### [How to Create a WhatsApp Form in WordPress](https://wpforms.com/how-to-send-wordpress-form-entries-to-whatsapp/)

**Published:** January 16, 2023
**Author:** Renee DeCoskey

**Excerpt:** Sending WordPress form submission notifications to WhatsApp can be a great way to keep an eye on your forms. But connecting a WordPress site with WhatsApp can be complex, and there aren’t many WordPress plugins that do this efficiently. 

Fortunately, there’s the Twilio addon for WPForms, making it easy for you to create a form that sends notifications and messages via WhatsApp. 

Read on to find out just how easy it is! 

**Content:**

Want a form on your WordPress site that ends with a WhatsApp message instead of an email that sits unread for two days?

For a lot of audiences, that’s the difference between a lead and a missed conversation. In regions where WhatsApp is the default way people communicate, an email-only reply path is friction.

So if you’re building lead capture, appointment requests, support intake, or order confirmations for an audience that lives on WhatsApp, you want the form and the message channel to be connected.

## How to Create a WhatsApp Form in WordPress

Before we get started, here are the tools you’ll need to follow along with this tutorial:

- **WPForms**: You will need to [download and install](https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/step-by-step-guide-to-install-a-wordpress-plugin-for-beginners/) the [WPForms plugin](https://wpforms.com/pricing/ "Pricing") on your website. Please note that you will need the **Plus** plan or above to access the Twilio addon, which is what makes WhatsApp notifications easy.
- **Twilio Account**: You’ll need to go through the process of setting up a Twilio account and obtaining a phone number. This will be necessary to connect Twilio and WPForms.
- **Twilio Addon**: Make sure you install and activate the [Twilio addon](https://wpforms.com/docs/install-activate-wpforms-addons/ "Installing WPForms Addons") in WPForms.

[Build Your WordPress Form Now](https://wpforms.com/pricing/)

More on those as we go along. For now, here’s a brief overview:

- [Step 1. Create a Message Template in Twilio](#create-a-message-template-in-twilio)
- [Step 2. Connect WPForms to Twilio](#connect-wpforms-to-twilio)
- [Step 3. Create a Form in WPForms](#create-a-form-in-wpforms)
- [Optional: Enable Sandbox Testing](#enable-sandbox-testing)
- [FAQs About Creating a WhatsApp Form in WordPress](#aioseo-frequently-asked-questions-about-creating-a-whatsapp-form-in-wordpress-113)

Essentially, you’ll set up and configure some items in Twilio, then connect that to your WPForms account so they can work together to send WhatsApp messages to users directly from a successful form submission.

Let’s look at how it comes together.

**Looking for Notifications to SMS?**

If you want to send notifications via SMS instead of WhatsApp, the process is similar. Check out our guide on [how to get an SMS notification to a WordPress form](https://wpforms.com/how-to-get-an-sms-text-message-from-your-wordpress-form/) for more info on setup.

### Step 1. Create a Message Template in Twilio

WhatsApp’s Business Platform requires every outbound message to a customer to use a pre-approved template. That’s WhatsApp’s policy, not Twilio’s, and it exists to keep WhatsApp from turning into another spam channel.

So before WPForms can send anything, you need to create the template inside Twilio and submit it for approval. For now, here’s how you set it up.

From the left sidebar navigation, go to **Messaging » Content Template Builder**.

![Create a content template for WhatsApp in Twilio](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilio-content-template-builder.png)Next, click the blue button that says **Create your first content template**.

![Twilio content template builder](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilio-create-template-1024x426.png)After that, you’ll need to provide some details. The first will be the **Template Name** and the second will be **Template Language**. The third is the **Content Type**.

That’s where you have multiple options to choose from, and which you choose is going to depend on what kind of notification message you want to send.

If you just want to send some text, for example, you’ll choose that option. Once you’ve made your selection, click **Create**.

![Create your content template in Twilio](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/create-content-template-1024x787.png)Now we need to configure the template.

Scroll down until you locate the **Content** section. Enter your message text in the **Body** field. Take note on the character limits.

![Enter the body text message in Twilio](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/enter-body-text-message-template-twilio-1024x556.png)You can also click on **+ Add Variable** to use dynamic text that will pull in from your form fields, such as names, order numbers, or other personalized information.

When you’re happy with your message, click **Save and Submit for WhatsApp Approval**.

![Save and submit for WhatsApp approval in Twilio](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilkio-save-and-submit-for-approval-1.png)After you do this, you’re going to get a screen asking you to provide sample values so that you can see how the text will look when those variables are filled in.

Once you add those for the variable fields you’ve used, click on **Save with samples**.

![Save with samples](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilio-save-with-samples-1024x872.png)Don’t get too hung up on the sample values. When you connect your form to Twilio in WPForms, you’ll be able to map the variables to specific form fields. Think of this more like a test feature for now.

Leave this tab open because we’ll need to come back to Twilio to get some information. Open another tab and navigate to your WordPress dashboard for the next step.

If you’d rather use SMS than WhatsApp for some notifications, the process inside the same Twilio addon is similar.

