Your description is the last thing a stranger reads before deciding whether to message you. They’ve tapped a link, scanned a QR code or clicked an ad, and now they’re looking at a profile that either explains who you are or doesn’t. This guide gives you forty descriptions to adapt, twelve short About lines, the limits Meta actually documents, and a simple way to tell whether yours is working.
Description, About and the other profile fields
A WhatsApp Business profile has two text fields that people often confuse. Get the difference right and you’ll write both better.
| Field | What it’s for | Limit (Meta Cloud API) | Reviewed by Meta? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Display name | Your business name in the chat header | Set by naming rules | Yes |
| About | A one-line status under the profile photo, number and contact buttons | 1–139 characters, cannot be empty | No |
| Description | The fuller “about us” text: what you do and for whom | Up to 512 characters | No |
| Category (vertical) | The industry label, such as Retail, Education or Health | Pick from a fixed list | No |
| Address | Where you trade or where customers can visit | Up to 256 characters | No |
| A contact address | Up to 128 characters, valid format | No | |
| Websites | Your site, shop or booking page | Up to 2 URLs, 256 characters each, starting http:// or https:// | No |
The limits come from Meta’s business profile reference for the Cloud API. Two details in that reference matter for writing. First, hyperlinks are allowed but don’t render as clickable links. Second, markdown isn’t supported, so *bold* shows as asterisks rather than bold text.
So the About line is a headline and the description is the paragraph underneath it. Treat them that way and you’ll stop squeezing everything into one field.
How long a WhatsApp business description can be
You’ll find three different numbers online: 139, 256 and 512. Here’s where each comes from.
- 512 characters is the description limit in Meta’s Cloud API reference. If you manage your profile through a WhatsApp Business Platform provider, or through the API directly, this is the cap you’ll hit.
- 139 characters is the limit for the separate About field. It’s the most common mix-up, because both fields describe your business.
- 256 characters is the limit Meta documents for the address field and each website URL. Some guides quote it for the Business app’s description, but WhatsApp’s help centre doesn’t publish an app limit, so we can’t confirm it.
The practical answer: aim for 150 to 250 characters. That fits any version of the field, leaves room for a reply keyword, and stays short enough that people actually read to the end. Write the first sentence so it would still work on its own if nobody read past it. Keeping that sentence under 139 characters means you can reuse it as your About line.
Characters include spaces, punctuation and emojis. If you’re using an editor that shows a counter (ChatMitra’s profile editor does, for both fields), watch it as you trim.
The four-part formula
Nearly every description that earns messages answers four questions, in this order.
- What do you sell? Name the product or service plainly. “Handmade leather bags” beats “curated lifestyle essentials”, because the customer knows instantly whether you’re relevant.
- Who or where do you serve? A city, a delivery radius, a type of customer, or “pan-India” or “worldwide”. This filters out people you can’t help before they message.
- What’s one proof a customer can check? Delivery time, opening hours, years trading, a qualification, a guarantee you actually honour. One concrete detail does more than three adjectives.
- What should they send? A reply keyword such as MENU, BOOK or PRICE, or a plain instruction such as “Send your pin code to check delivery”. This turns a reader into a conversation.
There’s a simple test for the result. Read your description and ask whether your nearest competitor could paste it onto their profile and have it still be true. If they could, it’s decoration, not a description. Add the detail only you can claim.
Five patterns built on the formula
You don’t have to write from scratch. Most good descriptions follow one of these patterns.
| Pattern | Shape | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Offer, place, proof | ”[What] in [where]. [Proof]. [Action].” | Local shops, restaurants, clinics |
| Offer, audience, action | ”[What] for [who]. [Proof]. [Action].” | Coaching, B2B, services |
| Problem, then answer | ”[Problem]? [What you do]. [Proof]. [Action].” | Repairs, emergency services, software |
| Credentials first | ”[Qualification or years]. [What]. [Action].” | Doctors, lawyers, accountants, tutors |
| Response time first | ”[Reply promise or hours]. [What]. [Action].” | Support-heavy businesses, delivery, travel |
Pick the pattern your customers care about first. A parent choosing a tutor wants credentials. Someone with a leaking pipe wants to know how fast you’ll come.
How to write yours in ten minutes
- List the facts. Write down what you sell, where you serve, your hours, how long you’ve traded, your delivery or response time, and anything a customer has praised more than once. Don’t write sentences yet.
- Choose a pattern from the table above, based on what your customers ask about first.
- Write the first sentence with what you sell and who or where you serve. Keep it under 139 characters.
- Add one proof. Pick the most checkable fact from your list. “Open till 11pm” beats “great service”.
