Use case
WhatsApp Status ads: full-screen 9:16 ads in the Updates tab
A WhatsApp Status ad is a full-screen 9:16 image or video in WhatsApp's Updates tab. A tap can open a chat with your business, and Cutroom makes the video from one clip of you talking.
In short
- WhatsApp Status ads are 9:16 images or videos that run in the Status section of the Updates tab.
- You set them up in Meta Ads Manager, with Instagram Stories switched on as well.
- A tap opens a WhatsApp chat with your business, or your website.
- Meta is rolling the placement out gradually, so check whether your country has it yet.
- Cutroom makes the 9:16 video from one phone clip. Your first video is free.
What is a WhatsApp Status ad?
A Status ad is a vertical ad Meta places in the Status section of WhatsApp's Updates tab. It sits apart from chats and calls.
- Meta's help page says the ads are single vertical images or videos in 9:16.
- The ad never appears inside a conversation.
- Statuses disappear after 24 hours.
- Personal messages, calls and statuses stay end-to-end encrypted, and are not used to choose ads.
- Meta is introducing the placement gradually, so it may not be offered in your country yet.
How to set up a WhatsApp Status ad
You create the ad in Meta Ads Manager. What you need depends on where the tap goes.
- An ad that opens a chat needs a Facebook Page and a WhatsApp Business account.
- An ad that sends people to your website needs only a Facebook Page.
- The Status placement runs only with Instagram Stories on, so one 9:16 video serves both.
- You set the audience by location, language and age.
Setting up a Status ad in Meta Ads Manager
From Meta's own help pages, read on 2026-09-21. The placement is being rolled out gradually and may not show in every account yet.
Objective
Awareness, Engagement, Traffic, Leads or Sales
Destination
a WhatsApp chat or your website
Placements
WhatsApp Status, with Instagram Stories on
Audience
location, language and age
Creative
the 9:16 video from your clip
This is the whole editor
Highlight a phrase and a clip lands on those exact words. No timeline, no keyframes, no layers.
Three WhatsApp Status ads to film
A Status ad sits among updates from friends and family. A person talking to camera fits there better than a polished TV spot.
- The offer with a chat ask runs 15 to 30 seconds, and says what to type when the chat opens.
- The owner introduction says who you are, where you are, and what people can ask you about.
- The product in hand shows the one detail that sells it, held up to the camera.
- Shops, clinics and tutors whose customers already book on WhatsApp are the best fit for this.
Three Status ad formats and where the tap goes
Meta lists a WhatsApp chat and a website as destinations for Status ads.
Offer with a chat ask
- What you say
- The offer, and what to type when the chat opens
- Where the tap goes
- A WhatsApp chat with your business
Owner introduction
- What you say
- Who you are, where you are, what to ask about
- Where the tap goes
- A WhatsApp chat with your business
Product in hand
- What you say
- The one detail that sells it
- Where the tap goes
- Your website or a WhatsApp chat
| What you say | Where the tap goes | |
|---|---|---|
| Offer with a chat ask | The offer, and what to type when the chat opens | A WhatsApp chat with your business |
| Owner introduction | Who you are, where you are, what to ask about | A WhatsApp chat with your business |
| Product in hand | The one detail that sells it | Your website or a WhatsApp chat |
How it works
Film one clip upright on your phone and upload it. Cutroom returns an edited 9:16 MP4 in about a minute.
- Cutroom transcribes the clip, tightens the pauses, and adds b-roll, captions and an opening headline.
- Delete a line and the video rebuilds around it.
- Highlight a phrase and a clip lands over those words.
- Captions are burned into the picture, so the ad reads with the sound off.
- Add the MP4 in Ads Manager with WhatsApp Status and Instagram Stories switched on.
- Keep key words off the top and bottom edges. Cutroom's free safe zone checker shows the margins.
The finished ad on a phone, captions burned in
One 9:16 MP4 covers the WhatsApp Status and Instagram Stories placements.
▸ 0:07 / 0:26 · shot 1 of 5
Tools for making a WhatsApp Status video
VEED and Agent Opus both publish a status video maker. Cutroom is the one built around your own clip.
- VEED is a template editor for status videos, with subtitles and resizing, and it serves personal updates too.
- Agent Opus, from the makers of OpusClip, writes a 30-second vertical video from a prompt or script, with an AI voice.
- Choose VEED if you want designed status updates built from templates.
- Choose Agent Opus if you would rather not appear on camera at all.
- Choose Cutroom if your own face and voice are the point of the ad.
