Click-to-WhatsApp ads are Facebook and Instagram ads with a Send message button that opens a WhatsApp chat with your business. Here is how to run them: link your WhatsApp Business number to your Facebook Page, create a campaign in Meta Ads Manager with an objective that supports WhatsApp, and choose WhatsApp as the message destination. Then write the first message people will send, pick your city or country, set a budget and schedule, and make sure someone replies fast.
The short version, in seven steps:
- Link WhatsApp to your Facebook Page.
- Pick the campaign objective and WhatsApp as the destination.
- Write the greeting and the pre-filled first message.
- Choose who sees the ad.
- Make the ad from real photos or video.
- Set the budget and the hours it runs.
- Reply fast, then qualify the chat.
What you need before you run click-to-WhatsApp ads
- A Facebook Page for your business, with you as an admin. Meta says WhatsApp can't be connected from a personal profile.
- A WhatsApp Business number. The free-to-download WhatsApp Business app works. Meta lets you run these ads as a WhatsApp Business app user or as a WhatsApp Business Platform (API) user.
- An ad account with a payment method that works, so the campaign doesn't stop halfway.
- Someone who can reply within minutes during the hours the ad runs. This matters more than any setting below.
Step 1: Link WhatsApp to your Facebook Page
On Facebook, switch to your Page and open Settings. Under Permissions, click Linked accounts, then WhatsApp. Choose the country code (+92 for a Pakistani number), enter your WhatsApp Business number, click Send WhatsApp code, type the code you receive and click Confirm.
You can also connect it in Ads Manager: at the ad set level, find WhatsApp under Message destinations and click Connect account. If you see "WhatsApp number is linked to another Facebook business", remove the number as a business asset from that business first. One Page can have several WhatsApp numbers connected.
Step 2: Pick the campaign goal and WhatsApp as the destination
In Ads Manager, click + Create and choose an objective. The place where you pick WhatsApp depends on the objective:
| Objective | Where you choose WhatsApp |
|---|---|
| Traffic or Engagement | In the Conversion section, choose Message destinations, then tick WhatsApp |
| Leads | In the Conversion section, choose WhatsApp. Maximise number of conversations is the default performance goal |
| Sales | In the Conversion section, choose Message destinations, then tick WhatsApp |
| Awareness | At the ad level, under Destination, choose Messaging apps, then WhatsApp |
For a business that simply wants more chats, Engagement or Leads is a sensible start. Under Facebook Page, choose your Page; its linked WhatsApp number is the one the ad opens. If WhatsApp is greyed out, click Connect account. You may also see a campaign score or Advantage+ switched on for audience and placements; manual options are still there.
Step 3: Write the pre-filled message
At the ad level, the Message template section offers Create new or Use existing. The Start conversation template lets you set a greeting and suggest messages people can send with one tap.
Name the exact item or offer from the ad, so nobody has to ask "which one?", and add a short ref code per ad, so you can tell later which ad brought which customer. These examples are made up for illustration:
| Business | English | Roman Urdu |
|---|---|---|
| Car showroom | Hi, is the white 2019 Corolla GLi from your ad still available? (ref C12) | AoA, ad wali white 2019 Corolla GLi abhi available hai? (ref C12) |
| Real estate | Hi, please send details of the 5 marla house in your ad. (ref P2) | AoA, ad wale 5 marla ghar ki details bhej dein. (ref P2) |
| Clinic | Hi, I'd like to book an appointment at your F-8 branch this week. (ref D3) | AoA, F-8 branch mein is hafte appointment chahiye. (ref D3) |
| Online store | Hi, is the black lawn 3-piece from your ad available in medium? (ref S8) | AoA, ad wala black lawn 3-piece medium mein available hai? (ref S8) |
| Restaurant | Hi, I'd like the family deal from your ad, delivered to DHA. (ref R5) | AoA, ad wali family deal DHA mein deliver kar dein. (ref R5) |
For a clinic, ask for the appointment, never the symptom, and keep health details out of the ad and its targeting. A greeting can be one line: "Shukriya, aap ka message mil gaya. Hamari team jald reply karegi."
Step 4: Choose who sees it
At the ad set level, go to Audience, then Locations. Type a city and adjust the radius, or use Drop pin on your shop. Meta may tick Reach more people likely to respond to your ads by default; untick it if you only want people in that area.
For example, a showroom in Multan could target Multan plus nearby towns, with a separate ad for each price band. To reach overseas Pakistanis, add the countries where they live (up to 25, as of October 2026) and write for them: a relative in Pakistan can visit, or you can send a video walkaround. Keep age and interests broad at first.
