Business Portfolio Pacing – What It Is and How It Affects Your Messages

Meta has introduced a feature called Business Portfolio Pacing to monitor and control large-scale WhatsApp template message campaigns. This article explains what it means, why it happens, and how it may impact your messaging on DoubleTick.

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What Is Business Portfolio Pacing?

Business Portfolio Pacing is a controlled message delivery mechanism used by Meta. Think of Business Portfolio Pacing like a speed breaker added by Meta.

When a business sends a large number of template messages in a short time, Meta may:

• Temporarily slow down message delivery

• Send messages in smaller batches

• Monitor customer feedback before releasing more messages

This helps Meta ensure that WhatsApp users are protected from spam or policy misuse.

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How Is Portfolio Pacing Different from Template Pacing?

• Template pacing applies only to Marketing and Utility templates

• Business portfolio pacing applies to your entire business portfolio, including all phone numbers under it

This means pacing can affect any template type sent from any number in the portfolio.

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When Does Business Portfolio Pacing Apply?

Portfolio pacing may be applied if:

1. Low Overall Messaging Volume

Your business portfolio has sent less than 500,000 template messages (combined across all numbers) in the last 365 days.

2. Portfolio Under Monitoring

Meta detects signals such as:

• High message blocking

• User reports

• Potential policy or guideline violations

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What Happens When Pacing Is Applied?

If you attempt to send a large campaign while pacing is active:

Step 1: Initial Messages Are Delivered

A small batch of messages is delivered normally.

Step 2: Remaining Messages Are Put on Hold

The rest of the messages are temporarily paused. In API responses, the message status will show as: held_for_quality_assessment

This does not mean the message has failed.

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How Meta Decides What Happens Next

Meta reviews customer feedback such as:

• Replies

• Blocks

• Reports

Based on this feedback:

If Feedback Is Positive

• Messages are released gradually in batches

• Campaign continues at a controlled pace

If Feedback Is Negative

• All remaining held messages are dropped

• Messages will fail with error code 132015

Portfolio admins will be notified via:

• Meta Business Suite notification

• WhatsApp Manager banner

• Email

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Additional Restrictions During Review

While your portfolio is under pacing review:

• You may not be able to send new template messages

• You may not be able to create new templates

• In serious cases, the entire business portfolio may be disabled

If enforcement action is taken, portfolio admins will have the option to appeal.

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What This Means for DoubleTick Customers

• Message delays during large campaigns can be expected behavior

• Seeing held_for_quality_assessment does not indicate a DoubleTick issue

• This is a Meta-level quality check applied at the portfolio level

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Best Practices to Avoid Portfolio Pacing

• Start large campaigns gradually instead of sending all messages at once

• Ensure templates are clear, relevant, and expected by users

• Avoid sending messages to unengaged or outdated contact lists

• Monitor block and report rates closely

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Important Note on Availability

This feature is being rolled out gradually by Meta, so it may not apply to all businesses immediately.

• Some business portfolios may already experience pacing

• Others may see it applied over the coming weeks

• Even if it does not affect you today, it may apply in the future