Marketing
Click-to-WhatsApp Ads: Setup, Costs and Best Practices
How Click-to-WhatsApp ads work, how to launch one step by step, what you pay Meta for the ad and the messages, and how to turn each new chat into a lead or a sale.
MonoChat Team Updated: 8 min read
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Click-to-WhatsApp ads are Facebook and Instagram ads whose button opens a WhatsApp chat with your business instead of a website. The person taps “Send message”, WhatsApp opens with a prefilled greeting, and the conversation starts on your number. You pay for the ad through Meta’s normal auction, and if you reply within 24 hours, the messages that follow are free while the free entry point window is open (up to 7 days).
This guide explains how the ads work, how to set one up, what it really costs, and how to handle the chats they create so the spend turns into leads and sales.
What are Click-to-WhatsApp ads?
They are a type of click-to-message ad. Instead of sending traffic to a landing page, the ad starts a conversation. That removes the form, the page load and the “we’ll get back to you” delay: the customer asks a question, and you answer in the same chat.
According to Meta’s developer documentation, Click-to-WhatsApp ads:
- Support image, video, carousel and slideshow formats
- Run on Facebook and Instagram, with a WhatsApp Status placement you can enable through placement targeting
- Work with the Engagement, Leads, Sales and Traffic campaign objectives
- Require a Facebook Page linked to a WhatsApp number
- Go through Meta’s normal ad review before they run
If the person taps the ad on their phone, WhatsApp opens. Keep in mind that the free entry point window described below applies only to chats started in the WhatsApp app on Android or iOS, not on WhatsApp Desktop or Web.
How Click-to-WhatsApp ads work, step by step
- A person sees your ad in their Facebook or Instagram feed, Stories or Reels.
- They tap the call to action, usually “Send message” or “WhatsApp”.
- WhatsApp opens with a greeting already typed. By default it reads “Hello! Can I get more info on this?”, but you can customize it.
- They send it, and the message arrives on your WhatsApp number.
- You reply. On the API, the incoming message carries referral details about the ad, such as the ad ID, headline and body text, plus a click ID (
ctwa_clid) for most placements. - The conversation continues like any other chat, with the free entry point window (up to 7 days) applied if you replied in time.
How to set up a Click-to-WhatsApp ad
Before you start
- A Facebook Page and a Meta ad account
- A WhatsApp Business number (app or API) linked to that Page
- A clear offer and an answer plan for the chats that will arrive
Build the campaign in Ads Manager
- Create a campaign and choose the objective: Engagement, Leads, Sales or Traffic.
- Set the conversion location or destination to messaging, and select WhatsApp.
- Choose your Page and the linked WhatsApp number.
- Set budget, schedule and audience. Daily budgets apply to ad sets running longer than 24 hours; lifetime budgets need an end date.
- Pick placements. Facebook and Instagram are standard; add WhatsApp Status if it is offered for your account.
- Create the ad. Upload the image, video, carousel or slideshow, then write the primary text and headline.
- Customize the message template for the chat: the prefilled greeting, an automated greeting, and up to a few ice breakers (preset questions the person can tap).
- Publish. The ad shows as pending until Meta approves it.
If you build ads through the Marketing API instead, the same pieces exist: the ad set uses a WhatsApp destination type, and the creative carries a welcome message with autofill text, ice breakers or a call-to-action such as a website link, catalog or a single-screen WhatsApp Flow.
Write ice breakers that qualify
Ice breakers do two jobs: they lower the effort to start, and they tell you what the person wants. Compare:
| Weak ice breaker | Better ice breaker |
|---|---|
| ”Hi" | "What’s the price for 2 adults in July?" |
| "Tell me more" | "Can I book a free trial class?" |
| "Question" | "Is the 3-bedroom still available?" |
| "Info" | "Do you deliver to my area?” |
Each one maps to a different reply path, so your chatbot or team can answer the right way from the first message.
How much do Click-to-WhatsApp ads cost?
There are two separate costs.
1. The ad spend. You buy reach through Meta’s ad auction. You set a budget; the cost per conversation depends on audience, creative, placement, season and competition. There is no fixed price per click or per chat, so test with a modest budget first.
2. The WhatsApp messages. This is where these ads have an advantage. Per Meta’s pricing documentation:
- When someone messages you from a Click-to-WhatsApp ad and you reply within the 24-hour customer service window, your reply is free and a free entry point window opens that may remain open for up to 7 days.
