Blog / Automation & AI

WhatsApp and Google Sheets: sending messages from a spreadsheet

Many small businesses keep their contacts in a spreadsheet: using WhatsApp and Google Sheets together is therefore the most natural way to start running campaigns without adopting complex management software. You already have names, numbers and emails in a sheet; you just need a way to turn those rows into personalized WhatsApp messages. In this guide we look at how to start from a Google sheet and send orderly, compliant communications with SendApp.

Why start from a Google sheet

The spreadsheet is the tool everyone knows how to use: you add a row, edit a number, filter by column. You don't need to learn a database. The problem is that on its own it sends nothing: the sheet is the data source, but you need a platform that turns it into messages. SendApp does exactly this, importing contacts from your sheet and using them for broadcast campaigns with variables.

• Contacts already ready and easy to update in the sheet
• Columns that become variables: {name}, {phone}, {email}
• Segmentation by filtering rows before the import
• No complex management software to learn

Preparing the sheet the right way

For the import to work well, the sheet must be clean. One column for the phone number in international format (with +39 prefix), one for the name, one for the email if needed. Avoid merged cells, double headers and odd characters. The tidier the sheet, the more precise the contact import into SendApp will be.

Always put numbers in full international format (+39 followed by the number, no spaces or dashes). It's the most common mistake that ruins an entire import.

From the sheet to the WhatsApp campaign

Once the sheet is ready, you export the data (usually in CSV format) and import it into SendApp. The contacts enter the CRM, where you can organize them with tags. At this point you create a broadcast campaign, choose or create a template and map the sheet columns onto the message variables: {name} takes the name, {email} the email, and so on. Each recipient receives a personalized message, not a generic text.

Concrete use cases

Personalization and tone

The advantage of starting from the sheet's data is personalization. A message that begins with the person's name and mentions a relevant detail (the last purchase, the course attended) gets much higher response rates than an anonymous broadcast. SendApp's variables make this automatic even on lists of hundreds of contacts.

GDPR: mind the consent

Having a number in a sheet isn't enough to send promotional messages: you need the person's consent to receive marketing communications via WhatsApp. Before importing and sending, verify that the contacts have given opt-in. Expected service communications (like a reminder for an event the person signed up for) are a different case, but for promotions consent is essential to stay compliant with the GDPR.

How to do it with SendApp

With SendApp you import contacts from your Google sheet, organize them with tags in the CRM, create a template with the variables {name}, {phone}, {email} and launch a broadcast campaign. You can send through the official Meta API (approved templates and green check) or WhatsApp Web via QR code with no per-message cost. Replies arrive in the multichannel inbox, where the AI agent can handle them 24/7. Plans start at 19 euros a month.