Getting Started
Your first 30 minutes in Lynkist — how the workspace is laid out, what to set up first, and the fastest path to a delivered message.
This is the orientation guide. It assumes you've just created a workspace and want a map of the place before you dive in. Read it once, then come back to the deeper guides for each area.
The big picture
Lynkist is a WhatsApp Business platform. Everything you do flows through one connected WhatsApp number: you design templates, send campaigns to your contacts, answer replies in the shared inbox, automate responses with the AI agent and flows, and connect it all to your other tools through integrations and the API.
There is one hard prerequisite: a connected WhatsApp Business number. Until that's done, most of the platform is read-only.
If you do nothing else today, do WhatsApp Setup. Every other feature depends on it.
How the workspace is organised
After you log in you land on your workspace at /<your-workspace>. The left sidebar is your main
navigation:
- Dashboard — health and activity at a glance: delivery rates, campaign performance, plan usage, and your WhatsApp number's quality rating.
- Chat — the shared inbox where inbound conversations land and your team replies.
- Contacts — your audience: people, groups, sources, custom fields, and follow-ups.
- Templates — the approved message designs you send to people who haven't messaged you first.
- Campaigns — bulk sends to a segment of your contacts.
- Flows — interactive WhatsApp forms (booking, lead capture, surveys).
- AI Agent — an auto-reply assistant that answers common questions from your knowledge base.
- Integrations — connect your store, CRM, and other tools.
- Notifications — workspace alerts and activity.
- Settings — WhatsApp connection, team, billing, wallet, webhooks, and profile.
Your first 30 minutes
Do these in order. Each one unblocks the next.
- Connect WhatsApp. Settings → WhatsApp → Connect WhatsApp Business. Follow WhatsApp Setup — this is the gate for everything else.
- Send a test message. Use the
hello_worldstarter template to message your own number and confirm the pipe works end-to-end. - Import a few contacts. Even 5–10 is enough to test a real send. See Contacts.
- Create or submit a template. Templates need Meta approval before use, so submit early — approval can take minutes to a day. See Templates.
- Run a small campaign. Send your approved template to your test group and watch the delivery numbers move on the dashboard. See Campaigns.
- Invite your team. Settings → Team. Give teammates the least role they need. See Team & Settings.
Templates vs. the inbox — the one rule to internalise
WhatsApp has a strict rule that shapes everything:
- To message someone who hasn't messaged you in the last 24 hours, you must use a pre-approved template.
- Once a customer messages you, a 24-hour service window opens. Inside it you can reply with free-form messages — no template required.
This is why templates and the shared inbox are separate parts of the product. Campaigns are template-based (you're reaching out); inbox replies inside the window are free-form (they reached out). Keep this distinction in mind and most of WhatsApp's quirks make sense.
Inside the 24-hour window, service and in-session replies are free. Template (marketing/utility) conversations are billed. See Billing & Wallet for the rates.
Where to go next
WhatsApp Setup
The required first step — connect your number end to end.
Contacts
Build and organise your audience: import, groups, sources, custom fields, follow-ups.
Templates
Design messages Meta will approve, then reuse them in campaigns.
Campaigns
Send to a segment in bulk and read the delivery results.
Lynkist Guides
End-to-end walkthroughs for everything in Lynkist — from connecting WhatsApp to campaigns, the shared inbox, the AI agent, integrations, and billing.
WhatsApp Setup
Connect a WhatsApp Business number to Lynkist end-to-end — from Facebook Business verification to your first delivered message.