WhatsApp Text Formatting: Bold, Italic, Strikethrough and Lists for Business Messages
A price list that arrives as one long block of text is hard to read on a phone. The same list with a bold heading, a short bullet list and the amount in bold gets read in seconds. WhatsApp has simple formatting built in, and most business owners never use it.
This guide gives you the exact codes, shows where formatting works in business messages and templates, and lists the mistakes that make messages look messy. Every example uses neutral retail and service businesses, so adapt the wording to yours.
The WhatsApp Formatting Codes
WhatsApp formats text when you wrap it in certain characters. There is no toolbar to learn, only a few symbols:
Bold: put an asterisk on each side. *Order confirmed* becomes bold.
Italic: put an underscore on each side. _Delivery by 6 pm_ becomes italic.
Strikethrough: put a tilde on each side. ~₹1,499~ shows the old price crossed out.
Monospace: put three backticks on each side. Useful for codes, such as an order ID or coupon code, because the fixed-width font is easy to spot and copy.
Bulleted list: start each line with an asterisk or a hyphen followed by a space.
Numbered list: start each line with a number, a full stop and a space, such as 1. and 2.
Quote: start a line with a greater-than sign and a space.
Inline code: put single backticks around a short word or number.
Do not put a space between the symbol and the text. *Bold* works. * Bold * does not. Also keep the symbols on the same line as the words they wrap.
Where Formatting Works in Business Messages
Formatting works in ordinary chat messages that your team types inside the 24-hour customer service window, and in the body of message templates. It is not meant for every part of a template. Treat header text, footers and button labels as plain text, and keep them short and clear. If you are not sure how a template will render, preview it before you submit it.
This matters most for templates, because every approved template reaches many customers at once. A bold word that appears as raw asterisks on a customer's screen looks careless. Always check the preview, then send a test to your own number. To understand template limits first, read our guide to WhatsApp template categories.
You can also draft and preview your text with our free WhatsApp text formatter before pasting it into a template or chat.
What to Make Bold (and What to Leave Alone)
The rule is simple: bold the one or two things the customer must not miss. Everything else stays plain.
Good candidates for bold: the amount to pay, a date or time slot, an order or booking ID, the name of the offer, and the action you want, such as *Reply YES*.
Bad candidates for bold: whole sentences, every product name, or the entire message. When everything is bold, nothing stands out.
A quick test: read only the bold words. If they tell the customer what, when and how much, you have formatted it well.
Examples for Different Businesses
**Order confirmation (electronics store)**
"Hi {{1}}, your order is confirmed.\n\n*Item:* {{2}}\n*Amount:* ₹{{3}}\n*Delivery:* {{4}}\n\nReply here if you want to change the address."
**Appointment reminder (salon or clinic)**
"Hi {{1}}, a reminder about your visit.\n\n*Date:* {{2}}\n*Time:* {{3}}\n\nReply 1 to confirm or 2 to reschedule."
**Weekly menu (restaurant)**
"This week's lunch specials:\n\n* Veg thali, ₹149\n* Paneer wrap, ₹119\n* Cold coffee, ₹79\n\nReply with your order."
**Fee reminder (coaching class)**
"Hi {{1}}, the fee of *₹{{2}}* for the {{3}} batch is due on *{{4}}*. Reply PAID once done."
Notice the pattern: a short label in bold, the detail in plain text, and a blank line between groups. Our guide to WhatsApp order confirmation and delivery update templates has more layouts you can borrow.
Using Strikethrough for Prices
Strikethrough is useful for showing a before and after price, such as ~₹1,999~ ₹1,499. Use it honestly. The crossed-out price should be a price you genuinely charged. A fake "original" price can mislead customers and damage trust, and it is a common reason people report marketing messages.
Formatting That Causes Problems
Stray symbols. If your text contains a genuine asterisk or underscore, for example in a product code like SKU_12_L, WhatsApp may read it as formatting and change how it looks. Check the preview for odd italics.
Variables inside formatting. A bold variable such as *{{1}}* is fine, but make sure the sample value you give Meta is realistic, with no spaces next to the symbols.
Too many emojis plus formatting. One or two emojis and a bold amount look clean. Ten emojis and five bold words look like spam.
Different look on different devices. Fonts and spacing vary slightly between phones. Keep layouts simple and avoid fake tables made from spaces.
Long messages. Formatting cannot fix length. Template body text is limited to 1,024 characters, and shorter always reads better. If your template keeps getting rejected, see why WhatsApp templates get rejected.
Make Formatting Part of Your Team's Habit
Formatting helps most when the whole team uses the same style. Agree on a few rules: bold for amounts and dates, a bulleted list for three or more items, and a blank line between groups. Then save common replies as ready-to-send snippets so nobody retypes asterisks under pressure. In the VedLink AI team inbox your agents can reuse quick replies while answering WhatsApp, Instagram and Facebook chats from one screen.
Formatting for Long Messages Like Price Lists and Rules
Some messages are long by nature: a weekly price list, class rules, a service menu or delivery terms. Break them into short blocks. Give each block a bold label on its own line, then two or three plain lines underneath. A customer scrolling on a small screen can then jump to the block they need instead of reading everything.
For terms or instructions, a numbered list works better than a paragraph, because customers can refer back to a step by number. For example, a clinic can write steps 1 to 4 for what to bring on the day of a visit, and a customer can reply "I have done step 3" without confusion.
If a message still runs beyond what fits on one screen, send the key point in the message and share the full details as a PDF or a link. Our guide to sending invoices on WhatsApp shows how to attach documents cleanly.
A Quick Checklist Before You Send
1. Is only the key information in bold?
2. Are there spaces or blank lines between groups of information?
3. Do lists use a symbol or number at the start of each line?
4. Have you previewed the message and sent a test to your own phone?
5. Are header, footer and button text plain and short?
6. Could a customer act on the message without scrolling?
If you can say yes to all six, your messages will be easier to read than most of what lands in a customer's inbox. Formatting costs nothing, takes a minute and often does more for clarity than a rewrite. To plan the rest of your campaign, see our guide to WhatsApp marketing message samples.