WhatsApp is adding ads in Status and promoted Channels, bringing sponsored content into the app’s Updates tab. The new placements are built to help businesses reach new customers and let people discover channels more easily, while ad setup runs through Meta Ads Manager.

WhatsApp rolls out ads in Status and promoted Channels

The new ad surfaces sit inside the Updates tab, where users already check Status posts and browse Channels. Promoted Channels serve a similar discovery role, boosting visibility in the channel directory so people can more easily follow brands, organizations and creators they may want to hear from.

The placements appear only in the Updates area, not in personal chats or calls, keeping the sponsored content separate from one-to-one messaging.

How advertisers set up the new placements

Advertisers create WhatsApp Status ads in Meta Ads Manager. The setup is tied to traffic, awareness and engagement objectives, giving advertisers a way to use the placement for both reach and conversation goals.

Some campaigns get a recommended setup experience, while manual options remain available. That means the new inventory is not a separate tool inside WhatsApp. It sits inside Meta’s existing ad system, where businesses can build campaigns and send people from an ad straight into a WhatsApp chat.

Rollout scope and what is still unclear

The placements are not equally clear in every market or account type yet. Meta says the WhatsApp Status feature is being introduced gradually, and availability may not be live for everyone at once.

What is still not spelled out is the exact reach of the rollout, along with pricing, audience controls and format limits for the new placements.