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Meta Business PartnerStep-by-step guide

How to set up Click-to-WhatsApp Ads on the WhatsApp Business API

Click-to-WhatsApp (CTWA) ads turn a Facebook, Instagram, or Messenger tap into a live WhatsApp conversation — the person lands directly in a chat with your business instead of a landing page. Because the customer messages you first, that opening reply falls inside the free 24-hour service window, so you can qualify a lead, answer a question, or send a catalogue without paying for the first exchange. This guide walks through the full setup on the official WhatsApp Business API with InfiQ: connecting your ad account, building the welcome flow, wiring up tracking, and testing before you spend a rupee on media.

What you'll do

Connect your verified WhatsApp Business API number and Meta ad account, build an ad with the "Send WhatsApp message" destination, prepare a welcome flow and any utility templates, add a CTWA referral parameter so InfiQ can attribute leads, test the click-to-chat handoff with your own number, then publish and monitor delivery, quality rating, and cost per conversation.

Before you start: prerequisites

CTWA ads only work when your messaging foundation is already in place, so confirm these before you touch Ads Manager. You need a WhatsApp Business API number that is live and connected through InfiQ (not the WhatsApp Business app), a verified Meta Business Manager, and admin access to the ad account that will run the campaign. Your display name and quality rating should be healthy, since a flagged or restricted number can silently suppress ad delivery. Getting these lined up first saves you from building a beautiful ad that has nowhere to send people.

  • An active WhatsApp Business API number provisioned via InfiQ, with BSUID ownership under your business
  • A verified Meta Business Manager and a Facebook Page linked to the same business
  • Admin or advertiser access to the Meta ad account funding the campaign
  • The WhatsApp number connected as a messaging destination inside Business Manager
  • A funded payment method on the ad account and a healthy number quality rating

Step 1 — Link your WhatsApp number to the ad account

Meta needs to know which WhatsApp inbox a click should open. In Business Manager, open Business Settings, then WhatsApp Accounts, and confirm your InfiQ-provisioned number is listed and its status is 'Connected'. Assign the ad account and the Page to the same business portfolio so the destination shows up when you build the ad. If the number was just provisioned, allow a short propagation delay before it appears as a selectable WhatsApp destination in Ads Manager. This one-time link is what lets every future CTWA campaign route conversations into the InfiQ inbox your team already uses.

Step 2 — Build the ad with a WhatsApp destination

In Meta Ads Manager, create a campaign with an Engagement or Sales objective, then at the ad-set level choose WhatsApp as the conversion location (sometimes shown as 'Click to message' with WhatsApp selected). Meta auto-generates a click-to-chat link tied to your number — you do not paste a wa.me link yourself. Write your creative as usual, and set the pre-filled message that appears in the customer's WhatsApp compose box; keep it short and intent-signalling, for example 'Hi, I saw your ad about the monsoon sale' so your automation can branch on it. Publish only after the welcome flow and tracking are ready, so the very first click lands on a working experience.

  • Objective: Engagement or Sales (both support WhatsApp as a destination)
  • Conversion location: WhatsApp
  • Set a clear pre-filled opening message customers can send in one tap
  • Use a call-to-action like 'Send message' rather than 'Learn more'

Step 3 — Prepare the welcome flow and any templates

The moment someone clicks, they message you first, which opens the free 24-hour service window — inside it you can reply with free-form messages and interactive content without a template. Set up an automated welcome in InfiQ that greets the lead, asks a qualifying question, and offers quick-reply buttons (browse catalogue, talk to sales, check order). If you need to re-engage someone after that 24-hour window closes — a next-day follow-up or an abandoned-enquiry nudge — that outbound message requires an approved template, and you will be billed per delivered message at the category rate. Choose the category deliberately: a genuine offer is Marketing, an order or appointment update is Utility, and picking the wrong one risks rejection and needless cost.

