What it is
A guided 3-step wizard to launch Facebook/Instagram ads that open WhatsApp when clicked.
Who does this
Tenant with ads permissions and synced assets.
Prerequisites
Sync pages & ad accounts
WABA phone number selected as WhatsApp destination
Campaign hierarchy
Meta ads use three levels:
Campaign — objective and budget
Ad Set — targeting and placements
Ad — creative and WhatsApp welcome experience
Step 1 — Campaign information
Click Create Campaign (or New CTWA Campaign).
Campaign name — e.g. Summer Sale 2026.
Objective — choose Traffic or Sales (drives WhatsApp messages).
Daily budget — set limit in your ad account currency.
Select Ad account and Facebook Page.
Select WhatsApp phone number (from connected WABA).
Continue to targeting.
Step 2 — Targeting configuration
Location — countries or regions (map picker).
Age range — e.g. 18–55.
Gender — All, Male, or Female.
Placements — Facebook, Instagram, Messenger (as available).
Review estimated audience size.
Continue to creative.
Step 3 — Creative & welcome experience
Ad creative — upload image/video, primary text, headline.
Call to action — Send WhatsApp Message (CTWA).
Welcome message — greeting text user sees when opening WhatsApp.
Pre-filled message — optional text in the user's compose box.
Automation trigger (optional) — start a chatbot flow on first message.
Review preview → Publish or Save draft.
After publish
Campaign appears in hierarchy view (Campaign → Ad Set → Ad).
Status syncs from Meta — allow a few minutes for review.
Monitor in CTWA analytics.
Verify it works
Ad shows Active or In review in Ads Manager.
Click test ad (preview) → opens WhatsApp with welcome/pre-filled text.
Inbound message appears in WA Chat.
Common mistakes
Mistake Fix
Ad rejected Follow Meta ad policies; check creative specs
Wrong WhatsApp number Re-select WABA number in Step 1
No automation Link flow in Step 3 welcome experience
Budget too low Meta minimum daily budget varies by region
Related
CTWA analytics
Automation builder
CTWA troubleshooting