How to Create a WhatsApp Link With a Message

What is a WhatsApp link (wa.me)?

wa.me is WhatsApp’s own feature: free, with nothing to sign up for. When someone taps the link on their phone, WhatsApp opens straight to a chat with you. They don’t have to save your number first.

For a business, it saves time twice:

• Customers don’t type your number. One tap and they’re talking to you.
• You know what they want. The ready-made message can ask for exactly what you need, such as their name, a date or a quantity.

Note the message is filled in, not sent. WhatsApp never sends it on its own, and customers can still change it before they press send.

How to make a WhatsApp link, step by step

1. Write your number in international format

   Drop the leading 0 and put your country code in front (60 for Malaysia). Remove dashes, spaces and the + sign.

   • 012-345 6789→60123456789
   • 011-2345 6789→601123456789
   • +60 12-345 6789→60123456789

2. Put the number after wa.me/

   This link already works. It opens an empty chat with you:

   https://wa.me/60123456789

3. Write your message

   For example, for a bakery:

   Hi! I want to order a cake.
   Name:
   Pickup date:

4. Encode the message and add it after ?text=

   Links can’t contain spaces or line breaks, so each one becomes a code: a space is %20, a new line is %0A, a colon is %3A. The result:

   https://wa.me/60123456789?text=Hi!%20I%20want%20to%20order%20a%20cake.%0AName%3A%0APickup%20date%3A

5. Test it on your own phone

   Send the link to yourself or post it to your Status, tap it, and check the right chat opens with the whole message. Then share it with customers.

Message templates for businesses

A good message asks for what you need as a short list. Customers fill in the blanks, and you don’t have to ask one question at a time.

Hi! I’d like to ask about a booking.
Check-in date:
Check-out date:
Number of guests:

Hi! I’d like to place an order.
Menu:
Number of people:
Date & time:
Delivery address:

Hi! I’d like a quote.
Service:
Location:
When it’s needed:

A real one: singgah.page/mamahomestay uses a booking message like the homestay one above (in Malay). Tap its WhatsApp button to see how it works.

Why isn’t my WhatsApp link working?

Almost every broken link comes down to one of these:

• The leading 0 is still there. wa.me/0123456789 won’t work. Start with your country code.
• There’s a +, a dash or a space in the number. Digits only.
• Spaces in the message weren’t encoded. Some apps cut the link at the first space, so the message arrives half-written or the link breaks.
• The message has & or #. They mean something special in a link and cut the message short. Use %26 and %23 instead.
• The number isn’t on WhatsApp. Make sure it’s registered with WhatsApp or WhatsApp Business.

The easier way: a WhatsApp button on Singgah

A wa.me link works, but it has drawbacks for a business:

• It’s long and looks odd in a bio. Plenty of people hesitate to tap a link full of %20.
• Changing the message means a new link, updated everywhere you’ve shared it.
• One link is one number and one message.

With Singgah, you add a WhatsApp button to your own page. Type your number the usual way (012-345 6789 is fine) and write the ready message; Singgah turns it into the right link. The same page can hold your photos, a price list, a Google Maps link and your other links, all under one short address like singgah.page/yourname.

1. Open singgah.page/try. No sign-up needed to start.
2. Tap Add block, then pick WhatsApp.
3. Fill in the WhatsApp number and the Prefilled message.
4. Tap Publish and sign up for a free account, then put your page’s link in your bio.

Want a different message later? Change it in the editor and publish again. The link in your bio stays the same.

Where to put your WhatsApp link

• Your Instagram, TikTok and Facebook bio, the first place customers look for a way to reach you.
• Your Google Business Profile, so people who find you on Google Maps can tap through to a chat.
• WhatsApp Status and post captions when you run a promotion.
• Posters, flyers and the counter, as a QR code customers scan with their phone camera.

Questions