A lead fills your form and the clock starts ticking: reply in minutes and you win, reply tomorrow and they are gone. This guide shows how to auto-send a personalized WhatsApp follow-up the second a lead arrives using n8n, then the one-click way to skip the build with PhewDo.
What you are building
Here is the shape of the workflow.
New lead arrivesTrigger
A webhook fires when someone submits your form or books a call.
Check for a phone numberFilter
Only continue if the lead left a valid WhatsApp number.
Send WhatsApp templateWhatsApp
Send an approved template with the lead name and context.
Hand off on replyIF
If they reply, route the thread to a human or a sequence.
How to build it in n8n
You will need a WhatsApp Business API number through a provider. Then the build is four nodes.
- Webhook node. Point your form at the trigger URL so each lead becomes a JSON payload.
- IF node. Continue only when a phone field is present and looks valid.
- HTTP / WhatsApp node. Call your WhatsApp provider to send a pre-approved template with the lead name merged in.
- Wait node. Pause, then check for an inbound reply via your provider webhook.
- Branch. On reply, notify a rep in Slack or enroll the lead in a sequence.
It works, but template approval, the 24-hour window and reply handling are all on you, and n8n has no built-in pacing if you scale to thousands of sends.
The n8n build versus one click
Build it in n8n
- You manage the WhatsApp API and templates
- You build reply handling yourself
- No built-in pacing at scale
- You patch it when the provider changes
One click in PhewDo
- Approved WhatsApp templates built in
- Auto follow-up the moment a lead lands
- Replies land in one AI inbox
- Safe pacing handled for you
Skip the build. PhewDo sends the WhatsApp follow-up one-click.
Lead capture, enrichment, AI and multi-channel follow-up are already wired in. Turn it on and PhewDo runs the whole flow for you, on autopilot, with safe pacing and one AI inbox that keeps a human in the loop.
See PhewDoFrequently asked questions
Do I need the official WhatsApp API?
Yes, for automated sending you need a WhatsApp Business API number through a provider. PhewDo includes this so you do not set it up yourself.
Will I get blocked for sending too fast?
You can, which is why pacing matters. PhewDo paces sends and respects the 24-hour window automatically.
How is the PhewDo version different?
PhewDo ships capture, the approved template, sending and reply routing as one deploy, no API setup or node maintenance.