- Add the action. Choose one reply keyword and use it consistently. If your WhatsApp automation already answers keywords, use one it recognises.
- Cut adjectives, not facts. Remove “best”, “premium”, “quality” and “trusted” unless you can prove them in the same sentence.
- Read it on a phone. Paste it into a note on your phone and read it as a stranger would. If the first line doesn’t explain you, rewrite it.
- Save it and set the About line. Copy your first sentence (or a shorter version) into the About field so the two support each other.
40 WhatsApp business description samples by industry
Every sample below is under 256 characters, so it fits whichever version of the field you’re using. Swap in your own city, numbers and keyword. Don’t copy the proof unless it’s true of you, because a false claim is worse than none.
Retail and e-commerce
- Handmade leather bags, made in Kanpur. Ships across India in 3–5 days. Reply CATALOGUE for this month’s designs.
- Women’s ethnic wear since 2011. Sizes XS to 5XL, cash on delivery available. Reply SIZE for the fit chart before you order.
- Authentic sneakers, checked pair by pair. Same-day delivery in Bengaluru, exchanges within 7 days. Send a photo of the pair you want.
- Home decor and gifting, 2,000+ orders shipped. Gift wrapping and a handwritten note on request. Reply GIFT with your budget.
- Refurbished laptops with a 6-month warranty. Every unit tested and photographed before dispatch. Send your budget and we’ll share three options.
Food and restaurants
- South Indian vegetarian kitchen, Koramangala. Open 7am–10pm daily. Reply MENU to order or BOOK for a table.
- Cloud kitchen for North Indian thalis. Delivery in about 35 minutes across HSR Layout, no minimum order. Reply MENU.
- Custom cakes with 24 hours’ notice, eggless available. Delivery across Pune. Send your date and design to check availability.
- Specialty coffee roasted weekly in Chennai. 250g and 1kg packs, shipped within 3 days. Reply BEANS for this week’s roasts.
Education and coaching
- NEET and JEE coaching in Kota, batches of 25. Weekly tests with parent reports. Reply BATCH for start dates and timings.
- Spoken English classes, online and in Hyderabad. Weekend batches for working adults. Reply DEMO for a free trial class.
- CBSE Class 9–12 maths tuition, 14 years teaching. Small groups or one-to-one. Ask for this term’s schedule.
- IELTS preparation with weekly mock tests, online across time zones. New batch every month. Reply IELTS for dates and fees.
Healthcare and clinics
- Dental clinic in Andheri West. Open 10am–8pm, closed Sundays. Reply BOOK for the next available appointment.
- Physiotherapy at home across Gurugram by registered therapists. Reply with your area to check today’s availability.
- Diagnostic lab with home sample collection in Jaipur. Reports on WhatsApp, usually within 24 hours. Reply TEST for the list.
- Paediatric clinic, Dr. A. Mehta, MBBS, MD. Mon–Sat, 9am–1pm and 5–8pm. For emergencies call 108; for appointments reply BOOK.
Beauty, wellness and fitness
- Hair and skin studio in Ahmedabad. Bridal packages booked up to 6 months ahead. Reply BOOK with your date for slots.
- Women-only gym in Indiranagar, open 6am–10pm. Personal trainers on every shift. Reply TRIAL for a free first session.
- Online yoga classes in IST and GMT time slots. Beginners welcome, first class free. Reply YOGA for this week’s timetable.
Real estate and property
- Rentals and resale flats in Whitefield. Every listing visited by our team before it goes live. Send your budget and preferred area.
- Commercial spaces for lease in Gurugram, 500 to 20,000 sq ft. Site visits within 48 hours. Reply LEASE with your size needs.
- Property management for NRI owners: tenant search, rent collection, repairs. Updates on WhatsApp, every month. Reply NRI.
Home and local services
- AC service and repair, Noida. Same-day visits when booked before 2pm, 90-day service warranty. Reply with your area for slots.
- Packers and movers, Mumbai to anywhere in India. Insured moves with a written inventory. Send your route and date for a quote.
- Plumbing and electrical repairs across Toronto’s west end. Licensed and insured, evening slots available. Send a photo of the problem.
Travel and hospitality
- Kerala holidays planned by locals. Houseboats, hill stations and Ayurveda stays. Reply TRIP with your dates and group size.
- Boutique guesthouse in Old Goa, 8 rooms. Check-in 1pm, airport pickup on request. Reply ROOMS for availability.
- Visa and travel desk in Dubai. Tourist visas, flights and hotel bookings. Reply VISA with your nationality to see the documents.
