Template fields

A template is a message WhatsApp approves before you can send it. You need one to start any conversation, and every broadcast and Ecomm+ message is built on one.

Approval usually takes minutes and can take up to a day. An approved template cannot be edited, so most of the work on this page happens before you press Submit.

Before you start

Have these ready. Stopping halfway to find them is how rushed templates get rejected.

• The exact wording. Written, proofread, in one language.
• What changes per person. The customer's name, an order number, a link. These become variables.
• A sample value for each variable. WhatsApp reviews the message with these filled in.
• A sample image, video or file, if the template will carry one. The real one is attached when you send.
• The category. Marketing, Utility or Authentication. See Template fields if you are unsure.

Create the template

1. Go to Manage → Template Message.
2. Click + New in the top right corner.

3. Pick a Template Category.

4. Pick a Template Type: TEXT, IMAGE, VIDEO or FILE. For anything other than TEXT, upload a sample file.

5. Pick the Template Language. English is selected by default.
6. Enter a Template Name. Use lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only, such as diwali_sale_launch_v1.

7. Write the message in Template Format. Put {{1}}, {{2}} and so on wherever a value changes per person.

8. Enter a sample value for each variable.

9. Under Interactive Actions, choose None, Call to Action or Quick Replies, and fill in the buttons. See Template fields.

10. Read the whole template once more against Why templates get rejected.
11. Click Submit.

The template goes straight to WhatsApp for review and its status changes to PENDING.

After you submit

stateDiagram-v2
    direction LR
    [*] --> Draft: Saved without submitting
    Draft --> PENDING: Submit
    [*] --> PENDING: Submit
    PENDING --> APPROVED: WhatsApp accepts it
    PENDING --> REJECTED: WhatsApp refuses it
    APPROVED --> Paused: Too many people block it

Most templates are reviewed within minutes. Some take up to 24 hours, and media templates are no slower than text ones.

The status does not always update on its own. Open the Approved section of the template list and click Sync Status to fetch the latest result from WhatsApp. If nothing changes, refresh the page.

Once a template is APPROVED, you can pick it in a broadcast, an Ecomm+ message or a chatbot flow.

If it is REJECTED, or still PENDING after 24 hours, see Why templates get rejected.

A template can also be paused after approval. WhatsApp does this when many recipients block it. See Why templates get rejected.

Where your templates live

Manage → Template Message lists every template you have submitted, split into sections by status: PENDING, APPROVED and ACTION REQUIRED.

Anything you start and do not submit is saved on its own in a drafts section, so you can come back to it.

You can search the list by template name and by status. Click any row in the Approved section to preview the template.

Choosing a name

The name is the only way to tell templates apart in a long list, and you cannot rename or edit a template once it is approved. A change means a new template with a new name.

Name templates by purpose, then version: order_shipped_v1, order_shipped_v2. When a better version is approved, you know at a glance which one is current. Names like template1 or new_offer become a guessing game after a month.

Choosing a type

TEXT templates are the simplest and the most flexible, because nothing needs attaching when you send.

IMAGE templates get noticed. A product photo at the top of a sale message does more than any sentence about the sale. The image you upload while creating the template is only a sample for review. You attach the real one each time you send, which means one approved image template can carry a different product photo in every broadcast.

VIDEO and FILE work the same way. Use FILE for things the customer keeps, such as an invoice or a size guide.

There are also special types for richer messages: carousels, limited-time offers and order details. Each has its own page under Template types.

Start from a sample

Writing the first few templates from scratch is slow. The template section has a library of over a hundred pre-approved templates across industries. Pick one close to what you need and change the details to match your store.

They were written to pass review, so starting from one avoids most of the format mistakes that get first templates rejected. Read your edited version against Why templates get rejected all the same, because your changes are what WhatsApp reviews.

When to create a new template

Create a new template instead of reusing an old one when:

• The purpose changed. A cart reminder reused as a sale announcement confuses customers and WhatsApp alike.
• The category would change. Adding an offer to an order update makes it Marketing. Keep the order update as it is and make a separate offer template.
• The old one was paused. Its wording is what people were blocking. Rewrite it rather than resubmitting the same text.

Keep templates that work. A template with a good read and reply rate is worth more than a clever new one that has never been sent.