A pre-filled message is the text that's already typed into the chat box when someone opens your WhatsApp link. It removes the awkward "what do I even say?" moment — and it's the single easiest upgrade you can make to any wa.me link.
The magic parameter: ?text=
You add a pre-filled message by appending ?text= to your link, followed by your URL-encoded message:
https://wa.me/15551234567?text=Hi!%20I'd%20like%20more%20info.
When the customer taps it, WhatsApp opens a chat with the number and drops "Hi! I'd like more info." into the input box. They can send it as-is or edit it first.
Why URL encoding matters
URLs can't contain raw spaces or many symbols, so text gets encoded:
- Space →
%20 - Line break →
%0A &→%26- Emoji 👋 →
%F0%9F%91%8B
So "Hi there 👋" becomes:
?text=Hi%20there%20%F0%9F%91%8B
It looks ugly in the URL, but the customer sees clean text. Non-English scripts (Arabic, Hebrew, Chinese) also encode into byte sequences and display perfectly on the other end.
The easy way: let a tool encode it
Hand-encoding is error-prone — one wrong % and the link breaks. Instead, type your message in plain language and create your free WhatsApp link; the encoding is handled automatically, and you get a QR code too.
What makes a good pre-filled message
The best pre-filled messages share four traits:
- Written from the customer's point of view. Use "Hi! I'd like…" not "Hello, thank you for contacting our business." The customer is "sending" it, so it should sound like them.
- Short. One sentence. Long pre-fills feel like a script and get deleted.
- Specific to where the link lives. A link in your Instagram bio can say something different from the one on your pricing page.
- Editable, not mandatory. It's a starting point. Don't rely on it being sent verbatim.
Copy-and-adapt examples
General contact:
Hi! I'd like more information, please.
Product / e-commerce:
Hi! Is the [product name] in stock, and what's the price?
Booking / appointments:
Hi! I'd like to book an appointment. What times are available this week?
Restaurant order:
Hi! I'd like to place a takeaway order:
Instagram bio:
Hi! I found you on Instagram and I'd love more details.
Support:
Hi! I need help with my order #____.
Use the message to track your sources
Because the pre-filled text arrives inside the chat, you can quietly tag where each lead came from. Use a slightly different message per channel:
- Website:
Hi! I'm on your website and I have a question. - Facebook ad:
Hi! I saw your Facebook ad about [offer]. - Flyer QR:
Hi! I scanned your flyer and I'd like to order.
When chats land in your inbox, the first line tells you the source — no analytics dashboard required. You can also append a UTM-style tag inside the text for CRMs that read the message body.
Multiple links, one number
You don't need multiple phone numbers to run multiple campaigns. The same number with different ?text= values gives you as many tracked entry points as you want:
wa.me/15551234567?text=From%20Instagram
wa.me/15551234567?text=From%20the%20menu%20QR
wa.me/15551234567?text=From%20the%20Google%20listing
All three route to the same WhatsApp inbox, but you can tell them apart at a glance.
Common mistakes
- Skipping the message entirely. An empty chat loses hesitant visitors. Always pre-fill.
- Making it too long. Three sentences of corporate copy gets wiped before sending.
- Encoding it twice.
%2520instead of%20produces literal%20in the chat. Encode once — or use a generator. - Writing it from the business's voice. It should read like the customer wrote it.
Recap
Add ?text= + your encoded message to any wa.me link, keep it short and customer-voiced, and vary it per channel to track sources for free. The fastest way to get it right is to create your free WhatsApp link and let the tool encode everything for you.