---
schema_version: "1"
id: a0a055835cbece18954813d30583af00e53662f223710348c04d3e4121b0fe2a
title: Create Your WhatsApp Audiences in Marketing Cloud Engagement
collection: admin
version: current
locale: en-us
portal_url: https://docs.salesforce.com/admin/current/en-us/mktg/264-0-0/mc_jb_whatsapp_import_contacts.md
canonical_url: https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_jb_whatsapp_import_contacts.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5
source_site: help.salesforce.com
content_type: documentation
content_hash: 34a10c382fbba7f0bcb522aaedd0d747f20734165de0195539e8bbc1345a36d6
description: Build your audience for WhatsApp Chat Messages in Contact Builder.
products:
  - Marketing
  - Marketing Cloud Engagement
release: "264"
---
# Create Your WhatsApp Audiences in Marketing Cloud Engagement

Build your audience for WhatsApp Chat Messages in Contact Builder.

When opting-in customers, consider these best practices.

- If you skip importing contacts, your messages don’t send.
- Flag opted-out contacts so that Journey Builder doesn’t send messages to them.
- Use Journey Builder to send emails or SMS messages to ask customers to opt in, and then collect the subscribers in a data extension.
- Customers have to opt in only to your WhatsApp channel and not every template message that you use.

1. In Contact Builder, [create a contacts import definition](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_cab_create_a_new_import_definition.htm&language=en_US).
2. [Create an audience for WhatsApp](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_cab_create_mobile_contacts_in_cb.htm&language=en_US).

Now that your audience is available for use in Journey Builder, personalize your [template](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_jb_whatsapp_personalize_template_messages.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "After your template message is approved, you can personalize your messages using Content Builder.") and [session](https://help.salesforce.com/s/articleView?id=mktg.mc_jb_whatsapp_personalize_session_messages.htm&release=264.0.0&type=5 "Use Content Builder to create session messages to respond to user-initiated conversations. When a user sends a message to your WhatsApp channel, you can respond without using a template. Session messages are free-form messages and don’t need approval.") messages to start sending.