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Why templates exist

WhatsApp only lets you message someone freely for 24 hours after their last message to you. Outside that window every message must use a template that WhatsApp approved in advance. This is a WhatsApp rule, not ours. It is why a broadcast needs a template and a reply in an active conversation does not.

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Getting a template

Two routes, and the first is much faster:
1

Import from the Meta library

Templates → Import from library. These are written by Meta and are pre-approved — they go live immediately. Start here.
2

Write your own

Templates → New template. Yours goes to Meta for review, which usually takes minutes but can take up to 24 hours. It arrives as Pending and becomes Approved or Rejected.

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Pick the right category

Choosing the wrong category is the single most common rejection, and it is entirely avoidable. The trap is Utility. It is cheaper than Marketing, so there is a pull toward it — but Meta reads the actual wording. “Your order #123 has shipped” is Utility. “Your order #123 has shipped — 20% off your next one!” is Marketing, and submitting it as Utility gets it rejected.

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Rejection reasons

A structural problem, not a content one. In order of likelihood:
  • Missing variable samples. Every {{1}} needs an example value. Meta reviews the template with your samples filled in, and cannot review what it cannot render.
  • Bad placeholders. They must be numbered from {{1}} with no gaps. {{1}} then {{3}} is invalid. So is a variable at the very start or very end of the body.
  • Unsupported button layout. There are limits on how many buttons of each type you can combine.
  • Formatting. No two variables next to each other ({{1}} {{2}}), and no trailing whitespace or newline at the end.
Meta thinks this belongs in a different category — nearly always something submitted as Utility that reads as Marketing. Re-read the table above, change the category, and resubmit. You do not need to rewrite anything if the category was the only problem.
Same underlying issue seen from the other side: a Utility template containing promotional language. Remove the offer, discount, or call to buy — or resubmit it as Marketing and keep the wording.
Flagged as abusive or policy-violating. Also triggered by content that only looks like a policy problem — aggressive urgency, all-caps demands, threats about account closure, or anything resembling a scam pattern. Rewrite it plainly.

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After a rejection

1

Read the reason on the template

Open the template — the rejection reason is shown on it. Do not guess.
2

Edit and resubmit

A rejected template can be edited and submitted again. You do not need to start over.
3

If it is rejected twice for the same reason

Change more than the wording. Twice usually means the category is wrong rather than the text, even when the reason given is about content.
Repeated rejections count against your WhatsApp Business account quality rating, and a low rating reduces how many messages you can send per day. Resubmitting the same template hoping for a different reviewer is a bad trade — fix the cause.

Send a broadcast

Using an approved template to message many people at once.

Connect WhatsApp Business

Templates need an official WhatsApp Business connection.