Which template type do you need

The WhatsApp template categories and formats explained in plain language, so you pick the right one and Meta approves it the first time.

A template is a message you write in advance and Meta approves before you can send it. You need one whenever you start the conversation — a reminder, a promotion, a code, an order update.

You do not need one to reply. When a customer writes to you, a 24-hour window opens and your agent answers freely inside it, in whatever words fit. The window closes 24 hours after the customer's last message; after that, reaching them again takes a template.

Sending a template does not reopen the window. Only the customer replying does.

People use "template type" to mean two different things, and you choose both when you create one:

1. The category — what the message is for. Meta sets the rules and the price from this.

2. The format — how it looks: a plain message or a swipeable carousel, with or without an image, buttons and a footer.

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1. Choose the category

Category	Use it for	Examples
Utility	Something the customer already agreed to, about a transaction or account of theirs	Order confirmed, shipment on its way, appointment tomorrow at 4, payment received, ticket updated
Marketing	Anything you send to create business that was not already agreed	Offers, launches, discount codes, "we miss you", abandoned cart, event invitations
Authentication	One-time codes only	Login codes, two-factor codes, password resets
Service	Not a template — this is your free-form reply inside the 24-hour window	The agent answering a question the customer asked

How to decide in one question: would the customer be surprised to receive it? If yes, it is Marketing. An order update someone is waiting for is Utility; a discount on a product they once looked at is Marketing, even when it feels helpful.

Do not label a promotion as Utility to pay less or to send more. Meta reclassifies templates it disagrees with, and repeated attempts damage the quality rating of your whole number — which costs far more than the price difference.

The category also decides what you pay per message. Marketing is the most expensive, Authentication and Utility cost less, and a Service conversation the customer started is the cheapest of all — see WhatsApp billing for Meta's rates by country.

Where each category shows up in Dapta

Category	Typically used by
Marketing	Sequences sent to an imported list
Utility	Reminders, confirmations and order updates, sent by a Sequence or from Inbox
Authentication	An Action triggered by your own system
Service	Your agent's ordinary replies — nothing to set up

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2. Choose the format

Standard

One message. This covers almost everything you will send.

Part	What it can be	Rules
Header	Nothing, a line of text, an image, a video or a document	Optional. One only. Changing the format can mean choosing the file again.
Body	Your message, with variables for personal values	Required. Supply an example value for every variable.
Footer	A short fixed line — a signature, an opt-out note	Optional, up to 60 characters, no variables.
Buttons	Up to three	Quick reply, a link, or a phone number. At most two link buttons and one phone button. Phone numbers go in international format.

Button types

• Quick reply — the customer taps instead of typing. The tap is a reply, so it opens the 24-hour window and your agent takes the conversation from there. This is the one that makes templates feel like a conversation rather than a broadcast.

• Link — opens an https:// URL. Use it to send someone to a product, a form or a payment page.

• Phone number — starts a call. Useful when the next step genuinely needs a voice.

Carousel

Two to ten cards the customer swipes through, each with its own image or video, its own short text and its own buttons. Good for showing several products, plans or properties in one message.

Carousels have extra rules:

• Marketing category only.

• Between 2 and 10 cards.

• Every card uses the same media type — all images, or all videos, not a mix.

• Every card offers the same buttons, in the same order. Only the destinations change.

• No footer.

Which format to pick

If you want to…	Use
Send one clear message	Standard, no header
Make it feel personal	Standard, with variables in the body
Show one product or a poster	Standard with an image or video header
Attach a receipt, ticket or price list	Standard with a document header
Start a conversation, not a broadcast	Standard with quick-reply buttons
Show several options side by side	Carousel
Send a login code	Standard, Authentication, no media and no links

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Do's and don'ts for a template that works

A good template does three things: Meta approves it the first time, it reaches the customer, and the customer answers it. These rules come from Meta's template review, categorization and quality guidelines and from the WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy.

