Create WhatsApp Flows

In this article, we'll show you how to build a WhatsApp Flow and share it with your contacts.

Step 1: Create a New Flow
Step 2: Configure Flow Settings
Step 3: Customize Your Flow
Step 4: Add the JSON to Your Flow
Step 5: Save and Publish Your Flow

How to Share Your WhatsApp Flow with Your Contacts

Send Your WhatsApp Flow Using Message Templates
Send WhatsApp Flows from Your Inbox

Let's first look at how to build a WhatsApp Flow.

How to Build WhatsApp Flows

Before you begin, make sure you’ve set up your WANotifier account and connected your phone number to the WhatsApp Business API. If you haven’t already done that, use the detailed guide below to complete the setup:

>> Create a WANotifier account & set up your phone number with the WhatsApp API

Once your account is ready and your number is connected to the API, you’ll be redirected to your dashboard. Then, you can follow the steps below to create your first Flow:

Step 1: Create a New Flow

Go to the Content Library in the left sidebar menu and select Flows from the dropdown.

On the Flows screen, click on the Add New Flow button in the top-right corner. This will redirect you to the Create New Flow page in WhatsApp Manager.

Step 2: Configure Flow Settings

On the Create Flow page:

Enter a name for your Flow
Select a category that matches the purpose of your Flow
Choose a template type. You can choose the With Endpoint option if you want to exchange data with third-party APIs. For simpler forms that don’t need to pull or send data externally, choose the Without Endpoint option.
Then, choose a pre-made template from the list. To start from scratch, select the Default one.

Now, click the Create button in the pop-up below. This will generate a default Flow that you can customize.

Step 3: Customize Your Flow

You can customize a Flow in two ways:

By directly editing the Flow JSON: If you’re familiar with JSON, you can build your Flow by editing the code manually. Follow this official WhatsApp guide to get documentation on how to build your Flow using JSON.

By using the drag-and-drop builder: If you prefer a visual interface, head to the WhatsApp Flows Playground page and create your Flow using the drag-and-drop builder. Once you’re done, click Copy Flow JSON at the top of the page to export your Flow.

Tip: You can build multi-screen Flows to split longer forms into multiple steps. For example, you can build a Flow that shows a few fields on the first screen, follow up with additional questions on the next, and show a final confirmation screen before submission.

Step 4: Add the JSON to Your Flow

Go back to your Flow in WhatsApp Manager. Paste the copied JSON and click Run to load a preview. You’ll see a live preview of your Flow on the right.

Step 5: Save and Publish Your Flow

Once you’re satisfied with the Flow:

Click Save in the top-right corner
Then click Publish
In the confirmation popup, click Publish again, then click Done

Your Flow is now live and ready to be sent to your users on WhatsApp.

Once your Flow is live, you can send it to your users in two ways:

By attaching it to a message template
By sending it manually from the Inbox during a conversation

Before you proceed, make sure the contacts you want to send this Flow to are already uploaded in your WANotifier account. If you haven’t added them yet, follow the detailed guide below to bulk import your contacts:

>> Learn how to import your contacts in bulk

Send Your WhatsApp Flow Using Message Templates

Click on Content Library in the left sidebar menu and select Message Templates from the dropdown.

On the Message Templates screen, click on the Add New Message Template button in the top-right corner.
On the Add a Template screen, set a template name and then select a template category. To send a WhatsApp Flow, you can choose between the following categories: a) Marketing: If you plan to send your Flow as part of a promotional message (e.g., announcing a new residential project, inviting users to a webinar, or asking users to “get quotes” for an insurance policy), select this category. b) Utility: If your Flow is being sent in response to a user action or transaction (e.g., feedback form after order delivery), select this category.

Next, select the Flow option from the Template Type dropdown. This will allow you to attach a WhatsApp Flow to your message and trigger it via a CTA button.
Once you’ve finalized a template category and type, use this guide to set up a Marketing Message Template or this guide to set up a Utility Message Template.
Note that Flow Templates come with a single call-to-action button to trigger the Flow. You can’t add any more buttons to this template. You can, however, update the button’s label by editing the BUTTON TEXT field in the Call-to-Action button section.

Once your template is ready, check the Template Preview section to see how it will appear to users. If everything looks good, click the Submit for Approval button in the Actions section.

Keep in mind that it could take anywhere between 30 minutes to 48 hours for WhatsApp to approve your template (depending on the content). Once it’s approved, you’ll be able to send it to thousands of contacts at once using the Notification feature.

To understand which type of notification you need and how to send it, read the following article:

>> Learn more about Notifications

If you’re ready to create a Notification, use the guides below to get started:

>> Learn how to create a Marketing Broadcast Notification

>> Learn how to create a Transactional / Integration / API Notification

Note: You can also send this Flow message template using a WhatsApp chatbot or the Auto-Replies feature.

If you’re using a chatbot, just add a Send Message Template node to your bot with the approved Flow template. When the bot’s conversation flow reaches this node, it will automatically send the Flow message template during the chat. You can refer to the guide below to set up a chatbot and its nodes.

>> Learn how to set up a chatbot and its different nodes

You can also use Auto-Replies to trigger Flows for specific keywords and phrases like “Help” or “Get Quote.” All you have to do is link the Flow message template to a trigger word (or phrase), and the Flow will be sent automatically when that trigger is detected in a user message.

>> Learn how to create and send auto-replies on WhatsApp

Send WhatsApp Flows from Your Inbox

If you’re chatting with customers one-on-one and want to send a Flow during the conversation, you can do that by sending an Interactive message directly from your WhatsApp Inbox. Let’s see how that works:

To get started, click on Inbox in the left sidebar menu to view all your conversations.

Next, select the Contact you want to send the Flow to from the Conversations section. This will open their chat window.
Once you’re in the chat, click the ➕icon next to the input field at the bottom, and select Flow from the listed options.

This will open a pop-up where you’ll see options to customize the message that will carry your Flow. You can customize the following: a) Header Type: You can choose between Text, Image, Video, or Document. If you choose Text, enter your header content in the field below; b) Body Text: After the header, enter the message your recipient will see in the BODY CONTENT field; c) Footer Text (Optional): You can also add a short footer, if needed.

Then, from the SELECT FLOW dropdown, choose the Flow you want to send.
Next, choose the FLOW SCREEN you want the user to see first when they open the Flow. In most cases, you’ll want to select the first screen of the Flow. However, if your Flow has multiple screens, and you want the user to skip the first one and start directly from the second or third one, you can select that screen here.
In the BUTTON TEXT field, enter the label that will appear on the call-to-action button.
Once everything looks good, click Send to deliver the Flow directly in the chat.

And that’s it! You can now send Flows during active conversations to collect feedback, register support requests, and qualify leads, without disrupting the chat or sending users to an external app or website.

Next, let’s see how to manage and export responses from your WhatsApp Flows.

Updated on: 15/07/2025

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