How to follow up with leads on WhatsApp: timings, messages and a simple plan

Reply within minutes, then follow up on day 1, day 3 and day 7, each time with one useful thing and one clear question. Stop after the fourth message, or as soon as they say no. Speed matters most: a Harvard Business Review study found firms that responded to a new enquiry within an hour were nearly 7 times as likely to reach the decision maker as firms that waited longer.

We're measuring this ourselves right now: we're timing how fast real businesses in five industries reply to a new enquiry. See the live test.

The four-message plan

When	What to send	Why
Within 5 minutes	Thanks, an answer, one question	They're still on their phone and still deciding
Day 1	The detail they asked for, plus proof	Gives them something to act on
Day 3	Two clear options (slots, packages)	Makes yes easy
Day 7	A polite last check, with an easy out	Closes the loop without pressure

Example messages

Within 5 minutes:

Hi [name], thanks for asking about [service]! It's [₹ price] and takes [time]. Is this for this week or later?

Day 1:

Hi [name], here's the detail you asked for: [link or 2 lines]. Here's what a customer said last week: "[short review]". Any questions?

Day 3:

Hi [name], we have [Thursday 5pm] or [Saturday 11am] open. Want me to hold one for you?

Day 7:

Hi [name], I won't keep messaging. If you'd like to go ahead later, just reply here and we'll pick it up.

Five rules that make follow-ups work

1. One question per message. "Is this for this week or later?" gets answered. Three questions get ignored.
2. Use their name, and what they asked for. It shows a person read the message.
3. Send at sensible hours. Roughly 10am to 8pm. A late-night follow-up feels pushy.
4. Every message adds something. A price, a slot, a review, a photo. Never just "following up".
5. Write down where each lead is. Even a simple sheet beats memory.

A simple tracking sheet

Make a sheet with these columns, one row per lead:

Name	Number	Asked about	First reply sent	Last follow-up	Next follow-up	Status

Status can be just four words: new, talking, booked, not now. Check the "Next follow-up" column every morning.

If you use the WhatsApp Business API

On the API, you can reply freely for 24 hours after a customer's last message. After that, the first message has to be a template approved in advance. So write your day 3 and day 7 messages as templates, and get them approved before you need them.

Common questions

How often should I follow up with a lead? Four messages over about a week works for most small businesses: within minutes, day 1, day 3, day 7.

Should I call or WhatsApp? Reply on the channel they used. If they ask a detailed question, offer a call in your WhatsApp reply.

Can follow-ups be automatic? Yes. With the WhatsApp Business API and a simple flow, the first reply and the follow-ups go out on their own, and your team steps in when the lead replies.

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Want your first reply and follow-ups to go out on their own, so no enquiry waits? Book a call and we'll map it for your business.

Sources: Harvard Business Review, "The Short Life of Online Sales Leads" (2011) · TAL enquiry reply-time test, live