Professional and financial services
- Chartered accountants for small businesses: tax returns, bookkeeping, company registration. 500+ clients since 2009. Reply CALL.
- Family law practice in Delhi. First consultation by appointment only. Send a short note and a convenient time; we reply within one working day.
- Insurance advisor for health, life and motor cover. Compare plans from several insurers. Reply COMPARE with your age and city.
B2B, manufacturing and wholesale
- Custom packaging manufacturer, MOQ 500 units. Supplying 200+ D2C brands across India. Reply SAMPLE for a sample kit.
- Industrial fasteners supplier since 1998. Pan-India dispatch within 48 hours. Send your specification for a quote.
- Wholesale cotton fabrics from Surat for boutiques and brands. New swatches every Monday. Reply SWATCH to see this week’s range.
Software, apps and digital services
- Billing and inventory software for retail stores. Works offline, syncs when you’re back online. Reply DEMO for a 20-minute walkthrough.
- Website and app development for startups in India, the UK and the UAE. Fixed-price quotes. Send your idea in two lines.
Events, photography and creative work
- Wedding photography and films across Rajasthan. Booking 2027 dates now. Send your date and venue to check availability.
- Birthday and corporate event planning in Singapore. Venues, decor and catering in one booking. Reply PLAN with your date.
Non-profits and community
- Animal rescue and adoption shelter in Bengaluru. Volunteers welcome every weekend. Reply ADOPT, VOLUNTEER or DONATE.
That’s forty. Notice what they share: a plain noun up front, a place or audience, one fact you could check, and one thing to send. None of them says “best”.
12 About line samples (under 139 characters)
The About line sits near the top of the profile, so it has to work at a glance. These are all under 139 characters.
- Handmade leather bags from Kanpur. Ships across India in 3–5 days.
- Open 7am–10pm daily. Reply MENU to order.
- NEET and JEE coaching, Kota. Batches of 25.
- Same-day AC repair across Noida. 90-day warranty.
- Dental care in Andheri West. Mon–Sat, 10am–8pm.
- Replies within 15 minutes, 9am–9pm IST.
- Authentic sneakers. Same-day delivery in Bengaluru.
- Kerala trips planned by locals. Reply TRIP.
- Custom packaging for D2C brands. MOQ 500 units.
- We reply in English, हिंदी and ગુજરાતી.
- Wholesale fabrics from Surat. New swatches every Monday.
- Rescue, adopt, volunteer: Bengaluru animal shelter.
Two of these say nothing about the product and only set expectations about replies or language. That’s a valid choice when your display name already says what you sell.
Three rewrites: before and after
Samples are easier to copy than to learn from. These three rewrites show the formula working on real-world habits.
A boutique that wrote a slogan.
- Before: “Elegance redefined. Premium quality fashion for the modern woman. ✨✨✨”
- After: “Handloom sarees and kurtas from Jaipur, sizes S to 3XL. New arrivals every Friday. Reply NEW to see this week’s pieces.”
The first version could belong to any of ten thousand shops. The second names the product, the place, the size range a customer will want to check, and a reason to come back weekly. It also replaces three sparkle emojis with a keyword the shop can count.
A clinic that wrote a list.
- Before: “Dentist, dental clinic, teeth whitening, root canal, braces, implants, best dentist near me”
- After: “Dental clinic in Andheri West: check-ups, root canals, braces and implants. Open Mon–Sat, 10am–8pm. Reply BOOK for the next slot.”
The keyword list was written for a search box that doesn’t exist here. The rewrite keeps the services a patient actually asks about, adds the two facts that decide whether they can come (where and when), and gives them a next step.
An agency that wrote about itself.
- Before: “We are a passionate team of creative thinkers who love building brands and delivering results.”
- After: “Performance marketing for D2C brands on Meta and Google. Clients from ₹2 lakh a month in ad spend. Reply CASE for two recent results.”
“Passionate” and “creative” can’t be checked. A minimum ad spend can, and it filters out leads the agency can’t serve, which saves both sides a conversation. The reply keyword offers proof on request instead of claiming it up front.
In each case the rewrite is not longer, just more specific. That’s the whole skill.
Writing for more than one language or market
WhatsApp displays the description exactly as you type it, so you choose the language. Three approaches work.
- One language, stated support. Write in the language most customers read, then add “We reply in English, Hindi and Gujarati.” This keeps the text clean and still reassures everyone else.
- Two short versions. Put the main language first and a one-line summary in the second. Use this sparingly, because two full paragraphs halve the space for each.
- Separate numbers per market. A business serving India and the UAE on different numbers can write a description for each, with the right currency, time zone and delivery promise.
