Meta is taking WhatsApp beyond messaging. In its latest announcement, the tech giant unveiled a series of monetisation tools under WhatsApp’s Updates tab, opening new opportunities for content creators, businesses, and organisations to grow audiences and generate income — without disrupting users’ private conversations.
The new features — Channel Subscriptions, Promoted Channels, and Ads in Status — are being rolled out globally in the coming months. Each is designed to enhance visibility, offer exclusivity, and open new revenue streams, particularly for creators and businesses looking to reach WhatsApp’s massive audience of over 1.5 billion daily users.
“We’ve been talking for years about how to build a business on WhatsApp in a way that doesn’t interrupt personal chats. We believe the Updates tab is the right place to introduce that,” Meta said in a press release issued Monday.
Subscriptions, Ads, and Discovery: WhatsApp’s Big Shift
With Channel Subscriptions, users can now pay a monthly fee to receive exclusive content from select channels — including news outlets, entertainers, and sports teams. This marks WhatsApp’s first major subscription-based feature, giving creators a new way to monetise directly on the platform.
In addition, Promoted Channels will introduce paid visibility options, where WhatsApp suggests channels to users based on interests. For the first time, brands and influencers can pay to be discovered — a clear nod to Instagram’s promotional model.
Meanwhile, Ads in Status mirrors the Stories ad format on Instagram. Businesses can place ads in users’ status feeds, allowing them to market products and services with a simple tap-to-chat option for instant engagement.
Meta confirmed that these features were designed without compromising privacy. “Your personal messages, calls, and groups remain end-to-end encrypted, and that includes your Status updates,” the company assured. It also reiterated that user phone numbers will never be sold or shared with advertisers.
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