Before you write it

Do	Don't
Get the customer's permission first, for the kind of message you will send — order updates, offers, reminders. Meta asks for opt-in that covers each kind.	Message people who never gave you their number or never agreed to hear from you.
Offer an easy way out on promotional messages: a Stop promotions quick-reply button, or a footer such as Reply STOP to unsubscribe. Then honor it.	Keep writing to someone who asked you to stop, blocked you or reported you.
Choose the category that matches what the message says. See 1. Choose the category above.	Slip an offer into a Utility message. An order update with a discount counts as Marketing, and Meta changes the category for you.
Give each template one purpose: one reminder, one offer, one update.	Cram an update, an offer and a survey into one message.

Writing the message

Do	Don't
Write it the way you would to one customer: short, clear, friendly.	Use all caps, strings of emoji or phrases like "CLICK HERE NOW". Meta may limit the number of emoji.
Use variables for the personal parts (name, date, order number) and give each one a realistic example.	Start or end the message with a variable. Put words around it.
Number variables in order: {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}}.	Skip or shuffle numbers ({{1}}, {{3}}), leave a brace unclosed, or put #, $ or % inside a variable.
Keep more words than variables: the fixed text should explain the message on its own.	Send a message that is mostly variables. Meta rejects templates with too many variables for their length.
Write in the language you select, with correct spelling. Meta does not translate templates.	Submit Spanish text under English, or mix languages in one template.
Link to a working https:// page on your own domain, and show the full address.	Use link shorteners or links to unrelated sites. The customer cannot see where they lead.
Make the next step easy: a quick-reply button or a question the customer can answer in one tap.	Ask for full card numbers, national ID numbers, passwords or other sensitive data.
Stay polite and factual, even in a payment reminder.	Threaten the customer, for example with legal action.
Create a new template only when the message is genuinely different.	Resubmit a copy of a template you already have. Duplicates are rejected.

Authentication templates

Do	Don't
Use the Authentication category for one-time codes, and only for them.	Send codes with a Utility or Marketing template.
Keep the code short. Values in an authentication template can be up to 15 characters.	Add links, images, videos or emoji. They are not allowed in authentication templates.

After it is approved: keep it healthy

Meta rates every approved template from how people react to it: whether they read it, block the number or report the message. The rating goes green, yellow or red. A template with a low rating can be slowed down or paused, and a paused template cannot be sent.

Do	Don't
Send it to people who expect it, at a time that suits them.	Send the same template to an old or purchased list.
Check replies, blocks and the template's status after the first sends.	Copy a paused template to keep sending. Fix what people are reporting instead.

An example

	Template
Likely rejected	Category Utility: {{1}} 50% OFF TODAY ONLY!!! 🔥🔥🔥 CLICK bit.ly/xyz — a promotion filed as Utility, a variable at the start, all caps, a shortened link.
Likely approved and answered	Category Marketing: Hi {{1}}, your favourite {{2}} is back in stock. Would you like us to hold one for you until Friday? with quick-reply buttons Yes, hold it and Stop promotions.

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What gets a template rejected

Reason	What to do instead
The category does not match the content	Resubmit under the honest category.
Variables with no example, or meaningless examples	Give a realistic sample value for each one. Never a real customer's data.
A variable at the very start or very end of the message	Put words around it.
The message reads like spam — all caps, many emoji, "CLICK HERE NOW"	Write it the way you would write to one customer.
A link that does not work, or is unrelated to your business	Use a real page on your own domain.
A private or login-protected file used as header media	Use a file the provider can actually fetch.
The message asks for card numbers, passwords or documents	Do not collect sensitive data over WhatsApp templates.
Variables out of order, with an unclosed brace, or with #, $ or % inside	Number them {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}} and keep them to plain values.
Too many variables for the length of the message	Add fixed words so the message makes sense on its own.
A copy of a template you already have	Change the existing one, or write a genuinely different message.
Threatening or abusive wording, such as threatening legal action	Stay factual and polite.

A rejected template is not a dead end: fix the content and submit it again. If it is already approved and cannot be edited, use Duplicate to Edit to make a new version, which goes through review on its own.

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Before you send

Approval belongs to the account the template lives in, not to the template itself. A template approved for one WhatsApp account is not automatically available on another line. Check the sending line, its account and the approved status together before you schedule anything.

WhatsApp message templates