How to create WhatsApp link (wa.me) with ready message

O WhatsApp link (wa.me) opens a direct conversation with your number in one click — without the customer having to save contact or type anything. It's the shortest bridge between "I'm interested" and "I'm talking to the company". This guide shows you how to create yours, with a pre-populated message, and where to use it to generate more conversations.

The link format (anatomy of wa.me)

The structure is simple:

https://wa.me/SEUNUMERO?text=MENSAGEM

• YOURNUMBER = DDI + DDD + number, just digits. Brazil: 55 + DDD + number. E.g.: 5511999998888.
• MESSAGE = pre-filled, URL-encoded text (space becomes %20 or +).

Complete example:

https://wa.me/5511999998888?text=Oi!%20Vi%20o%20site%20e%20quero%20um%20or%C3%A7amento

Anyone who clicks falls straight into the conversation with the message ready in the text field — just press send.

Easy way: free link generator

Encoding a message by hand gives an error (accent and space break the link). Use the WhatsApp link generator by Zapext — free, without registration: paste the number, write the normal message and copy the ready link. For printed materials, it also manages the Link QR Code.

Examples of ready-made messages per channel (copy and adapt)

Channel	Pre-populated message
Instagram Bio	"Hi! I came via Instagram and I want to know more about [product]"
Website (button)	"Hello! I was on your website and I have a question"
Advertisement	"Hi! I saw the promotion announcement and I want to take advantage"
Email/signature	"Hello [name]! I received your email and I prefer to continue here"
QR at the counter	"Hi! I'm in the store and I want to receive offers via WhatsApp"

Note: each message identifies the origin AND opens with intention. It's free segmentation from the first "hi".

What about the short link (wa.link, bit.ly)?

Shorteners make the link prettier in printed material, but they have two drawbacks: they depend on a third-party service (link dies if the service changes) and some reduce click confidence ("where does this go?"). Rule of thumb: digital uses pure wa.me (short enough); printed uses QR Code, which eliminates typing in any way.

The right pre-populated message

The ready message is not a detail — it defines the context of the conversation and the quality of the lead. Compare:

• ❌ "Hello" — you don't know where the person came from or what they want.
• ✅ "Hi! I saw the [product] promotion on Instagram and I want to know more" — origin and interest identified before the first “hi”.

Advanced tip: create a different link per channel (website, Instagram bio, ad, email) with a different message. When the lead arrives, its first sentence already tells the origin — and the right tag can be automatically applied to your CRM.

Where to use the link (conversion ranking)

1. Instagram Bio — the classic “link in bio” that turns followers into conversations.
2. Click-to-WhatsApp Ads — official Meta format in which the ad directly opens the conversation^[1]; the configured link/number is the base.
3. Button on website — floating or on top. Replaces form with much higher conversion.
4. Physical QR Code — counter, showcase, packaging, card. The customer scans and the conversation opens.
5. Email signature and PDF proposals — shortens the response cycle.

It makes sense to invest in this because WhatsApp is where Brazil is: around 93% of connected Brazilians use the app^[2].

Errors that kill conversion

• Formatted number — parentheses, dash or space break the link. Just digits.
• Forget DDI 55 — the link works in Brazil and fails for anyone outside (or with an international configuration).
• Message too long — one sentence is enough; no one edits a pre-filled paragraph.
• Link to unanswered number — click that falls into the vacuum burns the channel. Ensure quick response (or a chatbot screening).
• Same link on all channels — you lose the source information, which is free.

Link created. And when the volume arrives?

A well-distributed link generates a flow of conversations — and an unorganized flow becomes leads lost while scrolling. The natural next step: tags by source, funnel Kanban and quick answers to handle the volume without hiring. All of this runs within WhatsApp Web with the Zapext extension.

Sources

1. [1] Click-to-WhatsApp Ads on Facebook and Instagram — Meta for Business (2024). accessed 2026-05-19.
2. [2] Digital 2024: Brazil — DataReportal / We Are Social (2024-02). accessed 2026-05-19.