One caution: Meta says some messaging campaigns and metrics are unavailable for ads delivered to and from Europe, Japan and South Korea (as of October 2026), so check Ads Manager before aiming at Pakistanis there.
Step 5: The ad itself
- Real photos or video of the real thing. The actual car, dish, plot or product. Never let AI change what you are selling, and label any AI-made part of an ad, as we do with our short ad videos under our AI policy.
- One ad, one offer. One car, one deal, one project.
- Say that tapping opens a chat. Meta suggests wording that invites people to message you and a Send message or Chat now button.
- Test more than one version. Meta recommends a mix of images and video with a clear, short message.
Step 6: Budget and timing
Meta doesn't set a starting budget for you. Pick a daily amount you can keep running for a full week: Meta recommends letting messaging campaigns run 7 or more days for stable results (as of October 2026). Don't edit daily, since changing some details can restart the learning phase or send the ad back for review. Review itself typically takes up to 24 hours, sometimes longer (as of October 2026).
Then match the ad's hours to your team. Meta lets you schedule an ad set for specific days and times with a daily or lifetime budget, at least one hour at a time. Ads follow the audience's time zone, so an ad aimed at Dubai runs on Dubai's clock.
Step 7: Reply fast, then qualify
- Quick replies and labels. The WhatsApp Business app has quick replies for common answers and labels to sort chats. Set both up before launch, or let us set up your quick replies and labels.
- A reply rota. Write down who answers which hours, including evenings and Sundays.
- An away message for the gaps. In the app, go to Tools, then Away message, turn on Send away message and set the schedule to Outside of business hours (this option needs business hours in your profile). Say when you will reply.
- Qualify in three questions. Budget, timing and city for a car or a house; size and delivery area for a store. An after-hours assistant can ask them and hand over to a person, which is how we qualify each chat.
- Label every chat with its ref code and stage: New, Qualified, Visited, Sold.
How to tell if it's working
Ads Manager reports Messaging conversations started: people who messaged you for the first time, or after at least seven days of silence, attributed to your ads. For WhatsApp Business, it counts only conversations started from clicks on your ad. Spend divided by that number is your cost per chat. Track the rest by ref code:
| Measure | Where it comes from |
|---|---|
| Chats started | Ads Manager |
| Cost per chat | Spend divided by chats started |
| Qualified chats | Your WhatsApp labels |
| Visits, bookings or orders | Your team's sheet, by ref code |
| Sales | Your sales record, by ref code |
Cheap chats with no visits are worse than costlier chats that bring buyers. Review weekly.
Common mistakes to avoid
- Running ads at night or on holidays with nobody on the phone.
- A vague pre-filled message ("Hi, I'm interested") that forces a slow back-and-forth.
- One ad for everything instead of one offer per ad.
- Boosting the wrong post. From your Page, the WhatsApp option is only available for posts with external links, videos or single photos.
- Changing budget, audience and creative every day.
- Counting chats as sales.
FAQ
Do I need the WhatsApp Business API?
No. Meta lets you run these ads with the WhatsApp Business app, which it describes as meant for small businesses talking to customers one-on-one. The Platform (API) suits businesses that need many agents or bots on one number, or a CRM link.
Is the chat itself charged?
You pay Meta for the ads. On the WhatsApp Business Platform, messages customers send you are free. If someone messages you from the ad on the Android or iOS app and you reply within the 24-hour customer service window, that reply is free and opens a free entry point window of up to 7 days, in which Meta doesn't charge for marketing, utility, authentication or service messages; Meta Business Agent messages are still charged (as of October 2026). See our guide to WhatsApp Business API pricing in Pakistan.
Can I run it from my phone?
Yes. On your Facebook Page, tap Advertise, choose Get more messages, select WhatsApp under Apps and your number, set the welcome message, audience, duration and budget, then Publish. You can also start these ads from the WhatsApp Business app.
Can I target Pakistanis abroad?
Yes, by adding their countries under Locations. A separate campaign per region keeps time zones and reporting clean. Check availability for Europe first (see Step 4).
How Amanat can help
If you'd rather not set this up yourself, we run click-to-WhatsApp ads for businesses in Pakistan and worldwide: the plan, pre-filled messages in English and Roman Urdu, ads built in your own ad account from your real photos, weekly checks and a monthly report of chats and cost per chat. Ad money goes from your card straight to Meta, and we don't promise sales. For car showrooms, we run separate buyer and seller campaigns. See also our wider Facebook and Instagram ads work.