For global audiences, the details that change are time zones (“9am–6pm GST”), delivery scope (“ships to the UK and EU”) and currency. Avoid “nationwide” or “local” without saying which nation or locality, because a customer in another country can’t tell.
What to keep out of a description
Some things weaken a description even when they’re true. Others can break platform rules or local advertising law.
| Keep out | Why it hurts | Do this instead |
|---|---|---|
| URLs | They don’t become clickable links, and they use up characters | Use the two website fields |
| Prices and offers | They go out of date and nobody remembers to edit the profile | Put offers in messages and your catalog |
| ”Official”, “verified” or “authorised” without proof | Misleading, and confusing next to a real verified badge | Earn the badge, or describe the actual credential |
| Medical, financial or results guarantees | Public and permanent, and can conflict with advertising and professional rules | State qualifications and hours, not outcomes |
| Keyword lists | Reads as spam to a human; WhatsApp isn’t a search engine in most markets | One plain description of what you sell |
| Markdown symbols | *bold* and _italic_ aren’t rendered | Plain sentences and line breaks |
| First person singular for a team | ”I make cakes” jars when three people answer the chat | ”We”, or the business name |
On search: WhatsApp’s help centre describes a Business directory where people can find businesses, and says a complete profile helps you show up there. The same page lists the directory as available only in Brazil. Elsewhere, people arrive at your profile through your own links, QR codes, ads and saved contacts. Write the description to convince someone who has already found you.
Where to add or edit your description
In the WhatsApp Business app
Open your business profile from the app’s business tools (in Settings, or the Tools tab on newer versions) and edit the description, About, category, address, hours and website fields there. Changes take effect when you save. There’s no review queue.
In WhatsApp Manager (Business Platform)
If your number runs on the WhatsApp Business Platform, open WhatsApp Manager in Meta Business Suite, go to your phone numbers, select the number and open its profile settings. The display name lives here too, and it’s the only field that triggers a review.
In ChatMitra
ChatMitra shows your live WhatsApp profile as a card on the dashboard home, with an edit button. The editor:
- shows a counter on About (139) and Description (512), so you can’t save text Meta would reject;
- requires an industry, which maps to Meta’s category list;
- checks the email format and that each of the two website URLs starts with http:// or https://;
- accepts a square JPEG or PNG profile photo between 192 and 640 pixels and up to 5 MB.
When you save, ChatMitra sends the update to Meta for your number, and the dashboard card shows a preview of how the profile reads.
Through the Cloud API
Developers can update the same fields with one request to the business profile endpoint:
POST https://graph.facebook.com/<API_VERSION>/<PHONE_NUMBER_ID>/whatsapp_business_profile
Content-Type: application/json
Authorization: Bearer <ACCESS_TOKEN>
{
"messaging_product": "whatsapp",
"about": "Handmade leather bags from Kanpur. Ships across India in 3–5 days.",
"description": "Handmade leather bags, made in Kanpur. Ships across India in 3–5 days. Reply CATALOGUE for this month's designs.",
"vertical": "RETAIL",
"websites": ["https://www.example.com"]
}Use your current Graph API version. Emoji characters in JSON need JavaScript-style escaping, as Meta’s reference notes.
How to tell whether your description works
You can’t see how many people viewed your profile, but you can measure what they did next.
- Give the description its own reply keyword. If the description says “Reply MENU”, and MENU appears nowhere else (not in ads or on your website), every message containing MENU came from someone who read your profile.
- Count it for a month. In ChatMitra, create a keyword auto-reply for that word and let the rule add a tag, then count the tagged chats. In the Business app, add a label to those chats as you answer them.
- Change one thing. Swap the proof (“open till 11pm” for “delivery in 30 minutes”) or the keyword, and count again for another month.
- Keep the winner, then test the About line the same way.
This is rough measurement, not a controlled experiment, but it beats guessing. It also forces you to keep the keyword consistent, which is good for customers anyway.
When to rewrite
Revisit the description when:
- your hours, delivery area or main product changes;
- you add a language, a branch or a new market;
- customers keep asking a question the description could have answered (“Do you deliver to…?”);
- you’ve been running the same version for six months without checking the keyword count.
The rest of the profile
The description works best alongside a complete profile. A square logo, accurate hours, a real address or service area, and a website in the website field all support the same message. WhatsApp’s help centre also notes that profiles show the month and year a business joined WhatsApp Business, which is another reason to keep the rest of the profile current and consistent.
Once someone does message, your greeting message is the next thing they see, so make sure it continues where the description left off. For the remaining fields, the business profile setup guide walks through each one, and the profile field reference explains what customers see and how each value is stored.