See our guide on [how to get an SMS notification to a WordPress form](https://wpforms.com/how-to-get-an-sms-text-message-from-your-wordpress-form/ "how to get an SMS notification to a WordPress form") for the SMS-specific setup.

### Step 2. Connect WPForms to Twilio

Now you’ll pull your Twilio Account SID and Auth Token into WPForms so the two can talk.

From your WordPress dashboard, click on **WPForms » Settings**. Then choose the **Integrations** tab. Scroll down until you locate Twilio. Click **Add New Account**.

![Send notifications from a WordPress form to WhatsApp with Twilio](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/add-new-twilio-account-wpforms-1024x339.png)You’ll see that there is some information you have to provide to add your account.

This is where having 2 tabs open comes into play. It will be a lot easier if you can switch between them to quickly get the info you need to connect your account.

![Connect your Twilio account to WPForms](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/wpforms-twilio-credentials-configuration.png)Click back over to the tab with your Twilio account open and navigate to your dashboard. You should see a section on the dashboard called **Account Info**. It includes the Account SID and Auth Token, which you need to add in WPForms.

![Twilio Account Info dashboard](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilio-account-info-section-1.png)Copy the information and paste it in its respective field over on your WPForms tab.

After you add both numbers, the last field asks for a Twilio Account Name. Think of this just like a nickname. It’s for internal use only and helps you differentiate between accounts and connections if you have multiple.

![Connect WPForms to Twilio](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/wpforms-connect-to-twilio-1024x820.png)When all the information is in place, click **Connect to Twilio**.

If the connection is successful, you’ll see that reflected in the status.

![Twilio connected to WPForms](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilio-connected-to-wpforms.png)Now it’s time to bring it all together!

### Step 3. Create a Form in WPForms

In this final step, I’ll show you how to bring everything together so you can send notifications from a WordPress form to WhatsApp. The first thing you need is the form you’re planning to use to trigger your WhatsApp notifications.

You can [create a form](https://wpforms.com/how-to-create-your-own-custom-form-templates/ "How to Create a WordPress Form for Free (3 Options)") or use one of the [2,100+ form templates](https://wpforms.com/templates/) available on WPForms. If you decide to use a template, you can customize it to make it your own.

[Build Your WordPress Form Now](https://wpforms.com/pricing/)

When your form is ready and you’re looking at it in the WPForms form builder, click on **Marketing**. In the list of your addons that comes up, select **Twilio**. Click to **Add a New Connection**.

Don’t worry, this is different from what you did at the end of step 2. Here you’re adding the connection directly to this form.

![Add a new connection to Twilio in the WPForms form builder](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/add-new-Twilio-connection-WPForms.png)In the modal window that comes up, enter a connection name. Again, this is for internal use and helps you differentiate between different connections if you have them.

Then you’ll choose the account to connect. If you only connected one account in step 2, that’s the only account that’s going to show up here. Select the account you want to connect to the form.

![Select your Twilio account in the WPForms form builder](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/select-twilio-account-wpforms.png)If you’re finding it confusing, think of it this way: the last step connected your Twilio account to WPForms. This step further establishes that connection directly to your form.

After choosing the account, you’ll have to answer whether you want to send as SMS or send as WhatsApp. For this tutorial, we’re going to **choose WhatsApp** since that’s what we’re covering here.

Next, choose the phone number that you want to use to send your messages.

![Send From phone number](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/select-send-from-field-twilio-1.png)Then you’ll indicate who should receive the messages.

If you select **Phone Fields**, the messages will go to the people who submit your form, based on the information they provide in the phone fields of your form. When you do this, a dropdown will appear so you can select the correct field from your form to use.

![Phone field ](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/phone-field.png)If you select **Verified Phone Number**, you’ll see a dropdown that lists all of the numbers you’ve verified in your Twilio account. You’ll select the specific number that you want to receive a notification.

![Select the verified phone number](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/verified-phone-number.png)Finally, because you chose to send as **WhatsApp**, you’ll see a dropdown where you can select a **Message Template**.

![Select a Message Template for WhatsApp notifications](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/select-a-message-template-twilio-1-1024x348.png)Recall for a moment what you did in Step 1 above when you created a message template in Twilio. The template or templates that you created there should now be available in this dropdown for you to select.

Select the template you wish to use. After you select the template, you’ll see options to map the variables to your form fields.

![Map your message template variables to your form fields](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilio-map-variables-in-wpforms-1024x489.png)This might seem a little confusing because all the pieces are coming together here, so let me break it down.

- You created a message template in Twilio to use for WhatsApp notifications. In that message template, you added numbered variables to personalize the message.
- You also created a form using WPForms. This form is what your users will actually be filling out.
- You want to send notifications from the WordPress form to WhatsApp, which requires you to connect the message template with your form.
- Once you map the form fields from your WPForms form to your Twilio message template (which you created to send as a WhatsApp message), those variable fields will populate with the correct personalized information. They’re now connected.
- Or, to simplify, your WhatsApp message will include information submitted through the form you create on WPForms.

When you’re finished configuring the settings here, click **Save** at the top of the form builder.

![Save form](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/save-form.png)### Optional: Enable Sandbox Testing

This step is completely optional, but I want you to have the information, should it be applicable to what you’re doing.

