WhatsApp Message Templates

What are Message Templates?

WhatsApp message templates are pre-defined messages that businesses can use to initiate conversations with customers. Templates can be used for a variety of purposes, including customer service, notifications, and sending promotional messages.

There are a few things to keep in mind when using WhatsApp message templates.

• WhatsApp message templates are not free and are charged based on the number of conversations and the template category you use. Learn more about WhatsApp pricing here.
• WhatsApp Message Templates require pre-approval from Meta to ensure they abide by WhatsApp’s Business and Commerce Policies.
• You can only send message templates to your customers to continue the conversation after the 24-hour Customer Service Window ends, which will start a business-initiated conversation.

WhatsApp Message Template Categories

Business-initiated conversations are broken down into 3 message template conversation categories:

• Utility Templates: These templates relate to a transaction, post-purchase notifications and recurring billing statements.
• Authentication Templates: These templates enable businesses to authenticate customers with passcodes during the login process such as account registration or recovery. Use copy code or one-tap autofill buttons to deliver a one-time password (OTP) via an authentication template.
• Marketing Templates: These are templates to market a product or service to customers, such as relevant offers to customers who have opted in.

Setting Up Message Templates

Rules for Creating Message Templates

There are some rules to follow when creating message templates to increase the chances of your message template being approved by Meta.

Message Template Content Rules

These are some of the content that are prohibited when sending message templates:

• Threatening content
• Data collection
• Prohibited services
• Contests or quizzes

Message Template Formatting Rules

There are formatting rules for each part of the message template.

• Name: Lowercase alphanumeric characters and underscores. Other special characters and spaces are not allowed.
• Body: Cannot contain tabs or more than 4 consecutive spaces and its character limit is capped at 1,024 characters. This includes letters, numbers, special characters, and emojis.
• Placeholder: Must be written within double curly brackets, like this: {{1}}. When customizing the content of a placeholder, you may include letters, numbers, or even special characters.

WhatsApp Message Template Fields Overview

The WhatsApp Message Template table below shows a general overview of each template.

The following is a description of what each column represents:

Creating and Submitting Message Templates

Step 1: Navigate to Settings > Channels.

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel > click the Manage Templates icon. Alternatively, click Manage > Templates.

Step 3: In the Channel configuration page, click Templates > Submit Template.

Step 4: Fill in the required information to create the template

Step 5: Create the message by filling in the necessary components, then review the message in the preview section.

Step 6: Provide sample value if you have included any parameters in your message template content.

Step 7: Click on Submit to submit your message template for approval.

Syncing Message Templates

The purpose for syncing your message templates on the platform is to retrieve their latest message template statuses.

Steps to sync message templates

Step 1: Navigate to Workspace Settings > Channels.

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel > click Manage.

Step 3: In the Channel configuration page**,** click Templates > click Sync Templates to begin the syncing process.

Step 4: Syncing Completed

When the syncing is complete, the message templates will be listed with their corresponding statuses, quality ratings and the last synced date time will be updated. The rejection reason will be displayed below the rejected message template.

The following table lists the possible statuses for the message templates:

Review Template Status: Rejected after Submission

Why are my message templates not being approved?

There could be several reasons why Meta did not approve your message template:

• Technical issues: Ensure your message templates are formatted correctly and do not contain any technical errors.
• Inappropriate language or tone: Avoid using offensive, harassing or spammy language.
• Incorrect use of template category: Ensure the right template category is selected to match the type of message being sent. For example, when sending an authentication code to your customer, an authentication template must be used.
• Violation of Meta Commerce Policy: Make sure your message templates comply with the Meta Commerce Policy, which includes guidelines on content such as spam and unapproved products or services.

What to do when my message template is rejected?

Follow these steps to resolve the issue:

• Review the rejection reason: Check the rejection reason on relevant platforms (respond.io, FBM).
• Edit and resubmit the message template on:
  • respond.io: Create a new message template, edit message and resubmit.
  • Facebook Business Manager (FBM): Edit the message template in your FBM. Then, submit the edited message template. Learn more here.

Sending Message Templates

Before sending your message templates, ensure that your message template has been approved and the status is Active.

Steps to send message templates:

Step 1: Click the Template Message icon in the messaging bar.

Step 2: Select the template to send to your Contact.

Step 3: Personalize the message and specify the parameters for the template.

You may use Dynamic Variables to fill in the required fields i.e. the values for {{1}}, {{2}}, etc.

Step 4: Review the information and click Send.

Best Practices when Sending Message Templates

Before sending your message templates, there are certain best practices you can follow to ensure your message template is well-received and not being blocked or reported as spam by your customers. This is to ensure your message template quality rating remains at a high quality. Here are some examples:

• Obtain customer opt-in before sending message templates
• Don’t spam your customers

Sending Location Message Templates

There are 2 ways you can send a Location message template:

• Use Google Maps URL: Copy the Google Maps URL that you want to send and paste it into the URL field.

• Input address fields manually: Input the Name, Address, Latitude and Longitude fields manually. The accepted format for latitude and longitude are (3.1545313,101.7151839) or {"longitude":3.1545313,"latitude":101.7151839}.

Edit a WhatsApp Message Template

Step 1: Navigate to Workspace Settings > Channels

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel > click the Manage Templates icon. Alternatively, click Manage > Templates.

Step 3: In the Channel configuration page, click Templates > click Edit Template located in the ACTIONS menu

Step 4: Edit the content that you wish to update

Step 5: Click on Submit to submit your message template for approval.

Limitations

• Only message templates with an Approved, Rejected, or Paused status can be edited.
• You cannot edit the Template Name, Template Category and Language of an approved message template.
• Approved message templates can be edited up to 10 times in a 30 day window, or 1 time in a 24 hour window. Rejected or paused templates can be edited an unlimited number of times.
• Editing a template from the platform can only be done with WhatsApp Business Platform (API) and WhatsApp Cloud API Channels.

Delete a WhatsApp Message Template

Step 1: Navigate to Workspace Settings > Channels

Step 2: Locate the WhatsApp Business API channel > click Manage.

Step 3: In the Channel configuration page, click Templates > click Delete Template located in the ACTIONS menu.

FAQ and Troubleshooting

Why is my WhatsApp message template taking so long to approve?

The approval process for WhatsApp message templates can vary depending on the content type. This process will take approximately 24 hours. It's important to follow the guidelines closely to avoid any delays or rejections in the approval process. Learn more about the message template approval process and guidelines here.

Why is the link I attached in my Template Message displaying as plain text on the Contact’s side?

This is due to a limitation from both Android and iOS. The first template message from a business will display the link in the message as plain text. For Android users, the link will turn into a clickable hyperlink after the Contact replies to the business once. However, for iPhone users, the link will remain as plain text until the Contact saves the business’ phone number. This is due to a security measure taken by the iOS system.

Workaround solution:

To encourage Contacts to click the link, you can embed the link in a Call-To-Action button in the template message. Follow these steps to create your template with a Call-To-Action button.

Here’s an example of how a message with a Call-To-Action button will look like:

What is the maximum character limit for a WhatsApp template message?

A WhatsApp template message has a maximum character limit of 1024 characters.

How many message templates can my WhatsApp Business account have?

A single WhatsApp Business Account can create up to 250 message templates.

Why was my predetermined WhatsApp message template rejected?

This is likely because of Meta's inconsistency while reviewing message templates. To get the template approved, you will need to edit the rejected template and re-submit it for approval.

1. Go to Workspace Settings > Channels
2. Select your WhatsApp Business Platform (API) Channel > Templates
3. Select Edit Template in the Actions column
4. Do not change anything and click Submit Template