Creating and managing message templates

A message template is a pre-approved WhatsApp message. You need one to write to a contact outside the 24-hour window (after 24 hours with no reply from them), which is how re-engagement and proactive follow-up work on WhatsApp. See WhatsApp costs and the 24-hour window for when this applies and what Meta charges.

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The Message templates screen

Templates live with your WhatsApp channel.

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Pick a category

Every template has a Meta category, and picking the right one matters for approval:

• Utility: about an existing order or request (a confirmation, a reminder, an update).
• Marketing: promotions, offers, re-engagement, anything that sells.
• Authentication: one-time passcodes.

Putting marketing content in a Utility template is the most common reason a template is rejected, so match the category to what the message actually does. Meta’s own template categorization guide explains how it decides which category a message belongs to.

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Write it

Add the body, and use Insert variable to drop in personalization like the contact’s first name or a value from a catalog. The editor enforces two Meta rules: the header allows at most one variable or a media file, and the footer takes no variables. You can add buttons: quick replies, a website link, a phone number, or Open a form, which opens one of your WhatsApp forms. On a marketing template, one quick reply can be the opt-out button that lets a customer stop your promotions. The preview on the right shows the message as it will look in WhatsApp, buttons included. Meta’s message templates overview covers the format in more depth.

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Sign with the sender’s name

Under Agent sending the message, Insert variable also offers the sender’s first name, last name, or full name ({{agent.first_name}}, {{agent.last_name}}, {{agent.name}}). Ciarem fills them with the name of the teammate who sends the template from the Inbox or the Contacts page. In a broadcast, it uses the name of the admin who started it. Meta reviews the template with a sample name, so one approved template signs itself for each teammate. Some sends have no teammate behind them: a HubSpot or Shopify workflow, a Meta lead form follow-up, or the API. Ciarem refuses those sends as missing a value before anything goes to WhatsApp, so nothing is charged. To use the template there anyway, type the name in the workflow action’s variable values, or pass it in the API’s variables (for example "agent.name": "Laura"). A teammate with no first or last name on their account can’t send it either: Ciarem tells them to add their name to their account, and nothing is sent or charged until they do. For a broadcast, that check runs before any message goes out.

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Get it approved

When you submit, the status goes to Pending while Meta reviews it, then Approved or Rejected (usually within minutes to a few hours). Common rejection reasons:

• The category does not match the content (see above).
• Variables with no example values, or a message that is just variables with no real text.
• Vague, promotional, or misleading wording.

Fix the flagged issue and resubmit. An approved template can later be Paused or Disabled by Meta if recipients react badly to it, so keep templates relevant. Meta’s template review guide lists the full set of rejection reasons and the appeal process.

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Who can see and send a template

Admins see and can send every template. Members (the Agent role) only see the templates assigned to one of their teams, and a template with no team stays visible to admins only. The Teams column on the list shows the assignment, or Admins only when there is none. To assign one, open the row’s ··· menu and choose Assign teams. Tick the teams that should be able to use the template and save. New templates start with no teams, so remember this step when a template is meant for your reps. A member with access sends a template from inside a conversation they are handling in the Inbox, which is what reopening the 24-hour window needs. Sending to contacts from the Contacts page, or in bulk, stays an admin action. See WhatsApp broadcasts.

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Send it

Once approved, you can send a template from a conversation in the Inbox (this is what the 24-hour-window banner points to) or to many contacts at once as a broadcast. Sending a template draws WhatsApp costs from your wallet at Meta’s rate, by category. The current rates per country are on Meta’s platform pricing page.

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Images and videos in the header

When a template has an image, video, or document in its header, you choose Use template media or Upload new as you send it. If the template has no file Ciarem can send (some templates imported from Meta or another provider arrive without one), you have to upload one. An image or video you upload is saved as the template’s media for the next sends; a document is asked for each time, since it usually belongs to one customer. Admins can also replace a template’s media: upload a file and tick Save as the template’s media. WhatsApp only delivers videos as MP4 with H.264 video and images in RGB. An iPhone records in HEVC by default (choose Settings › Camera › Formats › Most Compatible, or export the video as H.264), and print exports are often CMYK. Ciarem refuses those files before sending, so you are never charged for a message that would not arrive.