Message templates

A template is a message that Meta has approved in advance. You need one to start a conversation, to send campaigns, and to message anyone outside the 24-hour window.

Templates live under Settings → Templates, which has three tabs:

Tab	What’s there
My Templates	Your own templates and their status
Wabot Library	Ready-made templates. Pick one and install it on your WhatsApp Business Account
Facebook Library	Meta’s library of pre-written templates

Approval status

Status	Meaning
● Approved	Ready to send
● Pending	Meta is reviewing it. This usually takes minutes
● Rejected	Edit it and submit again

Click Sync to get the latest statuses from Meta.

Create a template

1. Click Add Templates.
2. Name: lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only, for example order_shipped. No spaces or hyphens.
3. Type: Normal, Carousel (scrolling cards) or Catalog (products).
4. Category:
   • Marketing: offers, announcements and newsletters
   • Utility: order updates, appointment reminders and account alerts
   • Authentication: one-time passcodes
5. Choose the WABA (WhatsApp Business Account) and the Language.
6. Build the message (see below), then click Save.

Message parts

Part	Notes
Header (optional)	Text, image, video or document. Media headers need a sample file
Body	The main text. Insert variables with Add Variables, e.g. Hi {{name}}. Make sure every {{ has a matching }}
Footer (optional)	Up to 60 characters, e.g. “Reply STOP to opt out”
Buttons (optional)	Call to action, Quick reply or Flow

Button rules:

• Each button label can be up to 25 characters.
• Call-to-action types are Phone, Web URL, App Deep Link and Copy Offer Code.
• You can have up to two URL buttons, but only one phone, one copy-code and one deep-link button.
• URLs must start with http:// or https://. A deep link also needs an Android Play Store fallback URL.

Carousel: up to 10 cards. Each card has an image or video, a body of up to 1024 characters, and at least one button.

Write templates faster

Use the AI body generator. It has presets for an appointment reminder, an order confirmation and a welcome message.

Tips for getting approved

• Choose the category that matches the content. Utility templates shouldn’t contain promotions.
• Give realistic sample values for every variable.
• Don’t start or end the body with a variable, and avoid long runs of variables in a row.
• Check spelling, and avoid ALL CAPS or misleading wording.

Opening template and AI usage

• Turn on Opening template to choose which template starts new conversations automatically, for example in workflows.
• Usage Instructions (in the row actions) tell Wabot’s AI when to choose this template and how to fill its variables.