A plain WhatsApp link opens an empty chat and leaves the customer staring at a blinking cursor. A link with a pre-filled message opens the chat with the words already written — they just tap send. That one difference reliably increases the number of people who actually start the conversation, and it tells you exactly where they came from. Here's how it works and how to get it right every time.
The anatomy of a pre-filled link
A standard link looks like this:
https://wa.me/15551234567
To add a message, append ?text= followed by your message:
https://wa.me/15551234567?text=Hi%2C%20I%27d%20like%20a%20quote
The customer taps the link, WhatsApp opens the chat with your number, and the message box already contains "Hi, I'd like a quote". They can edit it or send it as-is. Nothing is sent automatically — the customer always presses send themselves.
If you're new to how these links work, start with what is a WhatsApp link.
Why the message looks strange: URL encoding
URLs can't contain spaces or many punctuation marks, so every special character is converted into a percent code. The most common ones:
| Character | Encoded |
|---|---|
| space | %20 |
| line break | %0A |
| , | %2C |
| ' | %27 |
| ? | %3F |
| & | %26 |
| # | %23 |
| * (for bold) | %2A |
| emoji 👋 | %F0%9F%91%8B |
Getting a single code wrong breaks the message — an unencoded & will cut your text off, and an unencoded # will drop everything after it. This is why hand-writing links is a bad idea for anything longer than two words.
The easy way: use a generator
- Go to create your free WhatsApp link.
- Enter your number in the country-code format.
- Type the message in the message box exactly as you want it to appear, including line breaks and emojis.
- Copy the generated link (and the matching QR code if you need one).
The generator converts every space, symbol, emoji and line break for you and shows a live preview of what the customer will see.
Writing a message that works
A pre-filled message is doing two jobs: lowering the customer's effort and telling you the context. Good messages:
- State the intent. "I'd like to book a table" beats "Hi".
- Include the source. "I saw your ad on Instagram" or "I'm on your pricing page" tells you where the lead came from before they've said a word.
- Leave room for details. End with a colon or a prompt: "I'm interested in: ".
- Stay short. One or two lines. The customer should be able to read it at a glance and hit send.
- Sound like the customer, not like you. It's their message; write it in first person.
Examples by use case:
- Shop: "Hi! Is this item available in size M?"
- Service business: "Hello, I'd like a quote for [service]. My location is: "
- Restaurant: "Hi, I'd like to reserve a table for 2 on Friday evening."
- Real estate: "Hi, I'm interested in the apartment on [street]. Can we schedule a viewing?"
- Course or webinar: "Hi, I'd like to join the free session on Thursday."
More ready-made options are in our WhatsApp marketing message templates.
Adding line breaks and formatting
You can pre-fill multi-line messages and even use WhatsApp's native formatting:
*New enquiry from website*
Name:
Service needed:
Preferred date:
Type it with real line breaks in the generator, and it'll be encoded as %0A. The asterisks become %2A and render as bold in the customer's draft. This "mini form" approach is excellent for service businesses — customers fill in the blanks and you receive structured information in the first message. See the full list of styles in WhatsApp text formatting.
One number, many messages
The smartest use of pre-filled text is one link per channel. Same number, different message:
- Instagram bio → "Hi, I came from Instagram 👋"
- Facebook ad → "I saw your offer on Facebook"
- Google Business Profile → "I found you on Google Maps"
- Email signature → "Hi, following up on your email"
- Shop window QR → "I'm outside your shop"
Now every incoming chat tells you which channel it came from — free attribution with no tracking software. It also lets you tailor your reply: someone who came from a Facebook ad probably wants the offer details; someone from Google Maps probably wants directions or hours.
Common mistakes
- Writing the link by hand and forgetting encoding. Messages with a stray
&or#get truncated. - Making the message too long. A paragraph feels presumptuous and gets deleted before sending.
- Pre-filling private details. Never put the customer's name, order number or phone into a public link — anyone can tap it.
- Using a plus sign in the number.
wa.me/+1555…fails on some devices. Digits only. - Not testing on a phone. Desktop browsers sometimes handle the link differently. Always tap the final link on a real phone.
Where to use your new link
Anywhere a tap is possible: your website's chat button, Instagram and TikTok bios, Facebook page CTA, Google Business Profile, email signatures, digital invoices, and as a QR code on anything printed. Each placement gets its own message, and every conversation starts with the customer already halfway to telling you what they need.