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Click to WhatsApp ads are Facebook or Instagram ads that open a WhatsApp chat with your business when someone taps the ad’s button. Instead of landing on a website, people land in a conversation, with a message ready to send. Flowella takes over after the tap: a HubSpot workflow answers with a WhatsApp Flow, and the answers arrive in HubSpot as a form submission.
Entry points are in early access. Organisations with entry points can create a Click to WhatsApp ad entry point to count the conversations each ad starts and to set the value of the leads Flowella reports to Meta. Entry points are available to selected organisations. Ad attribution works for every organisation: Flowella records Meta’s click ID (ctwa_clid) on each conversation that starts from an ad. See Click to WhatsApp ad entry points.

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Before you start

  • Flowella is connected to WhatsApp and HubSpot, with Custom workflow actions, CRM contacts (auto-create on new WhatsApp chat) and Contact activity events (message sent, read, replies, forms) unlocked. See Capabilities.
  • Your HubSpot subscription includes workflows.
  • A HubSpot form is synced to a WhatsApp Flow, and a template with the Flow button is approved. See Send your first Flow.
  • You can create ads in Meta Ads Manager. Ad spend is billed to your ad account, not to your WhatsApp Business Account. See Payment method.

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Ad-attached forms can’t send answers to HubSpot

In Ads Manager you will see two chat experiences: Start conversations and Collect info with a form on WhatsApp (Meta’s simplified WhatsApp Flows experience).
It is possible to link a WhatsApp ad directly to a Flow using the “Collect info with a form on WhatsApp” experience, but Meta requires that ad-attached Flows be static, meaning no data exchange with an endpoint.Flowella’s Flows send every submission to HubSpot through Flowella’s endpoint, so they can’t be attached to an ad this way. Treat “Collect info with a form on WhatsApp” as basic, static lead capture, not a Flow that sends answers to HubSpot.

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How it works

Use the ad to start a conversation, then let a HubSpot workflow send the Flow. This diagram shows what happens from the tap to the lead in HubSpot.
  1. The ad uses Start conversations with a prefilled message, so the customer’s first message is predictable.
  2. When the customer sends it, Flowella records the ad’s click ID on the conversation. It writes the message to the Last WhatsApp reply message property on the customer’s HubSpot contact, creating the contact if needed, then fires the Text Reply event.
  3. A HubSpot workflow that enrols on Text Reply branches on Last WhatsApp reply message and sends your Flow with Send WhatsApp Template.
  4. When the customer completes the Flow, the answers arrive in HubSpot as a submission of your form, and Flowella reports the lead to Meta.
Flowella doesn’t start a Flow by itself when a keyword arrives, and a Flow has no trigger phrase setting. The exception is Blueprints, an early-access feature for selected organisations: an installed journey sends its Flow when a message matches its trigger phrase. Everyone else sends the Flow from a HubSpot workflow, as described on this page.

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Set up the campaign

1

Build the Flow and its template

Sync the HubSpot form you want leads to complete to a WhatsApp Flow, then create a template with the Flow button and get it approved. Keep the form short and tailored to the ad’s promise, such as a quote, a demo or a booking.Recommended fields for lead capture:
  • Name
  • Email
  • One or two qualifying questions, such as budget, timeframe or service type
You don’t need a phone field. Flowella matches or creates the HubSpot contact from the customer’s WhatsApp number. See Flows.
2

Choose the prefilled message

Pick a message you use only for this ad, for example:
  • “Hello, can I get more info on Flowella?”
  • “Hello, can I book a Flowella demo?”
Make it easy to understand and unlikely to appear in other conversations.
Your workflow branch compares the whole message. If the customer edits it, or autocorrect changes it, it no longer matches. Keep the phrase short and distinctive, avoid generic phrases such as “Hi”, and test it on a real phone before launch.
3

Create a Click to WhatsApp ad entry point (early access, optional)

If your organisation has entry points, create a Click to WhatsApp ad entry point and set its Trigger phrase to the prefilled message. Flowella then counts each ad’s conversations on the entry point’s page. The trigger phrase only counts conversations: it doesn’t send anything. You can’t change it after you create the entry point, so settle the ad’s message first. See Entry points.
4

Create the ad in Ads Manager

Create a campaign, choose a messaging-compatible objective, select WhatsApp as the destination, and build the ad as normal.When you reach the Chat builder step:
  • Select Start conversations (not “Collect info with a form on WhatsApp”).
  • Set the pre-filled message to the message you chose, for example “Hello, can I get more info on Flowella?”
Meta describes the prefilled message and other welcome message options in Welcome message sequences.
5

Build the HubSpot workflow

  1. Create a contact-based workflow. For the trigger, search for Flowella and choose Text Reply. Turn on re-enrolment, so the workflow runs each time a contact messages you.
  2. Add a Branch on the Last WhatsApp reply message contact property, set to equal your prefilled message.
  3. In that branch, add Send WhatsApp Template with your Flow template. The customer’s message opened the 24-hour window, so you can also reply with Send WhatsApp Message, for example with a link.
  4. Optionally, add Delay until event set to Form Completed and filtered on the form name, then create a task for sales or branch on the answers.
See Route on what the contact replies.
Don’t filter the trigger on the event’s Message property. HubSpot checks that filter against every reply the contact has ever sent. Branch on Last WhatsApp reply message instead.
6

Test end to end on a real phone

Run through the whole journey before you spend any budget:
  1. Tap the ad.
  2. Confirm WhatsApp opens.
  3. Confirm the prefilled message appears.
  4. Tap send.
  5. Confirm the workflow enrols the contact and sends your Flow template.
  6. Complete the Flow.
  7. Confirm the HubSpot contact is created or updated with the right properties.

