Joining a new WhatsApp group can be exciting but also a bit intimidating. As the admin, it’s your responsibility to make new members feel welcomed and comfortable engaging in the group. A warm, friendly welcome message helps create a positive first impression.
Keep it short and simple
Your welcome message doesn’t need to be long-winded. In fact, you should keep it concise and to-the-point. Remember, this is the first thing new members will see when they join, so you want to be careful not to overwhelm them with blocks of text right off the bat. Aim for a brief 1-2 paragraph message that covers the key points.
Introduce yourself and the purpose of the group
Briefly introduce yourself as the admin and explain the overall purpose or focus of the WhatsApp group. For example, “Hi everyone, I’m Sam and I’m the admin for this gardening tips WhatsApp group.” This orientation gives new folks context right away.
Highlight group rules or guidelines
If your WhatsApp group has certain rules, norms or guidelines, the welcome message is a good place to summarize them. You don’t need to list every detail, just hit the highlights so people know what’s expected upfront. For instance, you may ask that members be kind, stay on topic, and refrain from sharing sensitive/inappropriate content.
Encourage new members to introduce themselves
To help break the ice, include a friendly prompt for new members to introduce themselves in a follow-up comment. You may say something like, “Feel free to reply to this message and tell us a bit about yourself!” This gives people an easy way to start engaging.
Share your contact details
As the admin, it’s helpful to provide your contact info in case new members have any questions. Simply say something like “If you need anything, feel free to reach me at 123-456-7890.” You may also want to @mention any other admins or moderators so members know who to contact.
Express excitement they’ve joined
Show enthusiasm by welcoming new members to the community and expressing how excited you are to have them on board. For example, “We’re so glad you’ve joined us and look forward to having you as part of the group!” This immediately makes them feel included.
Give next steps for getting started
Help new members take their first steps by pointing them to previous messages or resources to look at. For example, “To get started, feel free to scroll up and read through the previous discussions. You may also want to download our welcome packet here [link].” Giving clear next steps helps people engage right away.
Use a warm, casual tone
In general, aim for a warm, casual tone in your welcome message. Be conversational as if you’re talking to a friend. Stay away from stiff, overly formal language. The goal is to make it sound like the message is coming from a real person excited to have them there.
Customize messages for individual members
If feasible, try customizing your welcome messages when new members join at different times, rather than just blasting the same generic message. Refer to them by name and mention something specific based on what you know about them. The more personalized you can make it, the better.
Check in after a few days
Follow up with new members after a few days to see how they’re settling in. Ask if they have any other questions or need anything else. This extra check-in ensures they’re getting up to speed and gives you a chance to offer additional support if needed.
Don’t make it all about rules
While it’s fine to summarize key rules and guidelines, don’t make your entire welcome message about what members can’t or shouldn’t do. Focus primarily on welcoming them positively and helping them engage, with rules as more of a secondary footnote.
Use emoji and gifs to add personality
Emojis, gifs, and other visual elements can help add some personality to your message. But use them sparingly as overdoing it can seem unprofessional or make it hard to read. Aim for 1-2 per message at most.
Give praise or recognition
If possible, try recognizing new members for positive contributions that earned them a spot in your exclusive group. For instance, “We were really impressed with how you [contributed to the Facebook group discussion], so we’re excited to have you here!” A bit of recognition and praise goes a long way.
Conclusion
Welcoming new members sets the tone for their experience in your WhatsApp group. A thoughtful, friendly message helps them feel comfortable engaging right off the bat. Keep it brief and casual, introduce yourself, outline any key rules, and express excitement they’ve joined your community. With a warm welcome, members will be more likely to participate and return again and again.
| Tip | Example |
|---|---|
| Keep it short and simple | “Hi all, welcome to our gardening tips group! I’m Sam and I’ll be your admin.” |
| Introduce yourself and the group topic | “Welcome to our baking tips WhatsApp group! I’m Marie and I love baking.” |
| Summarize key rules/guidelines | “As a reminder, this group is for posting cat photos only. Please keep conversations kind and cat-related.” |
| Encourage introductions | “Please reply and introduce yourself so we can all get to know each other!” |
| Share your contact details | “I can be reached at 123-456-7890 if you need anything!” |
| Express excitement | “So thrilled you’ve joined us – welcome!!” |
| Give next steps | “Check out our past discussions and feel free to jump right in!” |
| Use a warm, casual tone | “Hey friend! So happy you’re here.” |
| Personalize messages | “Hi John, welcome! I heard you have great gardening tips to share.” |
| Follow up after a few days | “Hi Susan, just checking in to see how you’re settling into the group so far?” |
Here are some additional tips for writing a great welcome message on WhatsApp group:
Proofread for typos and clarity
Before sending your message, be sure to carefully proofread it. Look out for any spelling or grammar errors that could create confusion or seem unprofessional. Also make sure your wording is clear and easily understandable.
Keep emojis and formatting simple
Avoid overusing different fonts, colors, formatting options or emojis in your welcome message. These can distract from your main message and make it hard to read. Simple formatting is best.
Send at a time when people are active
Try sending your welcome message when there’s already activity happening in the group and members are engaged. This increases the chance that more people will see it right away.
Save it as a template for consistency
Craft a welcome message template you can save and reuse whenever someone new joins. This ensures you stay consistent and don’t have to rewrite it every time.
Remind members to mute notifications if needed
If your group has frequent activity, politely remind members they can mute notifications if they ever feel overwhelmed by the number of messages coming through.
Assign helpers to also greet new members
Designate 1-2 group members to also give warm welcomes when new people join. This adds a personal human touch beyond just the admin’s message.
Don’t add too many @mentions
Avoid @mentioning numerous members’ names in your welcome message, as this can create notification spam for people. Only @mention select individuals if relevant.
Check the message in both light and dark mode
Preview how your welcome message looks in both light and dark mode before sending, and make any adjustments needed to ensure readability.
Highlight member benefits
Convey why joining this group benefits new members. For example, “Here you’ll get to exchange ideas with an entire community of UX designers.”
Link to a welcome PDF or website
For extra context, include a link to a document, website, or online resource that provides more info to help new members.
Send a video message occasionally
To change things up, try recording and sending a quick video welcome message once in a while. Just keep it under 30 seconds so it’s not too long.
Tell members how often to expect messages
Give new folks a sense of how frequently discussions happen in your group – such as daily, a few times a week, etc. So they know what to expect.
Explain how to access previous messages
Provide clear instructions for how new members can browse older messages and get caught up on previous conversations in the group if they wish.
Keep language inclusive
Avoid using pronouns or making assumptions about members’ backgrounds. Stick to inclusive wording so all feel welcomed.
Remind members to update their profiles
Encourage new members to update their name, photo and bio info in their WhatsApp profile, so people can get to know them.
Rotate welcome duties
Have group mods or members help take turns sending welcomes, so the task doesn’t fall solely on your shoulders as admin.
Announce new joins publicly
When appropriate, post a message announcing and welcoming new members publicly so all existing members are aware.
Add some humor
Inject a bit of lighthearted humor into your message when possible to give it a warm, human touch. Just don’t overdo it.
With these tips, you can craft WhatsApp group welcome messages that leave new members feeling acknowledged, informed and excited to engage in the community. Taking a few minutes to spread positivity and kindness upfront goes a long way.