Threadline

WhatsApp Links

What it is

A WhatsApp link is a short web address that opens a WhatsApp chat with your business, with a message already typed for the customer. Each link also comes as a QR code you can print.

Threadline counts how many people clicked each link and how many of them started a conversation.

It is an Admin area, reached from WhatsApp links in the navigation.

The problem it solves

You advertise in many places: a flyer, a shop window, an Instagram post, a newspaper. Customers then write to you on WhatsApp, and you have no idea which of those brought them. You cannot tell which advert is worth paying for again.

It is also not easy for a customer to start a chat. They must save your number first, then open WhatsApp, then think of what to write.

A WhatsApp link fixes both:

  • One tap to chat. The customer taps the link or scans the code, and WhatsApp opens with your number and a ready message.
  • You see what works. Make one link per place you advertise, and compare their numbers.

How it works

  1. You create a link and give it a name, such as "Shop window QR".
  2. Threadline gives you a short address and a QR code.
  3. A customer taps or scans it. Threadline counts the click and opens WhatsApp.
  4. The message is already typed, with a short reference code at the end, for example "Hi, I'd like to know more (ref CX8CYW)".
  5. The customer presses send.
  6. Threadline sees the code in their first message and marks the conversation as coming from that link.

The reference code is how the conversation is matched to the link. It is short and harmless, and the customer can see it.

1. Creating a link

  1. Go to WhatsApp links and click New link.
  2. Name. Only you see it. Name it after the place you will use it, for example "Flyer May" or "Instagram bio".
  3. WhatsApp channel. The channel the conversations should arrive on.
  4. The WhatsApp number people will message. Enter it with the country code. This is the number customers see. Threadline cannot read it from your channel settings, so you type it here.
  5. Message already typed for them. For example "Hi, I'd like to know more about…". The reference code is added to the end automatically.
  6. Save.

2. Using the link and the QR code

  • Copy the link and put it anywhere you can put a web address: a social media bio, an advert, an email, a button on your website.
  • Click Download QR code and print it on a flyer, a menu, a shop window, packaging or a business card. Customers scan it with their phone camera.

Make a separate link for each place. That is what lets you compare them.

3. Reading the numbers

The list shows each link with two numbers.

Number What it means
Clicks How many times the link was opened or the code was scanned.
Conversations How many conversations started with that link's reference code.

Comparing them tells you something. Many clicks but few conversations means people opened WhatsApp but did not send the message. Try a clearer ready-made message.

4. Where else the link shows up

  • In the Inbox, a conversation shows which link it came from.
  • On Deals, a deal created from that conversation carries the same source. This lets you see which advert produced real sales, not only chats.

5. Editing and deleting

  • Editing a link changes its name, number or message. The address and the QR code stay the same, so anything already printed keeps working.
  • Deleting a link stops it working. Printed codes for a deleted link will no longer open a chat.

Good to know

  • Privacy. Threadline counts clicks only. It does not store the visitor's IP address.
  • If a customer deletes the reference code before sending, the conversation still arrives as normal, but it is not matched to the link.
  • Only the customer's first message is checked for a code.

Common questions

Clicks go up but conversations stay at zero. People open the link but do not press send, or they remove the code. Also check that the number you typed is the number of the channel you chose.

Can I use one link everywhere? You can, but then you cannot tell the places apart. One link per place is the point of this feature.

I changed my WhatsApp number. Edit the link and enter the new number. The printed QR code keeps working.

Does this work for Telegram or Instagram? No. These links are for WhatsApp.