Step 4 — Add CTWA tracking so leads are attributed

Without attribution, you cannot tell which ad, audience, or creative actually drove a paying conversation. Meta attaches a referral payload to the first inbound message from a CTWA click, including the source ad ID and the headline or body text. InfiQ reads this referral data on the incoming webhook so each new chat is tagged with its originating campaign automatically — no manual UTM juggling. For deeper reporting, use a distinct pre-filled message or ad-set naming convention per campaign so your team can segment leads in the InfiQ inbox and push clean source data into your CRM.

  • Meta sends ad source metadata on the first message after a CTWA click
  • InfiQ captures this referral on the webhook and tags the conversation
  • Use unique pre-filled messages per creative to separate intent
  • Sync tagged leads to your CRM for full cost-per-lead reporting

Step 5 — Test, go live, and monitor what matters

Never let paid traffic be your first test. Preview the ad, click through from your own phone, and confirm the pre-filled message appears, the conversation lands in the right InfiQ inbox, and your automated welcome fires within seconds; if you use a post-window follow-up template, trigger a test send to check formatting, buttons, and variables. Once the handoff passes, publish and watch the metrics that predict both performance and account health: cost per conversation started and reply rate in Ads Manager, plus delivery and read status and your number's quality rating inside InfiQ. Start with a modest daily budget on a fresh or lightly-used number and scale gradually so WhatsApp's messaging limits ramp with you. Review weekly — pause weak creatives, refine the welcome flow from real questions, and reserve templates for genuinely useful re-engagement.

  • Click through from your own phone before spending on media
  • Verify the pre-filled message, inbox routing, and automated welcome
  • Track cost per conversation and reply rate in Ads Manager
  • Watch quality rating and delivery status inside InfiQ
  • Scale budget gradually on a fresh or lightly-used number

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Frequently asked questions

Do I pay WhatsApp for the first message from a CTWA ad?+
No. Because the customer messages you first, your reply falls inside the free 24-hour service window, so the opening exchange carries no WhatsApp messaging charge. You still pay Meta for the ad clicks in Ads Manager, and any template you send after the 24-hour window closes is billed per delivered message at its category rate.
Can I run Click-to-WhatsApp ads on the WhatsApp Business app instead of the API?+
You can run basic CTWA ads with the app, but for automated welcome flows, CRM sync, campaign attribution, and team inboxes you need the official WhatsApp Business API. InfiQ provisions the API number, builds the automations, and captures the ad referral data so every lead is tagged to its source.
How does InfiQ know which ad a lead came from?+
Meta attaches a referral payload to the first inbound message after a CTWA click, containing the source ad ID and creative text. InfiQ reads this on the incoming webhook and automatically tags the conversation, so you see cost-per-lead by campaign without manual tracking links.
Do I need a template to reply to CTWA leads?+
Not within the first 24 hours. Since the lead messages you first, the free service window is open and you can reply with free-form messages, buttons, lists, and media. A template is only required to message someone after that window closes, and it is billed per delivered message by category (marketing, utility, or authentication).
Why are my CTWA ads not delivering or getting rejected?+
The most common causes are a WhatsApp number that is not correctly connected as a destination in Business Manager, a low number quality rating, an unverified business, or the ad account and Page sitting in different business portfolios. Confirm the number shows 'Connected' and that all assets share the same verified Meta Business Manager.
How much should I budget to start?+
Start small on a fresh or lightly-used number so WhatsApp messaging limits and quality signals ramp with your volume. Scale daily spend gradually once your reply rate and cost per conversation look healthy. InfiQ platform charges apply on top of Meta's ad spend as transparent rupee pricing, ex-GST.
Can I follow up with leads the next day?+
Yes, but a next-day message sent after the 24-hour service window has closed requires an approved template and is billed per delivered message at its category rate. Choose the category honestly — a promotion is Marketing, an order or appointment update is Utility — to avoid rejection and unexpected cost.
Do I need a developer to set this up?+
For most businesses, no. InfiQ is no-code for building welcome flows, managing templates, and reading CTWA attribution. A developer is only needed if you want custom automations or deep API integrations beyond the standard inbox and campaign tools.