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The free entry point window

When someone messages you from a Click to WhatsApp ad on the WhatsApp mobile app, for Android or iOS, and you reply within the 24-hour customer service window, Meta opens a free entry point window. It can stay open for up to 7 days from your reply. Meta doesn’t charge for the messages you send in that window, templates included, so Flowella doesn’t count them towards your allowance. Chats started from WhatsApp on desktop or the web don’t open the window. From 1 October 2026, WhatsApp charges for replies inside the 24-hour customer service window once a WhatsApp number has used its 1,000 free service messages for the month. Reply quickly to chats from your ads to keep the follow-up free. The 24-hour customer service window still applies separately: once it closes, you can only send templates, even inside the free window. See The free entry point window.

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Track results

You will typically measure results in two places:
  • Ads Manager: conversations started and cost per conversation.
  • Flowella and HubSpot: Flows completed, leads created, and what happens next in HubSpot, such as deals and revenue.
This is what Flowella records for conversations that start from an ad: Flowella sends LeadSubmitted automatically, with no setup. The event carries a currency and a value, USD and 0 by default. Organisations with entry points can change them under Currency and Conversion value in the ad attribution panel. If the panel shows “Reconnect WhatsApp to send ad conversions.”, reconnect WhatsApp in Settings → WhatsApp (Meta). See Lead events sent to Meta.
Meta doesn’t send a click ID for ads shown in WhatsApp Status. Flowella can’t link those conversations to the ad, and doesn’t send a LeadSubmitted event for them. See Meta’s text messages webhook reference.

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Common pitfalls

  • Wrong chat experience in Ads Manager. “Collect info with a form on WhatsApp” gives you Meta’s static form, not a Flowella Flow that sends answers to HubSpot.
  • Edited first message. If the customer edits the prefilled message, or autocorrect changes it, it no longer matches your workflow branch or entry point.
  • Generic first messages. A phrase like “Hi” also matches people who didn’t come from the ad.
  • No prefilled message. Customers land in an empty chat, and your workflow has nothing to match.
  • Filtering the trigger on Message. A Text Reply trigger filtered on the event’s Message property matches old replies too.
  • Overlong Flows. If the form feels like a mortgage application, fewer people complete it.
  • No end-to-end test. Always test from the ad tap to the HubSpot record before you scale spend.
  • Wrong ad objective. Traffic can work, but Engagement with messages typically produces better conversation rates.
  • Ignoring the 24-hour window. If you promise a follow-up, send it while the window is open, or have approved templates ready for later.

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Best practices

  1. Make the value clear in the ad. Say what people get, for example “Get a quote on WhatsApp in 2 minutes” or “Chat to book your demo”.
  2. Mention WhatsApp in the ad. Use copy like “Message us on WhatsApp” so people know what will open.
  3. Use a strong prefilled message. Give people helpful prefilled text, such as “Hi, I want to book a consultation”, to turn more clicks into chats.
  4. Keep Flows short. Ask only what you need to qualify or fulfil the request. Use dropdowns, radio buttons and checkboxes in the HubSpot form, so people tap rather than type.
  5. Match the ad to the Flow. If the ad says “Get a quote”, the Flow should ask only the questions needed for a quote and say what happens next.
  6. Optimise for conversations, not only clicks. Use a messaging objective where possible, so the ad reaches people who are more likely to start a chat.
  7. Test the whole journey on a phone. From seeing the ad, through tapping it and completing the Flow, to the record in HubSpot. Fix anything broken before you scale spend.
  8. Plan for human follow-up. For high-value leads, make sure someone reviews completed Flows and replies personally in the inbox while the 24-hour window is open.

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Example: “Book a demo on WhatsApp”

A simple pattern for a Click to WhatsApp ad: For the customer, it is a tap, one message and one short form. For you, it is a qualified lead in HubSpot, ready for follow-up.

Campaigns overview

Compare ads with links, HubSpot workflows and bulk send.

Click-to-chat (organic)

Free wa.me links and QR codes: the organic counterpart to ads.

Entry points

Count each ad’s conversations and set lead values (early access).

UTM tracking

The ad properties Flowella writes to HubSpot, and the lead events it sends to Meta.

HubSpot workflow triggers and actions

The Text Reply trigger and the Send WhatsApp Template action.

Flows

Sync the HubSpot form that powers the Flow.
Last modified on October 30, 2026