Guides
How to Create a WhatsApp Link (wa.me) With a Pre-Filled Message
The exact wa.me format, the mistakes that break it, where to put it for the most chats — and how to turn one link into leads for your whole sales team.
By the wbm.link teamUpdated 11 September 2026 3 min read
A WhatsApp link opens a chat with your business in one tap — no saving your number, no typing it in. Add a pre-filled message and the customer only has to press send. It is the simplest way to turn an ad, a poster or an Instagram bio into a conversation.
The wa.me link format
WhatsApp's official click-to-chat address is wa.me followed by your number in full international format:
- Just the chat: https://wa.me/919876543210
- With a message: https://wa.me/919876543210?text=Hi%2C%20I%20want%20the%20Diwali%20offer
The number is the country code followed by the phone number — for India, 91 then the ten digits. The message goes after ?text=, with spaces and punctuation written in URL-encoded form (a space becomes %20).
Make one in four steps
- Write your number with the country code and nothing else: 919876543210.
- Start the link: https://wa.me/919876543210
- Write the message you want customers to send, for example “Hi, I saw your ad and want to know the price”.
- Encode the message and add it after ?text= — or use a link tool that does it for you.
Mistakes that break WhatsApp links
| Mistake | What happens | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| A + sign, spaces or dashes in the number | The link may not open the right chat | Digits only: 919876543210 |
| A leading 0 instead of the country code | WhatsApp cannot find the number | Replace the 0 with 91 |
| Missing country code | Opens the wrong country, or nothing | Always start with 91 for India |
| Unencoded spaces in the message | The message is cut short | Encode it, or use a generator |
| A number not on WhatsApp | “Phone number shared via url is invalid” | Use your WhatsApp Business number |
Where to use your WhatsApp link
- Instagram and Facebook bios — the tap that turns a follower into an enquiry.
- Ads — send traffic straight into a chat instead of a form nobody fills in.
- Posters, flyers and visiting cards — as a short link people can type, or a QR code.
- Your website — a floating “Chat on WhatsApp” button on every page.
- Email signatures and Google Business Profile — wherever customers already look for you.
Use a different pre-filled message for each place — “Hi, I saw your Instagram post”, “Hi, I got your flyer”. When the chats arrive, you can see which channel is working without any tracking tools.
The problem with one link and one number
A wa.me link always opens the same number. That is fine for a shop with one phone, but a sales team hits two problems: long wa.me links are hard to print or say aloud, and every lead lands on one person while the rest of the team waits.
Short, branded links solve the first. Number rotation solves the second: one link, several WhatsApp numbers, and each new tap opens the next number in line — so a campaign's leads are spread evenly across your salespeople.
Short links with rotation, built in
With wbm.link you create links like wbm.link/yourbrand with a pre-filled message, rotate chats across up to 50 numbers and count every tap.
See WhatsApp linksMeasuring what your links bring in
Count taps per link, then compare with the chats that actually arrive and the sales they turn into. A link on a poster with many taps but few chats usually has a confusing message; a link with few taps needs a better place or a clearer call to action — “Tap to get today's price on WhatsApp” beats “Contact us”.