# How to Create a WhatsApp Link With a Pre-Filled Message (and Count the Clicks) Source: https://lots.link/blog/whatsapp-link-prefilled-message-count-clicks Published: 2026-11-02T00:30:34.764298+00:00 A WhatsApp link with a pre-filled message looks like `https://wa.me/?text=`, where the number is in full international format with no zeroes, brackets or dashes. That is the format on WhatsApp's own help page (opened on 31 October 2026). To count how many people tap it, put a short link in front: make a LotsLink short link to the wa.me address, share the short link or a QR code made from it, and read the clicks. WhatsApp's help page for click to chat explains how to build the link and doesn't mention a click count (checked on 31 October 2026). The short link adds the count, a shorter address, a QR code, and the ability to change the message or number later without changing what you shared. ## Step 1: Build the wa.me link WhatsApp's [click to chat help page](https://faq.whatsapp.com/5913398998672934) gives three forms: | You want | Link format | |---|---| | A chat with a number | `https://wa.me/` | | A chat with a message already typed | `https://wa.me/?text=` | | A message with no number, so the person picks who to send it to | `https://wa.me/?text=` | The rules from that page: - The number is a full phone number in international format. Leave out zeroes, brackets and dashes. `https://wa.me/1XXXXXXXXXX` is right, and `https://wa.me/+001-(XXX)XXXXXXX` is wrong. - The message must be URL-encoded. A space becomes `%20`, a comma `%2C`, an ampersand `%26`, a question mark `%3F`. Skip this and the first `&` or `?` in your message ends the text. - The message appears in the text field of the chat. The person reads it and decides whether to send. - To start a chat, you need the person's number and they need an active WhatsApp account. It works on a phone and on WhatsApp Web. - With the no-number form, the person is shown a list of contacts to send the message to. To encode a message, open your browser's developer console and run `encodeURIComponent("Hi, I found you on Instagram and have a question.")`, or ask your AI agent to do it. The result goes after `?text=`. Here are three links for a fictional cafe. The number is made up, so don't expect it to open a real chat: ``` https://wa.me/15555550123?text=Hi%2C%20I%20found%20you%20on%20your%20website%20and%20have%20a%20question. https://wa.me/15555550123?text=Hi%2C%20I%20found%20you%20on%20Instagram%20and%20have%20a%20question. https://wa.me/15555550123?text=Hi%2C%20I%20picked%20up%20your%20flyer%20and%20would%20like%20to%20book%20a%20table. ``` Before you shorten anything, open the link on your phone with your real number and check that the right chat opens with the right text. Don't put anything private in the message: anyone who taps the link sees your number and the message. ## Step 2: Make it a short link in LotsLink In the [LotsLink dashboard](https://lots.link/dashboard), choose **Create Link** in the sidebar. On the **Create Short Link** page: 1. Paste the wa.me link into the URL box. LotsLink accepts web addresses that start with http or https, and a wa.me link is one. 2. Open **Advanced Options** and fill in **Custom Slug (Optional)**, for example `chat-sample-cafe-site`. 3. Leave **Campaign Tracking (UTM)** empty. UTM tags are for the analytics on your own website, and the destination here is WhatsApp's address. 4. Choose **Create Short Link**. **Your short link is ready!** appears with a **Copy** button. Links on lots.link are free. Create as many as you need, up to 1,000 new links per person in any 24 hours. ### The slug rule that catches WhatsApp links A custom slug is 7 to 40 letters, numbers, hyphens or underscores. To stop phishing, LotsLink refuses any custom slug that contains a brand name or a word such as "verify", "secure" or "payment", and it ignores case, hyphens and underscores when it checks. The list includes `whatsapp` and `instagram`, so these are refused: - `whatsapp-menu` - `sample-cafe-whatsapp` - `chat-instagram-bio` Use `chat-sample-cafe-site` or `chat-sample-cafe-ig` instead. You can also leave the slug empty and LotsLink makes a short one. Only the slug is checked, so your message can say "Instagram" or anything else. The refusal comes back as `SLUG_NOT_ALLOWED`, and the [API docs](https://api.lots.link/docs.md) list the rule under custom slugs. ### The same step from your AI agent LotsLink works with the AI agent you already use. Connect it once from [lots.link/mcp](https://lots.link/mcp) and it can do everything above. A prompt: > In my LotsLink workspace, create three short links with the custom slugs chat-sample-cafe-site, chat-sample-cafe-ig and chat-sample-cafe-flyer. Each goes to one of these addresses, in the same order: [paste the three wa.me links]. Then make a 1024 pixel QR code for the flyer link and give me the three short URLs. The agent uses `lotslink_create_link` and `lotslink_create_qr_code`. Creating links and QR codes falls under the "Create and edit" permission, which is on by default when you connect an app. Change what a connected agent may do under Connected apps. ## Step 3: One link per place you share it One short link gives you a total. One short link per place tells you where the taps come from. | Where it goes | Slug | The message starts with | |---|---|---| | Button on your website | `chat-sample-cafe-site` | Hi, I found you on your website | | Instagram bio | `chat-sample-cafe-ig` | Hi, I found you on Instagram | | Printed flyer | `chat-sample-cafe-flyer` | Hi, I picked up your flyer | Two benefits come from changing the message for each place. LotsLink counts the taps for each link, and when a chat arrives in WhatsApp, the first line tells you where that person came from, even though WhatsApp itself doesn't count anything for you. For print, make a QR code from the short link, not from the wa.me address. In the dashboard open **QR Codes**, pick the link under **Select Link**, choose **Generate QR Code**, then **Download**. A code that points straight at wa.me never passes through LotsLink, so its scans can't be counted. LotsLink makes QR codes from 