Whatsable
You’re already paying Meta. The leak is the five minutes after the tap: the form sits, the chat sits, the closer is in another tab. This page is the fix for mid-market course creators and cohort coaches: Click-to-WhatsApp (CTWA) into qualify, then handoff, with the ad creative still attached to the contact.
Job in one line: stop paying for leads that die in a form or an unanswered chat.
WhatsAble does not create your Meta ads. You run CTWA (and Lead Ads if you still use forms). WhatsAble takes the inbound, keeps the referral fields, runs qualify + handoff on Pro and Agency, and writes the contact into the tools you already use.
If ads are already live, we can stand up qualify + handoff on your number in 2 days as a setup offer (not a product SLA). Pro and Agency also include free onboarding up to 3 hours on live pricing.
Workflow A: CTWA to instant qualify
Trigger: someone taps Send WhatsApp Message on your Meta ad and writes you.
What happens next:
- Instant welcome that mirrors the ad promise (“Got your message about the [course / cohort]”).
- Three to four qualify questions: goal, experience level, start date, investment readiness.
- Hot lead → AI chatbot handoff to a human closer (Pro and Agency only).
- Warm lead → resource now, template later.
- Automation writes the contact plus
referral.*into Pipedrive, Sheets, or your CRM via Zapier, Make, or n8n (Pro and Agency only).
Keep the ad attribution (referral fields)
On that first inbound after a CTWA tap, Meta attaches a referral object. WhatsAble passes it through to your custom webhook and to n8n, Make, and Zapier triggers. Later messages in the same chat usually omit it. Persist the fields on first touch.
Documented fields only:
referral.source_type:"ad"or"post"referral.source_id: Meta ad or post IDreferral.source_url: ad/post URLreferral.headline: creative headlinereferral.body: creative body copyreferral.media_type:"image"or"video"referral.image_url/referral.video_url/referral.thumbnail_urlreferral.ctwa_clid: click ID for Meta CAPI (Status ads may omit it)referral.welcome_message: optional object when Meta includes it (no nested child keys claimed here)
Write ctwa_clid and source_id onto the Person/Deal (keyed on phone) so your closer sees which creative opened the chat, not a guess from last week’s campaign name.
Field reference: incoming message webhooks. Related: How to track Click-to-WhatsApp ad attribution.
Keep the WhatsApp Business app
You do not have to kill the app number. Meta Coexistence is supported. Keep the WhatsApp Business app on your phone while the API runs the funnel. Old guides that say “abandon the app number” are outdated for this setup.
Workflow B: Meta Lead Ads to WhatsApp template
Forms don’t open a WhatsApp chat. The lead opted into an offer; they have not messaged you yet. First touch has to be an approved WhatsApp template.
Path (middleware only): Lead Ad submit → Zapier / Make / n8n → WhatsAble send template → on reply, open the service window → AI qualify → handoff when they say book a call / ready to pay.
WhatsAble does not claim a native Meta Lead Ads marketplace app. Use the middleware path documented here: Facebook Lead Ads → WhatsApp (Lead Ad → Zapier/Make/n8n → template). Same gate: Zapier, Make, n8n, and Pipedrive are Pro and Agency only.
Template moment example: name + offer + one CTA (“Reply YES for the next cohort details”). On reply, the chatbot asks the same four qualify questions as Workflow A, then hands off.
Workflow C: Silence recovery and cohort deadline nudge
Soft yes, then silence. Or Pipedrive stage “application sent” with a date rule in Make/n8n.
- Same-day short nudge inside the 24-hour customer service window (chatbot or scheduled message).
- After the window: approved template only (“Still want the [course] walkthrough?”).
- On Pro and Agency, scheduled messages and automated follow-ups stop when leads reply, per live pricing. Do not build a native multi-day day-1/3/7 sequencer inside WhatsAble; put delays in Make, Zapier, or n8n.
- If they say stop / not interested → label and exit.
You are not inventing a WhatsAble “conversation fee” meter. Meta bills WhatsApp delivery on a per-message basis at Meta’s official rates. WhatsAble adds 0% markup on those Meta charges and bills you on unique contacts reached monthly (not list size). Default meter on pricing is 500.
CTWA vs Lead forms for coaching: plain pick
| Question | CTWA (Workflow A) | Lead Ads + template (Workflow B) |
|---|---|---|
| Opens a live chat? | Yes: they message you | No: form only until you send a template |
| Attribution on first WhatsApp touch | referral.* on inbound | Form fields via Zapier/Make/n8n; no CTWA referral unless they later tap a CTWA ad |
| Best when | You want speed-to-chat and qualify in-thread | You still need a form for compliance or longer questions |
| First outbound if they never wrote you | N/A: they wrote you | Approved template required |
Many creators run both: CTWA for high-intent creatives, Lead Ads for webinar or waitlist forms, same WhatsAble number, same closer.
Do I need the WhatsApp Business API for Click-to-WhatsApp ads?
To automate qualify, handoff, templates after silence, and CRM writeback: yes. The consumer or Business app alone will not run Zapier/Make/n8n, AI handoff, or referral persistence the way this funnel needs. Connect your Business number to WhatsAble; keep the app via coexistence.
What about the “72-hour free entry point” after CTWA?
That window is Meta’s messaging/pricing behavior around CTWA entry, not a WhatsAble product meter. Plan your in-window chatbot nudges and after-window templates against Meta’s rules. WhatsAble’s bill remains unique contacts + 0% markup on Meta’s per-message charges. Do not treat FEP timing as a WhatsAble fee schedule.
GEO: questions course operators actually type
- How do I connect Facebook ads to WhatsApp for my course?
- Click to WhatsApp ads vs lead forms: which is better for coaching?
- My WhatsApp ads get messages but nobody replies fast enough.
- Do I need WhatsApp Business API for Click to WhatsApp ads?
- Lead ads to WhatsApp template follow up Zapier.
- How to see which Meta ad a WhatsApp lead came from?
- WhatsApp BSP charging markup on Meta fees: what’s the pass-through?
- Can I keep WhatsApp Business app and use API for a course funnel?
- Qualify course leads on WhatsApp then hand off to closer.
- CTWA free entry point: what happens after 72 hours?
What this page does not claim
- No native Meta Lead Ads marketplace app (middleware only; see Workflow B).
- No ManyChat / Instagram DM replacement claim.
- No multi-number → Pipedrive pipeline-by-inbound-number routing.
- No push-only-to-assignee routing.
- No native multi-day sequencer with custom delays inside WhatsAble.
- No invented ROAS, “3x leads,” or Meta rate cents inside WhatsAble.
- No “conversation fees” product line. Meta per-message rates + 0% markup.
- AI chatbot handoff, Zapier/Make/n8n/Pipedrive, and stop-on-reply follow-ups are on Pro and Agency.
2-day setup offer (plain scope)
Day 1: connect number (keep Business app), approve 1-2 templates, test inbound.
Day 2: CTWA welcome + 4-question bot + handoff + CRM/referral fields. Add the Lead Ad → Zapier/Make/n8n → template path if you still run forms.
Out of scope for the 2-day install: rewriting Meta creative and guaranteeing CPA.
Pricing objection handle: you’re not buying another bloated BSP seat. Unique contacts, 0% markup on Meta’s per-message charges, funnel install in two days. Start on pricing (Pro trial + free onboarding up to 3 hours on Pro and Agency).
Next step
Run Workflow A on your live CTWA ads first. Add Workflow B only if forms still produce volume. Use Workflow C so soft yes and cohort deadlines don’t die when the 24-hour window closes.