Get Started with Marketing Messages API in Hibot

The Marketing Messages API for WhatsApp allows you to send optimized marketing template messages through:

POST /<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/marketing_messages

Before you begin, make sure your business is eligible and your WhatsApp setup is ready.

Requirements

To use MM API in Hibot, you need:

• An active WhatsApp Business Account (WABA)

• A WhatsApp Business API phone number

• An approved marketing template

• A subscribed messages webhook

• A country supported for MM API delivery optimization

• 
  

Step 1: Accept MM API Terms

To activate Marketing Messages API:

1. Open Meta App Dashboard

2. Go to WhatsApp → Quickstart

3. Find the section:

   “Improve ROI with marketing messages with optimizations”

4. Click “Get Started”

5. Click “Continue to integration guide”

6. Accept the Terms of Service

After this, your business can use the /marketing_messages endpoint.

Step 2: Send Your First Marketing Message

Use this endpoint:

POST /<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/marketing_messages

Example Request

{
  "messaging_product": "whatsapp",
  "recipient_type": "individual",
  "to": "919876543210",
  "type": "template",
  "template": {
    "name": "festival_offer",
    "language": {
      "code": "en_US"
    },
    "components": [
      {
        "type": "body",
        "parameters": [
          {
            "type": "text",
            "text": "Get 20% OFF today only"
          }
        ]
      }
    ]
  }
}

This sends the approved template festival_offer to the selected customer.

Step 3: Verify Through Webhook

When a message is sent successfully, your WhatsApp webhook receives a status event.

For MM API messages, the webhook will contain:

{
  "conversation": {
    "id": "123456789",
    "origin": {
      "type": "marketing_lite"
    }
  },
  "pricing": {
    "billable": true,
    "pricing_model": "PMP",
    "category": "marketing_lite"
  }
}

Important values:

• conversation.origin.type = marketing_lite

• pricing.category = marketing_lite

These confirm the message was sent through Marketing Messages API instead of the normal /messages endpoint.

Message Status Events

Your webhook can receive the following message statuses:

Status	Meaning
sent	Message accepted by WhatsApp
delivered	Message reached the user
read	User opened the message
failed	Message could not be delivered

These statuses help you track campaign performance.

Important Geographic Restrictions

Marketing Messages API features are not available equally in all countries.

Europe, UK, Japan, South Korea

For businesses or users in:

• European Economic Area (EEA)

• United Kingdom

• Japan

• South Korea

The following features are disabled:

• Delivery optimization

• Click reporting

• Conversion reporting

Messages still work, but without MM API optimization features.

United States Restriction

Starting from April 1, 2025:

Marketing messages cannot be delivered to WhatsApp users in the United States.

If you try, WhatsApp returns:

{
  "error": {
    "code": 131049,
    "message": "Marketing messages to users in the United States are not supported"
  }
}

However:

• US business phone numbers can still send messages to users outside the US

• The restriction only applies when the recipient is in the United States

• 
  

Restricted Countries

MM API cannot be used in or for customers located in:

• Cuba

• Iran

• North Korea

• Syria

• Crimea

• Donetsk

• Luhansk

Businesses in these regions cannot onboard or send messages.

Russia

From June 20, 2025:

Businesses in Russia can use MM API, but without:

• Delivery optimization

• Click reporting

• Conversion reporting

Other MM API features continue to work normally.

Best Practice Before Sending Campaigns

Before launching a real campaign:

1. Send the message to yourself first

2. Confirm the webhook returns marketing_lite

3. Verify your template variables are correct

4. Check the message appears properly on mobile and desktop

5. Use TTL if your campaign is time-sensitive

Example TTL:

{
  "time_to_live": 3600
}

This keeps the campaign active for only 1 hour.

Final Thoughts

The easiest way to start using MM API in Hibot is:

• Accept Terms

• Send one test template

• Verify webhook status

• Launch your campaign through /marketing_messages

This ensures your business gets access to WhatsApp’s new delivery optimizations and advanced marketing features.