150 to 1024 pixels wide, and the print tips (contrast, size, a line of text beside the code) are in [how to make a QR code for Google reviews](https://lots.link/blog/qr-code-for-google-reviews). ## Step 4: Read the clicks In the dashboard: - **All Links** lists every link with its clicks. This is the quickest way to rank your places against each other. - A link's actions menu has **View Analytics**. It shows **Total Clicks**, **Today** and **Daily Average**, for the last 7 Days, 30 Days, 90 Days or 1 Year, with tabs for **Overview**, **Geographic**, **Devices** and **Referrers**. From your agent: > Rank my chat-sample-cafe links by clicks over the last 30 days and show the daily numbers for the best one. The agent reads `lotslink_list_links` and `lotslink_get_link_analytics`, and `lotslink_export_analytics` returns the numbers as CSV or JSON for a spreadsheet. ### What a click means A click is a recorded visit to your short link. It is not a message sent, and it is not a conversation. - **Not every tap leads to a chat.** The person may close WhatsApp or not send the message. The chats themselves are in your WhatsApp inbox, and LotsLink can't see them. Compare the two over a few weeks: clicks per link in LotsLink, new chats per first line in WhatsApp. - **Bots, link previews and prefetches aren't counted.** A chat app fetching a preview when someone pastes your link doesn't add a click. - **A repeat visit from the same visitor to the same link within 10 seconds counts once.** Browsers and in-app browsers often fetch a link more than once for one visit. A later visit counts again. - **There is no unique-visitor count.** LotsLink doesn't store visitor IP addresses, so one person who taps on three different days is three clicks. - **Country and city are approximate and can be missing.** Referrers are shown where the app passes one. - **Your own test taps count.** Tap once yourself and note the number before you share the link. ## Change the message or the number later Your offer changes, or you get a new number. Edit the link rather than creating a new one. In **All Links**, open the link's actions menu, choose **Edit Link**, change the **Destination URL** to the new wa.me address and choose **Save Changes**. From your agent, `lotslink_update_link` with a new `original_url` does the same. The short link and its QR code stay the same, so printed codes keep working and keep counting, and the click history stays on the link. The change reaches every visitor at once, and the link keeps a record of when its destination changed (`destination_changes`). The new address gets the same safety checks as a new link. More in [how to change a QR code's link after printing](https://lots.link/blog/change-qr-code-link-after-printing). Don't edit the slug after you print, because that changes the short URL. ## A share link instead of a chat link The form without a number, `https://wa.me/?text=...`, lets people send your message to whoever they choose. A short link to it works as a "share on WhatsApp" button. Its click count is the number of people who tapped to share, not the number of messages sent. ## What it costs Short links, QR codes and clicks on lots.link are free and unlimited, up to 1,000 new links per person in any 24 hours, per the [pricing page](https://lots.link/pricing) and the live price list (checked on 31 October 2026). You pay only if you want your own domain in the link, such as `go.yourcafe.com/chat`. Starter is $9 a month for 3 custom domains, and pay as you go is $4 a month per domain from credits. New accounts get free credits when they sign up, no card, enough to run one custom domain for about a month. The setup is in [how to connect a custom domain for branded short links](https://lots.link/blog/connect-custom-domain-branded-short-links). ## For marketers and founders Use one slug per channel and campaign, such as `chat-spring-ig` and `chat-spring-newsletter`, and put the channel in the first line of the message. The UTM approach for pages on your own site is in [how to track link clicks by channel](https://lots.link/blog/track-link-clicks-by-channel-utm). ## If you set this up for clients Make one workspace per client and create the chat links there with the client's number. Every member of a workspace, viewers included, can read all of its links and analytics, so don't share a workspace between clients. Invite the owner as a viewer to let them read their own numbers. More in [link management for agencies](https://lots.link/blog/link-management-for-agencies). ## FAQ ### How do I create a WhatsApp link with a pre-filled message? Use `https://wa.me/?text=`, with the number in full international format and no zeroes, brackets or dashes. For a message with no number, use `https://wa.me/?text=`. Both formats are from WhatsApp's click to chat help page, checked on 31 October 2026. ### Can I shorten a wa.me link? Yes. Paste it as the destination of a LotsLink short link. A custom slug can't contain "whatsapp" or another brand name, so choose something like `chat-sample-cafe-site`. ### Can I see how many people clicked my WhatsApp link? WhatsApp's click to chat help page doesn't describe a click count (checked on 31 October 2026). Share a LotsLink short link instead and read the clicks in All Links or View Analytics, or ask your AI agent. ### Does a click mean the person sent me a message? No. A click is a recorded visit to the short link. Chats arrive in WhatsApp, where LotsLink can't see them. Compare clicks with new chats over several weeks. ### Can I put a WhatsApp link in a QR code? Yes. Make the QR code from the LotsLink short link, so every scan opens the short link and is recorded as a click. A code made directly from the wa.me address isn't counted. ### Can I change the message after I've shared or printed the link? Yes. Edit the link's Destination URL, or ask your agent to update it. The short link and QR code stay the same and the change reaches visitors at once. ### Is it free? Yes. Links, QR codes and clicks on lots.link are free and unlimited, with up to 1,000 new links per person in any 24 hours. Only your own domain in the link is paid.