Three ways to make a WhatsApp Status video, side by side
Prices as published on each vendor's own pricing page on the day shown. Plans change, so check the page before you pay.
| Tool | Best for | Editing approach | Platform | Pricing from |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Template-based status videos for WhatsApp | Browser timeline with templates, auto subtitles and resizing | Browser, mobile app | Free plan; Creator $10/user/month, annual | |
 Agent Opus | A status video written from a prompt, with no filming | Generates a video from a prompt, script or URL | Web | Free plan with 60 credits a month; Pro $29/month billed yearly |
| Cutroom | A Status ad with you talking to camera | You upload a clip; b-roll, captions and a hook are placed for you | Browser | First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month |
VEED
- Best for
- Template-based status videos for WhatsApp
- Approach
- Browser timeline with templates, auto subtitles and resizing
- Platform
- Browser, mobile app
- Pricing from
- Free plan; Creator $10/user/month, annual
- Agent Opus
- Best for
- A status video written from a prompt, with no filming
- Approach
- Generates a video from a prompt, script or URL
- Platform
- Web
- Pricing from
- Free plan with 60 credits a month; Pro $29/month billed yearly
Cutroom
- Best for
- A Status ad with you talking to camera
- Approach
- You upload a clip; b-roll, captions and a hook are placed for you
- Platform
- Browser
- Pricing from
- First video free, no card; Lite $19.99/month
Prices and plans read from each vendor's own pricing page on 21 September 2026.
What a WhatsApp Status ad costs
Cutroom charges for making the video. Meta charges for showing it, from your Ads Manager budget.
- A 15-second offer costs about 105 credits.
- A 30-second offer costs about 110 credits.
- A 60-second introduction costs about 120 credits.
- That is 100 credits for the edit plus 20 credits per finished minute of video.
Cutroom plans for WhatsApp Status ads
The free video exports with a Cutroom mark across the middle; Lite and up remove it.
| Plan | Price | Credits | 30-second ads |
|---|---|---|---|
| First video | Free, no card | 600 | 1, made within 7 days |
| Lite | $19.99 a month | 1,250 | About 11 a month |
| Basic | $39.99 a month | 2,500 | About 22 a month, plus music and avatars |
| Premium | $79.99 a month | 5,000 | About 45 a month |
Plan: First video
- Price
- Free, no card
- Credits
- 600
- 30-second ads
- 1, made within 7 days
Plan: Lite
- Price
- $19.99 a month
- Credits
- 1,250
- 30-second ads
- About 11 a month
Plan: Basic
- Price
- $39.99 a month
- Credits
- 2,500
- 30-second ads
- About 22 a month, plus music and avatars
Plan: Premium
- Price
- $79.99 a month
- Credits
- 5,000
- 30-second ads
- About 45 a month
Questions people ask
- Where do WhatsApp Status ads appear?
- Only in the Status section of WhatsApp's Updates tab, separate from chats and calls, so an ad never appears inside a conversation. Statuses are 9:16 images or videos that disappear after 24 hours. A tap can open a chat with the business or its website.
- What size should a WhatsApp Status video ad be?
- Vertical, 9:16, which is 1080 by 1920 pixels for a full-HD file. Cutroom exports a 9:16 MP4. The Status placement only runs with Instagram Stories switched on, so the same file covers both placements.
- Do I need a WhatsApp Business account to run Status ads?
- For ads that open a chat, yes. Meta requires a Facebook Page and a WhatsApp Business account, made in the Business app or connected through the WhatsApp Business API. An ad that sends people to your website needs only a Facebook Page.
- Are WhatsApp Status ads available in every country?
- Not yet. Meta is introducing the placement gradually. Build a campaign in Ads Manager and look for WhatsApp Status in the placement list. If it is missing, the same 9:16 file still runs on Instagram Stories and Reels.
- How long should a WhatsApp Status video ad be?
- Short. 15 to 30 seconds holds one offer and one ask. Meta's help pages for this placement do not state a length, so check the limit Ads Manager shows when you upload. In Cutroom you trim the start or end, or delete lines, until it fits.
- Does Cutroom post the ad to WhatsApp for me?
- No. Cutroom makes the finished 9:16 MP4 and you download it. You upload it in Meta Ads Manager, choose the objective, audience and budget, and switch on the WhatsApp Status and Instagram Stories placements. Meta reviews the ad before it runs.
- Who should not use Cutroom for WhatsApp Status ads?
- Anyone who will not appear on camera and has nobody else to film. Cutroom edits a real clip of a person talking. Agent Opus builds a Status video from a prompt with an AI voice instead.
Film thirty seconds about your offer and upload it. Your first video is free.