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Reach people Message templates

Message templates

Write the messages you are allowed to start a chat with, and send them to Meta for approval.

On this page
What it doesWhere to find itHow to use itExample for a businessGood to know

What it does

WhatsApp lets a business start a chat only with an approved message template. A template has a name, a language, a category, a body, and optionally a header, a footer and buttons.

You build a template in WAGenie and submit it to Meta. Meta reviews it, and its status shows Pending until Meta decides. Approved templates can then be used in broadcasts, in the Inbox, in automations and in Flows.

Where to find it

SettingsTemplates

How to use it

  1. Open Settings and choose Templates. Press New Template.
  2. Enter a name with lowercase letters, digits and underscores only, for example order_confirmation.
  3. Choose the category and the language. The language must match Meta’s exact code. en_US and en are different.
  4. Choose a header if you want one: text, image, video or document.
  5. Write the body. Use {{1}}, {{2}} for blanks, in order starting at {{1}}. Give a sample value for every blank, because Meta uses the samples to review the template.
  6. Add a footer and up to the allowed number of buttons if you need them: Quick Reply, URL, Phone or Copy Code.
  7. Press Submit for Approval. Meta usually reviews within 24 hours, and the status updates by itself.
  8. If you made templates in Meta WhatsApp Manager, press Sync from Meta to bring them in.

Example for a business

A car service centre

A service centre writes a template called service_due: Hi {{1}}, your {{2}} is due for service. Reply YES to book a slot. They add a Quick Reply button called Book a slot and submit it. Once it is approved, they use it in a broadcast every month.

Good to know

  • Header text can be up to 60 characters. The footer is optional and also up to 60 characters.
  • An image header must be JPEG or PNG, up to 5 MB. A video must be MP4 or 3GPP, up to 16 MB. A document can be PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel or text, up to 16 MB when uploaded here.
  • The name and language cannot be changed once a template exists on Meta. Create a new template instead.
  • Editing an approved template sends it back to Meta for review, and its status flips to Pending.
  • Quick Reply buttons must come before URL, phone and copy code buttons.
  • Authentication templates (login codes) need a different builder. Create them in Meta WhatsApp Manager and use Sync from Meta.
  • Deleting a template also removes it from Meta. Broadcasts that use it will start failing on their next send.