WhatsApp message templates explained: categories, approval and examples

A message template is a message a business writes in advance and submits to WhatsApp for approval. Once approved, the business can send it to customers who opted in, filling in the variables each time. Templates are how a business starts a conversation, and how it writes to a customer after the 24-hour customer service window has closed.

Why templates exist

WhatsApp is a personal messaging app, and it protects its users from unwanted business messages. Requiring approval for the messages a business can start a conversation with keeps them relevant, specific and accountable. Inside a customer-initiated conversation, you reply freely. Outside it, you use templates.

The three categories

• Utility. About something the customer has asked for or is part of: booking confirmations, reminders, order and payment updates, queue updates.
• Authentication. One-time passcodes for login or verification, in a format WhatsApp prescribes.
• Marketing. Offers, announcements and re-engagement. It requires clear opt-in and is the category most closely watched.

The category affects what the template may say, the review it receives and the price Meta charges for sending it. A template submitted as utility that reads like a promotion can be re-categorised or rejected, so the choice is made first.

Anatomy of a template

• Body. The text, with numbered variables such as {{1}} and {{2}} where each message’s own details go.
• Header (optional). A short title, an image, a document or a video.
• Footer (optional). A short line, such as a business name or an opt-out reminder.
• Buttons (optional). Quick replies (“Reschedule”, “Cancel”) or call-to-action buttons that open a link or a phone call.

name:      token_confirmed
category:  UTILITY
language:  en
body:      Your token is {{1}} at {{2}}. There are {{3}} people ahead of you.
           Estimated wait: {{4}}.
buttons:   [Check position] [Cancel token]
sample:    {{1}} A-104   {{2}} Central Branch   {{3}} 6   {{4}} 25 min

How approval works

You submit the template with sample values. WhatsApp reviews it, normally automatically and sometimes with a human check, and the template becomes approved or rejected. Reviews are often quick, but there is no guaranteed time. A rejection comes with a reason, and you can edit and resubmit.

Common reasons for rejection

• A category that does not match the content, such as promotion inside a utility template
• Vague wording that does not say what the message is about
• Too many variables relative to the amount of fixed text, or missing sample values
• Content that breaks WhatsApp’s messaging or commerce policy
• Formatting mistakes, such as broken variable numbering

WhatsApp’s guidelines change, so we check the current ones each time rather than rely on a fixed list.

Writing templates that get approved and get read

1. Give each template one purpose, so its category is obvious.
2. Use specific variables (a token, a time, a branch), never “an update is available”.
3. Keep it short enough to read on a lock screen.
4. Offer a button when there is a natural next action.
5. Write one version per language your customers use.
6. Version the template when you change it, and keep the old one until nothing depends on it.

Quality, pausing and cost

WhatsApp watches how customers react to your templates. If many block or report them, a template can be paused or disabled and your number’s quality rating falls, which can lower how many customers you may contact. Meta bills template messages by category and destination country, and rates change from time to time, so check Meta’s current pricing before you estimate a volume.

Examples of useful templates

• Booking confirmation: “Hi {{1}}, your booking for {{2}} is confirmed for {{3}}.” with Reschedule and Cancel buttons
• Appointment reminder: “Reminder: you have an appointment tomorrow at {{1}}.” with Confirm and Reschedule buttons
• Payment confirmation: “We have received your payment of {{1}} for order {{2}}.”
• Order update: “Your order {{1}} has been dispatched and should arrive by {{2}}.”
• Signup confirmation: “Welcome to {{1}}, {{2}}. Your membership is active from {{3}}.”

To see how templates are triggered by events in your own software, read about WhatsApp notification systems.