Creating a WhatsApp Template
Step-by-step guide to creating a WhatsApp template.
While sending a business-initiated conversation with a contact, it is mandatory to use a WhatsApp verified template message.
Step 1: Add template message details
Goto Channels -> WhatsApp -> Template message and click 'Add template'
Choose the WhatsApp number from the list
Choose the "Template category"
Template messages are of the following types:
Marketing | Business-initiated conversations with customers that have opted into, which may include promotions or offers, informational updates like a back-in-stock alert, or invitations for customers to respond or take action. A marketing conversation is any conversation that does not qualify as utility or authentication. |
Authentication | Business-initiated conversations with customers that have opted into, enabling businesses to authenticate users with one-time passcodes (OTP), potentially at multiple steps in the login process (e.g., account verification, account recovery). |
Utility | Business-initiated conversations with customers that have opted into facilitating a specific, agreed-upon request or transaction, or update to a customer about an ongoing transaction, including post-purchase notifications and recurring billing statements. |
To create a WhatsApp template, goto Channel Configuration -> WhatsApp -> Template Messages.
Choose the language which will be used in the template
Step 2: Add the content of the template message
A template message is made up of the following sections -- Header, Body, Footer and Buttons.
Header (Optional)
It is the topmost portion of the template message.
You can choose to add the following:
No header - Header is excluded in the message.
Text - Add a text message which appears as the title.
Image - Upload a static image.
Image (Dynamic) - Displays a dynamic image as supplied to the system.
Video - Upload a video.
Video (Dynamic) - Displays a dynamic video as supplied to the system
Document - Upload a document.
Document (Dynamic) - Displays a dynamic document as supplied to the system
Body
Usually contains a piece of text that makes up the majority of the template message. Use emojis and markdown formatting to format your body.
Use variables here by typing # to view the variable list.
If used, send the variable data to the outbound bot, else, it will not replace the variable value.
Maximum character limit is 1024.
Footer (Optional)
Add a short text which appears below the body. Used mostly to convey legal consent or display hot keywords like "STOP to unsubscribe".
Interactive actions
Interactive action help you get an actionable response when the contact receives the template message.
Buttons are of two types:
Quick replies
You can add upto 3 reply buttons which when clicked can be driven through a defined chatbot flow.
Call to action button
You can define upto 3 call to action buttons, each with a maximum of 20 characters. When clicking on an call to action button, you can direct the user to a webpage or a phone number on their dialer.
Step 3: Submitting the template message for Meta approval
Finally, proofread the template message for mistakes or grammar errors before clicking the submit button. Once submitted, you can't make changes to the same WhatsApp Template Message.
If you have used any variables in the template variables, you will be asked to submit example values of what could be sent when actually used.
It typically take 1 minute - to 24 hours for WhatsApp template messages to get approved!
You can hit "refresh" icon next to the status of a submitted template to get the latest status.
Here are the possible status for a submitted template:
IN REVIEW - By default, all submitted templates are in this template until approved.
APPROVED - When approved by Meta. Only these templates can be used.
REJECTED - Rejected during the review process.
INACTIVE - Disabled due to recurring negative feedback from customers.
Guidelines to creating a WhatsApp template
Clarity | Be specific and clear. The reviewers at Meta team may not know about the business and hence needs more clarity |
Avoid Promotion | Upselling, cold call message, sending poll to collect the data & including certain phrases that sound promotional are all considered promotional |
Spelling | Check for the spelling and grammatical errors and proper formatting |
Template Name | Make template name clear. Instead of using names like template or template0123 etc.. use names like welcome_new_user |
Clear Context | Remember someone at the Meta team will be reviewing the templates and hence giving more clarity will give the reviewers more context about how the template will be used |
Appropriate Category | Choosing the appropriate category will increase the chances of getting the template approved from Meta team. Various categories are Transactional, One Time Password & Marketing |
Header | Adding the title or media file which will serve as the header of the message. You can use Title, Image, Video or PDF as the header |
Best Practices:
Following are few suggestions to maintain high quality of messages;
Message needs to be compliant with WhatsApp Business Policy
Send Message to only those who have opted into receiving messages from your business
Messages need to be highly personalised and useful to visitors. Avoid open ended messages
Keeping track of frequency of messages sent across to the visitors during the day. Avoid sending too many messages in a single day
Informational messages needs to be optimised for content and length
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