If you want to test your WhatsApp messages before committing to a WhatsApp Business account and getting WhatsApp approval, you can do that in Twilio. Its Sandbox environment lets you test your integration out first.

Fortunately, this is pretty easy to set up by connecting your preferred phone number to the Twilio WhatsApp Sandbox.

Start by logging in to your Twilio account. In the left sidebar navigation, click on **Messaging**, then in that sub-menu, click on **Try it out » Send a WhatsApp message**, like so:

![Test your WhatsApp integration with Twilio's Sandbox environment](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/send-a-whatsapp-message-twilio-1024x463.png)When the page opens for **Send a WhatsApp message**, which was your last selection here, scroll down until you see **Connect to WhatsApp Sandbox**. You’ll see your connection details there, along with 2 options for joining.

![Use your connection details to join Twilio's Sandbox environment](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/join-twilio-sandbox.png)You can choose whether you want to send a WhatsApp message to the Twilio number with your personal join code, or if you want to scan the QR code.

After you send the join code, check your phone. You should receive a message confirming that your number is connected to the Sandbox environment and you can begin testing.

![Sandbox confirmation message](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/twilio-whatsapp-sandbox-1024x554.png)From your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the WPForms plugin and open the form you’re using for your WhatsApp messages.

Once the form is open in the form builder, select the **Marketing** tab on the left side, and then find **Twilio**.

If this looks familiar, it’s because you were here before when you configured Twilio settings in Step 3. Beneath the dropdown where you selected to **Send As WhatsApp**, you’ll see a toggle switch to **Enable Sandbox Mode**.

![Enable Sandbox Mode](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/enable-sandbox-mode.png)When you enable Sandbox Mode, you’re no longer required to use a pre-approved message template. Instead, you’ll see a **Message** field where you can create whatever text you like for testing.

![Enter a message to test in Sandbox mode](https://wpforms.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/01/enter-message-field-twilio-1.png)Now you can send messages using the Twilio test number to test the integration without the need for a WhatsApp Business account right away.

It’s worth noting that you get a 3-day test period in Sandbox mode. After the 3 days are up, your test messages won’t send unless you reconnect Sandbox mode.

Once you’re done configuring your message, **save** your form, and you’re good to go.

### FAQs About Creating a WhatsApp Form in WordPress

Creating a WhatsApp form in WordPress is a popular workflow for businesses that talk to customers on messaging apps. Here are answers to the questions that come up most often when readers set this up for the first time.

#### Do I need WPForms Pro, or will Plus work?

The Twilio addon, which is what powers WhatsApp messaging, unlocks at the Plus tier. Pro and above also include the Twilio addon and give you access to other premium features like Stripe Pro, Calculations, or Coupons.

#### Do I need a WhatsApp Business account to use this?

Yes, Twilio’s WhatsApp delivery routes through the official WhatsApp Business Platform, which requires business approval.

For testing, the Twilio Sandbox lets you skip the approval step and validate the integration with a personal phone number connected to a temporary sandbox channel.

#### If a customer I’ve already chatted with on WhatsApp submits the form, will the new message land in the existing chat?

It depends on whether your registered WhatsApp Business number is the same number you’ve used for past conversations. Messages route to the recipient’s chat history with the sending number.

If you send from your business number and that customer already has a thread with that number, the new automated message lands in that same thread. If you send from a different number, it opens a new thread.

#### Can I send the same form submission to both email and WhatsApp?

Yes. WhatsApp delivery happens through the Twilio Marketing connection on the form. Email notifications happen separately under Settings » Notifications inside the form builder.

Configure both, and a single submission triggers an email to your team and a WhatsApp message to the customer (or vice versa). You can also use conditional logic to send specific notifications only when certain form values are submitted.

#### Can the form open a WhatsApp chat in the visitor’s browser instead of sending a message from my account?

That’s a different pattern, as the Twilio flow in this article sends an outbound message from your registered WhatsApp Business number.

If you want a form that redirects visitors to a wa.me link with their form data pre-filled (no Twilio account needed), that’s a click-to-chat pattern.

For those use cases, our roundup of the [best WhatsApp plugins for WordPress](https://wpforms.com/best-whatsapp-plugins-for-wordpress/ "best WhatsApp plugins for WordPress") covers the click-to-chat options worth considering.

### Next, Explore More Ways to Use Conversational Marketing

Now that you know how to send notifications from a WordPress form to WhatsApp, maybe you’re looking for more ways to practice conversational marketing.

If you want to attract and engage customers through conversation and personalization, check out our [guide to conversational marketing examples and customer engagement tools](https://wpforms.com/ultimate-guide-to-conversational-marketing/ "Conversational Marketing Examples: Tools to Engage Customers [2025]").

[Build Your WordPress Form Now](https://wpforms.com/pricing/)

Ready to build your form? Get started today with the easiest WordPress form builder plugin. [WPForms Pro](https://wpforms.com/pricing) includes lots of free templates and offers a 14-day money-back guarantee.

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**Categories:** Integrations

**Tags:** uncanny automator, whatsapp, wpforms pro

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