Messaging

WhatsApp Integration Guide

Connect a WhatsApp Business number, turn on the shop assistant, and answer followers with your picks, deals and coupons. Broadcast to subscribers when a big deal drops.

AvailableFirst-party channel
Open WhatsAppSee what it can do

Last updated September 29, 2026.

Overview

WhatsApp in Pointerly is a first-party messaging channel built around a shop assistant. Followers message your verified Business number ("cheap pans?", "any coupons?") and the assistant replies with products from your own links and collections, the deals feed, or coupons, each with your affiliate tag and a tracked Pointerly link. Replies answer the message the shopper just sent, inside WhatsApp's 24-hour window, so they reach followers in every country, the US included. Broadcasts to subscribers are the second half: people subscribe to a topic by tapping Get daily deals or sending START, and you message them when a deal is worth it.

Getting started

  1. Sign in to Pointerly.
  2. Open Dashboard > WhatsApp.
  3. Add the WhatsApp Business add-on if it is not already on your team.
  4. Connect your WhatsApp Business number and complete Meta verification.
  5. Confirm the number shows as Connected, then open the Assistant tab and turn the assistant on.

Usage

Set up the shop assistant

Use case: Answer followers who message you with products you chose.

Prerequisites:

  • WhatsApp connected
  • Affiliate tag configured
  • Links, a collection or deal filters to answer from
  1. Open Dashboard > WhatsApp > Assistant.
  2. Set the assistant name and welcome message.
  3. Create topics such as DEALS, COUPONS or AMAZON FINDS, with the words that open each one.
  4. Pick what each topic answers from: your links and collections, bio shop products, or the deals feed with your filters.
  5. Send your own number a message like "cheap pans?" to check the reply.

Broadcast a deal to subscribers

Use case: Send a deal to the people who subscribed to a topic.

Prerequisites:

  • WhatsApp connected
  • At least one topic with subscribers
  1. Open Dashboard > WhatsApp > Broadcasts.
  2. Pick a design, the deal and the topic to send to.
  3. Review the spending cap, then send.

Track clicks from WhatsApp

Use case: See which replies and broadcasts drove traffic.

Prerequisites:

  • At least one reply or broadcast sent
  1. Open the link that was sent, or Dashboard > Analytics.
  2. For broadcasts, open the broadcast history on Dashboard > WhatsApp.
  3. Inspect clicks and conversions attributed to those tracked links.

Disconnecting

  1. Open Dashboard > WhatsApp.
  2. Turn the assistant off if you only want to pause replies.
  3. Disconnect the Business number from team settings.
  4. Optionally cancel the WhatsApp Business add-on from billing if you no longer need it.

Troubleshooting

The assistant is not replying

  • Confirm the Business number is Connected and the assistant is turned on.
  • The assistant only answers messages people send you. It never starts a conversation.
  • Check that the topic has products to answer from: links, a collection, or deal filters that match the current feed.

Cannot send broadcasts

  • Confirm the Business number is Connected and Meta quality rating allows sending.
  • Check that you still have send quota or room under your spending cap.
  • Subscribers whose 24-hour window is closed need a Meta-approved template; custom templates need approval before first send.
  • Meta does not deliver marketing templates to US numbers that have not written to you recently. Those subscribers get the deal the next time they write, if the broadcast is set to wait for them.

Clicks are missing in analytics

  • Confirm the message used a Pointerly deep link, not a raw marketplace URL.
  • Allow a few minutes for click events to appear in analytics.