How to Send Elementor Form Submissions to WhatsApp — 2 Ways (Redirect + Auto-Send)
Elementor Pro's form widget captures enquiries beautifully, but the leads still land in email — where most of them are never read. In 2026, you have two ways to send Elementor form submissions to WhatsApp: a free wa.me redirect that opens a chat on the visitor's phone, or true auto-send through the official WhatsApp Cloud API with The Tech Pad's Elementor connector plugin — free to install, no monthly subscription, just Meta's per-message fee. Both methods are covered step by step below, with a comparison table so you can pick the right one.
Why send Elementor form submissions to WhatsApp
WhatsApp is where your customers actually are, and where they actually read: messages on WhatsApp get a 98% open rate against roughly 20% for email, and the median business response happens in under 90 seconds. When someone submits an Elementor form — a quote request on a landing page, a consultation booking, a "tell me more" on a product page — that's a hot lead. Email cools it down; WhatsApp keeps it warm.
The numbers back it up: abandoned-cart recovery converts 15–30% on WhatsApp versus 2–5% on email, and customers leave 3–5x more reviews when asked on WhatsApp. For agencies running client landing pages and D2C brands running enquiry forms, every submission that lands on WhatsApp instead of in an inbox is a conversation that actually starts.
There's a catch specific to Elementor: the form widget only exists in Elementor Pro, and the two methods below behave very differently. The redirect is free and instant; auto-send is reliable and auditable. Pick based on what you need from the form.
What you need before you start
- A WordPress site with Elementor Pro installed — the form widget and its Actions After Submit live in Pro; the free version has no form widget.
- A WhatsApp Business API account — The Tech Pad provisions your WABA (WhatsApp Business Account) for you, so there's no Meta developer console work.
- A WhatsApp Business number to send and receive messages.
- Approved message templates (for the auto-send method; anything outside the 24-hour window needs a UTILITY template).
- The Tech Pad Elementor connector plugin (auto-send method only).
Redirect vs auto-send: which one should you use?
| wa.me redirect | API auto-send (The Tech Pad connector) | |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | Meta per-message fee only (~₹0.10–0.30 per utility message in India) |
| Who sends the message | The visitor must press send | Your server, automatically |
| Delivery guarantee | None — the visitor can abandon the chat | Guaranteed, with a delivery log you can audit |
| Number privacy | Your number is visible in the URL | Number stays hidden; API sends from your business number |
| Template approval | Not needed | Required outside the 24-hour window |
| Best for | Sales chats, consultations, quick conversations | Lead capture, team alerts, customer confirmations |
Use the redirect when the goal is a conversation — a sales call, a consultation, a product enquiry. Use auto-send when the goal is capture — every submission logged, delivered and answered, whether or not the visitor sticks around. Many businesses use both on different forms.
Method 1: wa.me redirect — send Elementor form submissions to a WhatsApp chat
- Open your form in the Elementor editor and go to Actions After Submit.
- Add a Redirect action. Paste your wa.me link as the redirect URL: https://wa.me/<number>?text=<prefilled message>. Replace <number> with your WhatsApp number in international format (country code, no plus sign or spaces) and <prefilled message> with URL-encoded text like "Hi, I'm interested in your services".
- Save and publish. When a visitor submits the form, WhatsApp opens on their phone with the chat pre-filled.
- Optional: add a delay or a thank-you state before the redirect so visitors see confirmation first.
That's it — the cheapest possible integration, and it works the moment you save. But remember what it is: the visitor has to actually press send for you to get anything, there's no delivery guarantee, and your number sits in the URL where anyone can read it. It's a conversation starter, not a lead-capture system.
Method 2: API auto-send — deliver every Elementor submission to your team's WhatsApp
- Install and activate the Tech Pad Elementor connector plugin (Plugins → Add New → upload the zip).
- Open The Tech Pad dashboard and generate your API key and phone number ID.
- Paste both into the plugin's settings page and click Connect — it verifies against the official WhatsApp Cloud API and shows a status.
- Build your form in Elementor Pro as usual. The connector picks up each submission automatically — no redirects, no webhooks, no code.
- Map the form fields (name, email, phone, message) to message variables in the connector, and set the team number that receives alerts.
- Submit your templates for approval — a new-lead alert and a customer confirmation, both UTILITY category. Approvals usually land in minutes to a few hours.
- Test with a real submission and check the delivery log.
Auto-send uses the official WhatsApp Cloud API, so messages are delivered from your business number, replies come back into a shared team inbox, and free-form replies are free inside the 24-hour window. You pay only Meta's per-message fee — roughly ₹0.10–0.30 per utility message in India — with no monthly subscription.
Message templates that work
| Trigger | Example message |
|---|---|
| New lead (team alert) | New lead: {{1}} ({{2}}) just submitted the form. Message: {{3}} |
| Customer confirmation (auto-reply) | Hi {{1}}, thanks for contacting {{2}}. We'll reply shortly |
Copy these into The Tech Pad dashboard as UTILITY templates, submit them for approval, and map them to the fields in your Elementor form:
"New lead: {{1}} just submitted your form. Phone: {{2}}. Message: {{3}}. Reply now — the lead is on WhatsApp."
"Hi {{1}}, thanks for reaching out to {{2}}. We've received your message and will get back to you shortly."
FAQ
How do I redirect an Elementor form to WhatsApp? Use the wa.me click-to-chat link as the form's redirect URL after submit: https://wa.me/<number>?text=<prefilled message>. This opens a chat on the visitor's phone — great for conversations, but the visitor has to actually send the message.
How do I auto-send Elementor form submissions to WhatsApp without the visitor doing anything? Use the WhatsApp Business API with a connector plugin. Install the connector, add your API key and phone number ID, and every submission is delivered to your team's WhatsApp automatically — no action from the visitor, with a delivery log you can audit.
Which Elementor version do I need for WhatsApp integration? Elementor Pro is required for the form widget's Actions After Submit (needed for redirects and webhooks). The free version has no form widget, so use a standalone form plugin or the connector's own handling.
Do Elementor WhatsApp form messages need Meta template approval? Auto-sent messages outside the 24-hour window do. Submit UTILITY-category templates (new lead alert, confirmation) from the dashboard; approvals usually land in minutes to a few hours.
Send Elementor form submissions to WhatsApp today
The Tech Pad gives you one plugin per platform — forms, bookings, events, ecommerce — all connected to the official WhatsApp Cloud API, with templates managed from one dashboard and no monthly subscription. Use the wa.me redirect when you want a conversation, or the Elementor connector when you need every submission captured and delivered. Either way, your next lead lands on WhatsApp instead of in an inbox.