CTWA ads launched in 2017 and have become Meta's #1 ad product in India. The user clicks an ad, opens a WhatsApp chat with the business, and a pre-filled or auto-greeting begins the conversation. Conversion rates routinely run 5-10x higher than landing-page form-fills.
Meta charges for the click (CPC) and WhatsApp charges for the conversation (₹0.85 marketing). The combined cost per lead via CTWA is typically ₹15-50 in India versus ₹100-500 for traditional Meta lead forms.
CTWA works best for verticals with phone-based sales: real estate, education, healthcare, finance. Less effective for low-touch ecom (where users just want to checkout and not chat).