place of its own within the app. For brands in Israel, it's a new channel worth getting to know and testing carefully.
In brief
- מה הושק. Status ads and promoted channels, both in the "Updates" tab only.
- מה נשאר מחוץ לתמונה. According to Meta, personal chats, calls and groups don't include ads, and their content isn't used for targeting.
- איך קונים. Status ads are created in Meta Ads Manager, alongside Facebook and Instagram.
- מה המשמעות למותג. Before launching, make sure someone will answer the conversations the ads create, and that there's a way to measure what they generate.
What is advertising on WhatsApp in the "Updates" tab?
The "Updates" tab is the place in WhatsApp where contacts' statuses and the channels the user follows appear. According to Meta, that's the only place ads will appear. A Status ad is shown among status updates, and an interested user can go from it to a website or open a chat with the business.
A WhatsApp channel is a one-way broadcast tool in which a brand publishes updates to followers. A promoted channel is a channel that appears, for payment, in the channels directory, and is labeled as such. In the same announcement Meta also introduced paid channel subscriptions, which are relevant mainly to creators and content publishers.
What is the difference between Status ads, promoted channels and click-to-WhatsApp ads?
The three formats serve different goals, so it's worth choosing between them according to what the brand wants to achieve. The table summarizes the main differences as described in Meta's and WhatsApp's sources at the time of writing.
| Format | Where it appears | Where it leads | Best suited for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Status ad | The "Updates" tab in WhatsApp | To a website or a chat with the business | Reach, traffic and starting conversations |
| Promoted channel | The channels directory in WhatsApp | To the brand's channel | Building a following over time |
| Click-to-WhatsApp ad | Facebook and Instagram | To a chat with the business on WhatsApp | Leads and service in conversation |
How does WhatsApp target the ads?
Targeting is based on relatively limited information. According to Meta's June 2025 announcement, the system uses data such as country or city, language, channels the user follows and interaction with ads. A user who has connected WhatsApp to Meta's Accounts Center may also receive ads based on preferences and information from their other Meta accounts.
Meta emphasizes that personal messages, calls and groups are not used for targeting, and that the phone number is not sold or shared with advertisers. For the brand, this means targeting here will be broader than it's used to on Instagram. The creative and the relevance of the message will do a large part of the work.
What does advertising on WhatsApp require of a large brand?
The main requirement is operational readiness for conversations. The technical campaign setup is the simpler part. An ad that leads to a chat creates an expectation of a fast response, so it also touches service, sales and the systems that manage conversations. A possible pre-launch checklist:
- Make sure there's a WhatsApp Business account or a connection to the WhatsApp Business API, linked to the brand's assets in Meta.
- Define who answers conversations, at what hours, and what happens outside business hours.
- Prepare creative that suits Status: vertical, short, and recognizable as the brand from the first second.
- Check with the brand's legal team the rules for marketing outreach later in the conversation, including consent to receive marketing messages.
- Decide in advance how success is measured: conversations opened, conversations that turned into a sale or a lead, and the cost of each.
When it comes to measurement, beware of quick interpretation. Attribution is how the system assigns credit for a conversion, and incrementality is the real lift the channel created beyond what would have happened without it. A new channel showing a high number of conversations still needs checking, to make sure it isn't just diverting customers who would have arrived anyway.
Should brands in Israel start now?
It depends on the role WhatsApp already plays for the brand. A brand that runs service or sales in chat can test Status ads as a natural extension, with a defined test budget. A brand that doesn't yet work with WhatsApp directly will benefit from starting with the operational preparation and a channel, and only then promotion.
It's also worth remembering the user experience. Status is a relatively personal space, and the audience's response to ads there isn't yet known. A controlled test, with tracking of comments and online conversation, will show how the brand's audience receives the format.
How we approach this at CONNECT
At CONNECT, part of the Bruckner Yaar Levi advertising group, we start with the question of what WhatsApp is supposed to do for the brand: build an audience, open sales conversations or support service. Based on the answer we choose a format, coordinate the response to conversations with the service and sales teams, and define metrics that connect a conversation to a business result.
We run the first campaigns as a test, with a defined budget and duration and a comparison with existing channels. That way the decision on further investment can be based on data from the brand's own audience.
Frequently asked questions
Will the ads appear inside chats?
No. According to Meta, ads appear only in the "Updates" tab, in Status and in the channels directory. Personal chats, calls and groups remain ad-free. Meta also notes that personal messages are end-to-end encrypted, and are not used to choose which ads the user sees.
Where are WhatsApp Status ads created?
The ads are created in Meta Ads Manager, as an additional placement alongside Facebook and Instagram. According to Meta's Help Center, you can create ads that lead to a website or ads that open a chat with the business. Ads that lead to a chat require a WhatsApp Business account. It's worth checking in the account which options are actually available.
What is the difference between a Status ad and a promoted channel?
A Status ad is a marketing message that leads to an action, such as visiting a website or opening a conversation. A promoted channel is a way to show the brand's channel in the channels directory, so people join it and receive updates over time. The first is better suited to a campaign, and the second to building an audience.
How do you measure the success of advertising on WhatsApp?
Beyond impressions and clicks, it's worth measuring how many conversations were opened and how many of them turned into a lead, a sale or a resolved inquiry. This requires connecting the conversation management system with business data. It's also advisable to examine the channel's incremental contribution, separately from the credit it receives in attribution reports.
ראו גם: Media Planning & Buying, Social Media Management, Data & Measurement, Annual media plan: from planning to channel mix.
Sources: WhatsApp announcement on global availability (February 26, 2026), Meta Newsroom: Helping You Find More Channels and Businesses on WhatsApp, Meta Business Help Center: creating Status ads on WhatsApp.
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