What is a new conversation?
A new conversation is a message you send to someone who has not written to you in that chat yet, as opposed to a reply in a conversation the other person started.
Also called: New chat, New thread.
In plain words
Platforms treat the first message to someone very differently from a reply. A reply is expected: the customer wrote, and you answered. A first message arrives unasked, so it is the kind of message that gets reported, blocked or ignored when it is unwelcome.
That is why new conversations carry the tightest limits on most channels, and why platforms watch how many of them go unanswered. A small number of first messages to people who are likely to reply is far safer than a large number to people who are not.
On email, the same idea applies to new threads. Replying on a thread someone started is a reply; writing to someone fresh is a new thread.
Good new conversations are ones the other person expects: a follow-up after a call, a reminder about an appointment they booked, or a message to someone who asked to be contacted. Those are the messages people answer, and answered messages are what keep an account in good standing.
How it works in Spaces
Spaces limits new chats per hour and per day on every account, separately from replies. New chats a day at most: WhatsApp 10, Instagram 20, LinkedIn 30, Messenger 8, X 20, Email 40. On email, a new chat is a new thread.
New chats are also what the warm-up holds back in the first weeks, while replies to people who message you are not held back. Spaces refuses the same cold message sent to many people, and any message to someone who said stop in that chat.
Related terms
- Warm-up: Warm-up means starting a new or newly connected account with only a few new conversations a day and increasing slowly over a few weeks, so the platform sees normal behaviour rather than a sudden burst.
- Daily limit: A daily limit is the most messages, or new conversations, an account is allowed to send in one day before sending stops until the next day.
- Pacing: Message pacing means leaving a gap between messages and capping how many go out in an hour and a day, so an account sends at a speed a person could.
- Connection request: A connection request is a LinkedIn invitation asking someone to join your network, which, once accepted, lets you message them directly.
FAQ
Is a reply to a customer a new conversation?
No. A reply in a chat the customer started is a reply, and it is not counted against the new-chat limit.
Why are new conversations limited more tightly?
Unasked first messages are what platforms watch most closely, especially when many go unanswered.
Can my agent start new conversations at all?
Yes, within the per-hour and per-day new-chat limits, and with people who expect to hear from you.
Does Spaces allow bulk cold messages?
No. The same cold message sent to many people is always refused.
How many new chats can a new WhatsApp number start?
None in the first 24 hours, then 3 a day for the rest of the first week, rising over four weeks to 10 a day.
Useful next: New-chat limits by channel, Account safety, Will WhatsApp ban my number?. Every term: the glossary.