Academy › Build › WhatsApp and customers
What you say right before the button shows up
You'll know exactly what to write right before the payment link so the customer understands what they're paying for without having to ask, and when to make that message longer versus keeping it to one line.
By Yodai · Published September 7, 2026 · Updated October 12, 2026
When you're about to send a payment link over WhatsApp for an order, you have to decide what to write right before it. You send the payment link and the customer doesn't respond. Not an "okay," not a "thanks," nothing. A while later you ask if it came through, and they say yes, they saw it, but they're not quite sure what it is. Is it the deposit for the reservation? Is it the whole job? Do they need to pay now, or can they do it when they arrive?
A payment link doesn't explain anything on its own. In the chat, it shows up as a preview that WhatsApp pulls from the page it leads to. According to the WhatsApp Business documentation, that preview is a bold title of two lines at most, a smaller description of one or two lines, and an image, and if the page doesn't meet those requirements, you might not even get that much. Whatever you and the customer talked about doesn't show up there. If you haven't said what they're buying, how much, and what happens after they pay before that link, the customer is left wondering, and wondering, in a chat, almost always means silence.
Before that comes the decision of when to send the link instead of pointing to the website. Here we're focused on what you write right before it shows up.
What they're buying, how much, and what happens next
With an individual customer, these three things aren't just courtesy: Article 60 of the General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users requires that you clearly give them, before they commit, the main features of what they're buying, the total price including taxes, how it's paid, and the date you'll deliver or perform the service. The first thing they need to know is exactly what they bought. What they'll see on the payment page, the name of a product or a line item, isn't a description: "Table reservation" doesn't say whether it's for two people or ten, or whether it includes the tasting menu or just admission. In the message, before the link, write down what they actually ordered: the physical therapy session on Thursday at 5:00 PM, or the three individual classes you discussed, not the monthly package. One sentence is enough.
The second thing is the amount, even though it'll show up on the payment page anyway. Repeating it in the text might seem redundant, but it isn't: the customer reads the message before opening the link, and if the number doesn't match what they had in mind, they'd rather ask than pay. If there's something charged separately, say so right there: $24, parking is paid on-site. And if you're selling remotely, without meeting in person, staying quiet about it costs you (except for health services, like physical therapy, which that part of the law doesn't cover): according to Article 97 of the same law, the customer isn't required to pay an extra charge you didn't tell them about.
The third thing is what gets forgotten most, and what causes the most silence afterward: what happens as soon as the payment comes through. Whether the appointment is confirmed instantly, or whether you still need to confirm it yourself. Whether it's a deposit and the rest gets paid on the day of the service, or whether it's the full charge. One line is enough: as soon as the payment comes through, I'll confirm right here, you don't need to do anything else.
The short message and the long message
- They booked the appointment on your website, where the price was already shown before they picked it
- You write something like "tomorrow's appointment?", it's already settled
- The message can be one line: what it is and how much, and that's it
- There's no set price until you put one right there
- It's the first time they've seen that figure, they have nothing to compare it to
- The message needs the breakdown: what's included, what's not, why that amount
Which one to pick: If the price was already visible before the link, don't justify it again: a long message there sounds like you're not confident in your own price. If you're giving the price right at that moment, do break it down, because it's the first time they're seeing it, and a number by itself doesn't convince anyone.
Not every charge calls for the same message
Charging for a flat-rate service isn't the same as charging a deposit to hold a spot on the calendar, and it's not the same as charging for a multi-session package all at once. What you need to clarify before the customer taps the link varies, especially when money is still owed or the package has an expiration date.
With this, you've got the message figured out before the customer sees any button. What you write there is what prevents the follow-up question, the one that costs you five minutes and costs the customer their interest. What's left is seeing what happens when the link arrives well-written and still nobody taps it.
- The message before the link says three things: what they're buying, how much, and what happens after they pay
- If the customer already saw the price when booking, the message is short; if you decide it on the spot, it needs the breakdown
- A reservation deposit needs to say how much is left and when it's due; a package needs to say how many sessions there are and when they expire
- The link never goes alone: always with the sentence that anchors what it is and how much it costs
Test yourself
Answer before opening each one. If one gives you trouble, go back to the section that explains it.
1. A customer booked an appointment for a consulting session on your website, where they already saw the $60 price before picking a time. You send them the payment link. Do you write a long message explaining what the session includes, or a short one?
A short one: what it is and how much, in one line. They already saw the price and accepted it when booking; spelling it out again sounds like you doubt your own price, and it needlessly drags out a step the customer already took.
2. You sell a custom treatment, and after seeing the photos the customer sent you on WhatsApp, you decide the price on the spot: $180. It's the first time they're seeing it. What's missing from the message besides the amount?
The breakdown of what that amount includes and what it doesn't, because it's the first time they're seeing it and they have no prior reference. Without that, $180 is just a number, and a number without a reason is exactly what causes doubt.
3. You charge a $20 deposit to hold a table for eight on a Saturday night, and the rest, $140, is paid the same day at the restaurant. What's missing if you only send the link for the $20?
You still need to say what the remaining $140 is and when it's due. If the message only mentions the deposit, the customer might think everything's already paid and show up without the rest, or get upset when you charge them that night.
That message makes it clear what they're paying for, but not what you do if they see it and don't pay: how long you wait before following up, and when you release the spot to another customer.
Sources
- Link Previews. Meta for Developers, WhatsApp Business Platform documentation, accessed October 2026.
- Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007, of November 16, approving the consolidated text of the General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users and other complementary laws, Article 60. Spanish State Official Gazette (BOE), consolidated text (last update published February 28, 2026).
- Royal Legislative Decree 1/2007, of November 16, approving the consolidated text of the General Law for the Protection of Consumers and Users and other complementary laws, Articles 92, 93, and 97. Spanish State Official Gazette (BOE), consolidated text (last update published February 28, 2026).