01 · Guide
What counts as a WhatsApp template
A template is the fixed message businesses send when the customer is not actively chatting: campaign broadcasts, reminders, order updates, one-time passwords. The fixed part cannot change after approval; only the variables you mark as {{placeholders}} can vary.
- Templates are required for any business-initiated message outside the 24-hour service window
- The fixed text is locked once approved; variables are the only moving parts
- Each template belongs to one of three categories: marketing, utility, or authentication
- Inside the 24-hour service window you can send free-form messages without a template
02 · Guide
The three template categories
The category decides the rules and the price Meta charges per conversation. Pick the category that matches the message's real purpose.
Marketing templates
Promotional content: offers, launches, announcements. Requires opt-in, must include a clear opt-out, and bills at the highest conversation rate.
Utility templates
Transactional and account updates: order confirmations, delivery updates, appointment reminders, account changes. Requires an opt-out mechanism and bills at a low rate.
Authentication templates
One-time passwords and login codes. No opt-out needed because the user asked for the code. This is the cheapest category.
03 · Guide
Why Meta rejects templates
Most rejections are wording problems, not policy problems. Reviewers look at the template in isolation: if it reads like spam, it gets rejected.
- Excessive capitalisation (WHO IS READY FOR A DEAL)
- Urgency and pressure language (last chance, hurry, limited time)
- Promotional buzzwords in utility or authentication templates (free, discount, win)
- Emoji, especially in business-initiated templates
- Links without context or links to unverifiable destinations
- Missing opt-out instructions for marketing templates
- Placeholder-style sample values like [NAME] instead of {{1}} variables
- Content that could mislead the recipient about the sender or the purpose
04 · Guide
How to re-submit a rejected template
If a template is rejected, Meta returns the reason. Edit the template to address it and resubmit. Some rejected templates can only be edited in limited ways; in that case create a new template and retire the old one. Repeated rejections for the same reason can flag your account, so fix the root cause rather than resubmitting unchanged.
- Read the rejection reason before touching the template
- Fix the specific issue; do not resubmit the same text hoping for a different outcome
- If the template cannot be edited, create a new one and delete the rejected version
- Two or three clean approvals rebuild review confidence faster than one disputed rejection
05 · Guide
Reusing approved templates
Approved templates are a long-term asset. You reuse them for every campaign in that pattern: change the variables, not the text. Keep a small set of well-tested templates instead of creating dozens of near-identical ones. Fewer templates means fewer review cycles and a cleaner history for your number.
06 · Guide
How Wutt helps
Wutt's template section lets you create templates in the correct category, shows the approval status of each one, and flags common rejection patterns before you submit: capitalisation, urgency words, and missing opt-out. Approved templates stay one click away inside campaigns, flows, and booking reminders.
Last updated 4 August 2026
Common questions
Most templates are reviewed within a few hours to a couple of days. Authentication templates usually move fastest; marketing templates can take longer and are checked more strictly.
Approved templates cannot be edited; the fixed text is locked. If the wording needs to change, you create a new template.
No. Replies inside the 24-hour service window are free-form. Templates are only required for business-initiated messages outside the window.
Marketing is promotional (needs opt-in and opt-out, highest rate), utility is transactional (low rate, needs opt-out), and authentication is one-time codes (cheapest, no opt-out).
Meta reads all-caps as spam-like. Rewrite in normal sentence case, even for messages that carry no urgency.
Technically possible, but emoji are a common rejection trigger and read as promotional. Plain text is the safer choice for business-initiated templates.
Occasional rejections are normal. Repeatedly resubmitting unchanged or spam-like templates can raise risk flags on your number. Fix the reason and move on.
Unapproved templates cannot be sent via the API. If a template is pending or rejected, the send fails; only approved templates go out.
