How to Sell on WhatsApp From Instagram and TikTok: A Step-by-Step Guide

In Malaysia, a lot of online selling ends the same way: "PM for price" or "WhatsApp me to order". Customers discover you on Instagram or TikTok, but the sale happens in a chat. That is not a weakness. Chat feels personal, customers can ask questions, and you can close the sale on the spot.

The problem is the gap between the two. A follower who loved your video has to find your number, save it, open WhatsApp, type a message and ask what you sell and how much. Every one of those steps loses buyers.

This guide closes that gap. You will set up WhatsApp for selling, create a one-tap order link, add a cart to your link in bio, place the link where Instagram and TikTok users will tap it, and build a simple routine for handling orders.

Why selling on WhatsApp works so well

• It is where your customers already are. Many Malaysians use WhatsApp every day to talk to family, friends and businesses.
• It is personal. Customers can ask about sizes, flavours or delivery, and you can reply like a person, not a checkout form.
• It builds repeat business. Once a customer has chatted with you, they can find you again in their chat list.
• It costs nothing to start. You do not need a website or an online store to take your first orders.

The trade-off is that chat-based selling can get messy: incomplete orders, the same questions over and over, and payments that are hard to track. The steps below fix most of that.

Step 1: Set up the WhatsApp Business app properly

If you are still selling from a personal WhatsApp account, switch to the free WhatsApp Business app. It is made for exactly this, and it keeps your business chats separate from your personal ones if you use a separate number.

Complete your business profile

Add your business name, a clear logo or photo, a short description, your business hours, your location or delivery area and your link-in-bio address as your website. Customers check this before they trust you.

Add a catalogue

WhatsApp Business lets you add products to a catalogue with photos, names, descriptions and prices, where prices are supported. Customers can browse it inside WhatsApp. WhatsApp's help pages explain how shopping on WhatsApp works and how to share catalogue links.

Save time with quick replies, labels and away messages

• Quick replies: save answers to common questions (price list, delivery fees, payment details) and send them with a shortcut.
• Labels: tag chats as New order, Waiting for payment, Paid and Delivered, so nothing slips through.
• Greeting and away messages: greet new customers automatically and tell people when you will reply outside business hours.

Step 2: Create a WhatsApp order link (wa.me)

A click-to-chat link opens a WhatsApp chat with you in one tap, without the customer saving your number. The format comes from WhatsApp's own click to chat guide:

• Start with https://wa.me/
• Add your full number in international format: the country code, then the number without the leading zero, plus sign, spaces or dashes
• Optionally add ?text= followed by a URL-encoded message to prefill the chat

A prefilled message helps the customer start the right conversation. For example, a link with the text "Hi! I'd like to order from your Instagram" tells you where the order came from and saves the customer from typing.

Step 3: Turn your link in bio into an order page

A bare wa.me link only opens a chat. The customer still has to ask what you sell and how much. A better approach is a link-in-bio page that works as an order page: products, prices and payment options first, with WhatsApp as the final step.

On biolink.my you do this with a WhatsApp order block:

1. Add your products with a photo, name and price.
2. Enter your WhatsApp number in the shop settings.
3. Visitors choose items and quantities on your page.
4. They tap once, and WhatsApp opens with the whole order already written: each item with quantity and price, the total and a note that it came from your page.

You receive a complete order instead of "hi, how much?". You can then confirm, share payment details and arrange delivery. biolink.my also keeps a simple log of carts sent to WhatsApp in your dashboard, so you can see which products people try to order.

These methods work well together. The link-in-bio cart catches new visitors from social media, and the WhatsApp catalogue helps customers who are already in your chat.

Step 4: Add the link to your Instagram profile and Stories

Your Instagram bio

Go to Edit profile and paste your page address into the links section. Instagram's help page explains how to add a website to your profile. Then make the bio text do its job:

• Say what you sell and where you deliver
• Mention how to order: "Order in 1 tap on WhatsApp ↓"
• Keep the same name and photo as your WhatsApp Business profile

Stories and highlights

Stories are where many followers decide to buy. Add a link sticker to Stories that show a product, pointing to your page. Save a Highlight called "Order" or "How to order" with a short walkthrough of your page, so new followers always find it.

Posts and Reels

Instagram captions do not make links clickable, so end posts and Reels with a clear instruction: "Order through the link in my bio". Make sure the product in the post is near the top of your page.

Step 5: Add the link to TikTok

On TikTok, whether you can add a website link to your profile depends on your account type. TikTok's guide to setting up your profile covers the options, and switching to a business account is often the simplest route for sellers.

Once your link is in place:

• Say it out loud at the end of videos: "Prices and ordering are in my bio".
• Show the page on screen for a second, so viewers know what they will see.
• Pin a video that explains how to order, so new visitors find it first.
• Answer comments that ask for prices by pointing to the link in your bio, then make sure the price is easy to find there.

Step 6: Create content that leads to orders

Not every post has to sell, but every post should make buying easier. Content that tends to lead to WhatsApp orders:

• Behind the scenes: making, packing or preparing orders. It shows that you are real and busy.
• Product close-ups with the price: answer the question before it is asked.
• Customer moments: real unboxing videos or messages, shared with permission.
• Deadlines: pre-order cut-offs, limited batches and festive orders. A countdown on your page backs up the deadline.
• How to order: a short video that walks through your page and the WhatsApp cart.

For more ideas that bring people to your page, read 15 online marketing tactics for Malaysian sellers.

Step 7: Handle orders with a simple routine

Orders that arrive complete are only half the job. A clear routine keeps customers happy and protects you from mistakes.

Taking payment

Offer the options your customers prefer. A DuitNow QR code is familiar to many Malaysians, and you can show it on your page with a tip-jar style QR block. You can also add a payment link from your own payment provider. biolink.my never handles the money: payments go directly to you.

Handling questions quickly

Speed wins sales in chat. Use quick replies for your price list, delivery fees and payment details, and set an away message for when you cannot reply. If the same question keeps coming up, add the answer to your page too.

Step 8: Turn one order into many

The easiest customer to sell to is one who has already bought from you. With their permission:

• Tell them when a favourite product is back in stock
• Share festive pre-order dates early
• Offer a small reason to come back, like a bundle or free delivery on the next order
• Ask for a referral: "If a friend would love this, here is my link"

Keep it personal and relevant. Sending the same promotion to everyone, too often, is the fastest way to get muted or blocked. A lead form on your page also lets new visitors ask to be notified about the next batch.

Mistakes that cost WhatsApp sellers orders

• No prices anywhere. Hiding prices makes customers message just to ask, and many never do.
• A confusing link. If the link opens a page with no products, people leave.
• Slow replies. Customers often message several sellers. The first clear reply often wins.
• Lost orders. Without labels or a routine, orders get buried under new chats.
• Shipping before confirming payment. Always confirm in your own account first.
• Spamming broadcasts. Message customers only when you have a genuine reason, and stop when they ask.

Your WhatsApp selling checklist

Conclusion

Selling on WhatsApp from Instagram and TikTok works best when the path is short: watch, tap, pick, send, pay. Set up WhatsApp Business, make a one-tap order link, give customers a page where they can see products and prices first, and handle every order with the same simple routine.

New to link-in-bio pages? Start with our guide to what a link in bio is and how to set one up, then claim your free page and add your first products.