How a click-to-chat link works
A wa.me link opens a conversation with your number in one tap. The customer does not need to save your contact, and if you add a pre-filled message they only press send. That first message is your chance to learn where the chat came from: a different opener for your bio, your ads and your packaging tells you which one is working.
Where to put your link
- Instagram and TikTok bio: the link, with an opener like "Hi, I saw your page".
- Facebook page: as the action button, and in the About section.
- Website: a floating "Chat on WhatsApp" button, and on every product or service page.
- Meta ads: use the Click-to-WhatsApp objective, which builds the opener for you.
- Packaging, receipts, menus and shop counters: the QR code.
- Email signature and Google Business Profile: the plain link.
Pre-filled messages that work
Keep it to one line the customer would actually say. A few starting points, in the languages we see most on WhatsApp:
- English: "Hi, I'd like to know the price and delivery for"
- Español: "Hola, quiero información sobre"
- Português: "Olá, quero saber o preço de"
- Bahasa Indonesia: "Halo, saya mau tanya harga"
- Bahasa Malaysia: "Hi, nak tanya harga dan stok untuk"
- العربية: "مرحباً، أريد الاستفسار عن"
- Français: "Bonjour, je voudrais des informations sur"
- हिन्दी / Hinglish: "Hi, price aur delivery ke baare mein batayein"
Common mistakes
- Leaving the plus sign, spaces or dashes in the number. wa.me wants digits only.
- Forgetting the country code, or keeping the leading zero after it.
- Pasting an unencoded message. Spaces and question marks break the link unless encoded, which this tool handles.
- Using a personal number that is not on WhatsApp Business, so customers see no business name or hours.
What happens after they tap
The link is the easy part. The hard part is the twenty identical openers that arrive after a good post or ad, at night, in whatever language the customer speaks. Replai pairs to the same number and answers those questions from your own price list and FAQs, in the customer's language, then logs the serious ones to a Google Sheet. It runs on the number you already have, with no Meta application, and the trial is free with no card.
Read how to prepare for the flood in Running Click-to-WhatsApp ads? Here's how to answer the flood, or draft your FAQ first with the free FAQ generator.
Questions
- What is a WhatsApp click-to-chat link?
- A wa.me link opens a chat with your number in one tap, without the customer saving your contact first. You can add a pre-filled message so the customer only has to press send.
- What is the format of a wa.me link?
- https://wa.me/ followed by your full number in international format with no plus sign, spaces or dashes, then ?text= and your URL-encoded message. Example: https://wa.me/14155551234?text=Hi%20there.
- Does the link work with WhatsApp Business?
- Yes. It works with the WhatsApp Business app and the Business API alike, on phones and on WhatsApp Web or Desktop.
- Why does my WhatsApp link not work?
- Almost always the number. Remove the plus sign, the leading zero, spaces and dashes, and include the country code. The message must be URL-encoded, which this tool does for you.
- Can I track clicks on a WhatsApp link?
- wa.me links have no built-in analytics. Use a short link with click counting, or vary the pre-filled message per placement (bio, ad, packaging) so you can tell where each chat came from.