Before you start
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- A connected WhatsApp number
- The Manage WhatsApp numbers permission to write templates; anyone who can reply can send one
- The message, with its changing parts marked, such as a name or an order number
Open Integrations → WhatsApp → Templates
WhatsApp lets you reply freely for 24 hours after a customer's last message. After that, only an approved template goes through. Templates belong to one number, so pick the number first.
screenshot · Templates tab listing templates with their Meta status · 1440 × 900
Pins 1 and 3 and 4 are on the same screen.
Press New template and fill in the form
- Template name: lowercase letters, numbers and underscores, such as
order_ready. Customers never see it. - Category: Utility for order updates and reminders, usually approved fastest. Marketing for offers, reviewed more strictly.
- Message body: mark the changing parts
{{1}},{{2}}, numbered from 1, and don't start or end with one. For exampleHi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is ready. - Sample values: a realistic example for each, such as Sarah and 1042.
Marketing templates need the customer to have opted in.
screenshot · Create a message template form with example wording · 1440 × 900
Submit for review and watch the status
Press Submit for review. Meta usually answers within 15 minutes, but it can take up to 24 hours. The Status column shows Pending (In review in the Inbox, not selectable), Approved, Rejected or Paused (Meta's quality hold; it resumes on its own).
Fix a rejected template
Press Edit & resubmit, change what Meta objected to, then press Submit new version. Meta keeps the rejected one, so this goes in as a new template under a new name. Meta's reasons are in WhatsApp Manager.
Send it from the Inbox
When the window has closed, Send becomes Send a template. Pick an approved template, fill each variable, check the preview, then press Send template. The customer receives exactly what the preview shows.
screenshot · Inbox window for choosing and filling in an approved template · 1440 × 900
If it doesn't work
| What you see | What to do |
|---|---|
| "A message can't start or end with a variable." | Add words before the first placeholder and after the last. |
| "Add a sample value." | Every placeholder needs an example. |
| "The 24-hour reply window has closed." | Press Send a template instead on the failed message, or wait for the customer to write. |
| "Meta has paused or disabled this template." | Use another approved template, or check its status in WhatsApp Manager. |
Next
- Follow up before the 24-hour window closes — so you need a template less often
- Who can use which number
- What Meta charges for WhatsApp — Meta charges for each template it delivers