Templates: the messages Meta lets you send first

A campaign, a follow-up or an order message is always an approved template. How to build one that Meta approves, what each part is for, why a template gets rejected or reclassified, and how variables work.

#Why templates exist

On WhatsApp a business may write to a customer *first* — or after 24 hours of silence — only with a message Meta has approved in advance. That message is a template: fixed text with optional placeholders ({{1}}, {{2}}…) that are filled per customer when it is sent. Templates are what campaigns, automatic follow-ups and store-order messages send. Replies inside a live conversation do not need one.

#Building a template

1. 1Name: lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only — summer_offer, not “Summer Offer”. Customers never see it.
2. 2Language. Meta approves text in the language you declare; an Arabic body under “English” is a rejection.
3. 3Category: Marketing for offers and news, Utility for messages about an order, booking or account the customer already has. Utility is cheaper and delivered more reliably.
4. 4Header: none, a line of text (60 characters), or an image. The same image goes to everyone.
5. 5Body: the message. Up to five variables.
6. 6Footer: a short grey line under the message — the right place for the STOP instruction.
7. 7Buttons: up to three — a quick reply, a link, or a coupon code the customer taps to copy.
8. 8Submit to Meta.
9. 9The preview updates as you type — exactly what the customer will see.

1. Open Campaigns → Templates and fill in the name, language and category.
2. Write the body. Put {{1}} where the customer’s name should go; add {{2}}… only if you will fill them from a spreadsheet or from store orders (see variables).
3. Add a footer — press the ready-made “To stop these messages, reply STOP” button to insert it in the template’s language — and up to three buttons.
4. Check the preview, then press Submit to Meta. The template appears in the list below as pending.
5. Wait. Approval takes from a few minutes to a day or two; the status updates here on its own, and you receive an email when it is approved or rejected.

1. 1The ready-made STOP line.

#Variables

Meta requires an example value for every variable; the builder adds those for you. A template whose body is *only* variables, or whose variables sit at the very start and end with no text around them, is rejected by Meta — write real sentences around them.

#Buttons

#Statuses, rejections and reclassification

1. 1approved, pending or rejected — Meta’s verdict, updated automatically.
2. 2Delete removes the template from Meta and from your account.

Common reasons for a rejection

• Language mismatch — the body is not in the declared language.
• Variables with no text around them, or placeholders not numbered in order ({{1}}, {{3}}).
• Content Meta does not allow in a template: threats, adult content, misleading claims, requests for sensitive data such as card numbers.
• Marketing wording under the Utility category — Meta moves such templates to Marketing or rejects them.
• Broken formatting: a link that is not a link, an emoji-only body, more than 1,024 characters.

#What a template costs

Meta bills your WhatsApp Business account — not ExceliaBOT — for every template that is delivered. The rate depends on the category and the customer’s country; your current rates are in WhatsApp Manager. Templates sent inside the 72-hour window of an ad conversation are free. Rejected or undelivered messages are not charged.