- Messages you send in that window, including templates, are free of delivery charges.
- The 24-hour customer service window still runs separately. If it closes, you can only send templates, even while the free entry point window is open.
- After the free entry point window closes, standard per-message rates apply. Since October 1, 2026, that includes service messages (free-form replies), which Meta now charges at the market’s utility rate after the first 1,000 per business phone number each month.
- One exception: if you use Meta’s own Meta Business Agent, its messages are billed per token even inside the free window.
Example: what a follow-up costs after the free window
Say your ad brings in 1,000 conversations from the United Kingdom. All replies while the free entry point window is open are free. Two weeks later, after the window has closed, you send a promotion to the 600 people who opted in to offers. Using the UK marketing rate in MonoChat’s bulk messaging cost calculator ($0.0635), that follow-up costs 600 × $0.0635 = $38.10 in Meta fees, plus your ad spend and platform fee. The full rate logic is in WhatsApp API pricing explained.
The practical lesson: answer fast, and try to complete qualification, booking or checkout inside the free window.
Click-to-WhatsApp ads best practices
Reply in seconds, not hours
The free window only opens if you reply within 24 hours, but buying intent fades much faster than that. An automated first reply that acknowledges the question and asks one qualifying question keeps the lead warm while an agent gets ready.
Match the chat to the ad
If the ad promotes a weekend offer, the first reply should mention that offer. People who tapped a specific product carousel card expect to talk about that product.
Thanks for your message! You're asking about the Weekend Spa Package (2 treatments + lunch).
Which date works for you?
[This Saturday] [This Sunday] [Another date]Ask for opt-in before you market later
A chat started from an ad lets you answer the person’s question. If you want to send promotions after the conversation, ask clearly and record the answer. Our guide to WhatsApp opt-in has wording you can reuse.
Would you like us to send you offers and new dates on WhatsApp? You can stop anytime. [Yes, send offers] [No thanks]
Give the chat a structure
Use buttons, short forms and clear next steps. A WhatsApp Flow can collect name, date, budget or location in one screen without the back-and-forth of typed questions.
Measure beyond cost per conversation
Cost per conversation is easy to see in Ads Manager, but a cheap chat that never buys is expensive. Track:
| Metric | Why it matters |
|---|---|
| Cost per conversation | Ad efficiency |
| First response time | Whether leads get answered while they care |
| Qualified lead rate | Whether the targeting and ice breakers attract the right people |
| Booking or purchase rate | Whether chats turn into revenue |
| Opt-in rate for future messages | Whether the ad also grows your marketing audience |
Respect the policies
Ads follow Meta’s advertising standards, and the chats follow the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, including its list of restricted goods and services. Political parties, candidates and campaigns cannot use the WhatsApp Business Platform.
Handle Click-to-WhatsApp leads in MonoChat
When an ad works, chats arrive in bursts. MonoChat connects your number to the official WhatsApp Business API so a team, an AI assistant and automations can answer together.
- Instant first reply. A WhatsApp chatbot answers every new conversation right away, day and night, from your own knowledge base, so you open the free window and keep the lead engaged.
- Qualification flows. Buttons and WhatsApp Flows collect the details your team needs, such as budget, date, location or product, and save them as tags and contact fields.
- Routing to the right person. Qualified leads go to the right agent or team in the shared team inbox, with the full conversation visible.
- CRM sync. Lead details and answers move to your CRM through MonoChat’s integrations, API and webhooks.
Track ad leads with a workflow
A simple way to tell ad leads apart is to give each campaign its own prefilled greeting or ice breakers. In MonoChat’s no-code workflow automation builder you can:
- Start a workflow when a new conversation arrives.
- Add a condition on the first message text, for example the ice breaker “Can I book a free trial class?”.
- Tag the contact with the campaign name and ask the first qualifying question.
- Branch on the answer: book directly, send a Flow, or hand over to sales.
- If the lead goes quiet, send a reminder while the free window is still open.
This is the same approach behind MonoChat’s click-to-chat lead capture and property lead qualification use cases. For the full sales playbook after the first reply, read selling and generating leads on WhatsApp.
You can start on MonoChat’s free Basic plan (one agent, one channel) at app.monochat.ai; paid plans are on the pricing page.
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