Click-to-WhatsApp ads, with automation that answers at once
A Click-to-WhatsApp ad turns a tap into a conversation, but only if someone answers quickly. This guide shows how to reply instantly, qualify the lead and pass it to sales.
How a Click-to-WhatsApp ad works
A Click-to-WhatsApp ad is a Facebook or Instagram ad with a button that opens a WhatsApp chat with your business. You create it in Meta Ads Manager and choose your WhatsApp number as the destination. Usually you also set a pre-filled message, such as "Hi, I want to know more about the 2BHK flats", which appears in the customer's chat ready to send.
When the customer sends that message, it reaches your number like any other, with the details of the ad it came from attached. In the WaKite inbox the chat shows the ad's headline and link, so your team knows what the person saw before writing. The rest depends on what happens in the next minute.
Reply in seconds, not hours
People who tap an ad are curious now, and they will tap another ad if you are slow. A flow bot can answer the moment the message arrives. The simplest trigger is "First message from a new contact", which catches almost every ad lead. Better still, give each ad its own pre-filled message and use a keyword trigger that matches it, so each ad starts the right flow.
The first reply should confirm what they asked about and offer two or three choices as reply buttons, such as "See prices", "Book a visit" and "Talk to us". Keep it short. A long paragraph before any choice loses people. If you use the pre-filled text to choose the flow, a tag step can also record which ad the lead came from.
- A different pre-filled message for each ad
- A keyword trigger that matches it
- A tag that names the ad or campaign
- Three buttons in the first reply
Qualify in a few taps
Ask only what your sales team really needs to decide who calls back first: what they want, when, and roughly what budget. Use list menus for answers with many options, such as area or course, and reply buttons for simple choices. A question step can save a typed answer, and a condition step can send serious buyers one way and early browsers another.
For longer details, send a WhatsApp form. A form opens inside WhatsApp, collects several fields at once and saves the answers to the contact, which is faster for the customer than answering questions one by one. Keep the whole qualification under a minute. Every extra question costs you leads, so drop any question your sales team does not actually use.
Hand the lead to sales
Once you know who the lead is, the bot's job is to pass it on cleanly. An assign step gives the chat to a person or keeps it for the team, a private note summarises what the customer chose, and a label marks the chat as a hot lead. Your salesperson opens a chat that already has the context, instead of starting with "How can I help?".
In WaKite the same flow can put the contact on a sales pipeline stage, create a follow-up task with a due time, and set a reminder to call back. That keeps ad leads from sitting in the inbox. Tell the customer what happens next, for example "Priya from our team will message you within the hour", and then make sure it happens.
The free entry point window
Meta treats conversations that start from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad in a special way. If the customer messages you from the ad in the WhatsApp mobile app and you reply within the customer service window, a free entry point window opens. While it is open, Meta does not charge for the messages you send in that chat, including templates.
The length of this window, and which messages it covers, are set by Meta and have changed over time, so check Meta's pricing page for the current rules. In practice it gives you room to follow up over the next few days without paying per message. That is one more reason to answer ad leads quickly: the window only opens when you reply in time.
Follow up without being pushy
Not every lead finishes the conversation. A "no reply" trigger can send one gentle reminder after a set time while the 24-hour window is still open, for example "Still interested? Tap below to see the price list". Keep it to one nudge. Several reminders in a row feel like spam and lead to blocks.
For leads that go quiet for longer, a drip campaign can send a short series of approved templates over the following days and stop when the person replies. Use it for genuine value, such as a brochure, a customer story or an answer to a common doubt, not the same offer three times. Remove people who say no.
Step by step
- 1Set the pre-filled message
In Ads Manager, give each ad a distinct pre-filled message that names the offer.
- 2Build the reply flow
Create a flow bot with a keyword trigger matching that message and a first reply with three buttons.
- 3Add qualification
Ask two or three questions with lists, buttons or a WhatsApp form, and tag the lead by ad.
- 4Hand over to sales
Assign the chat, add a private note and a pipeline stage, and create a follow-up task.
- 5Add one nudge
Use a "no reply" trigger for a single reminder while the 24-hour window is open.