Message templates
What is a WhatsApp message template and how to create one
A business must send a WhatsApp message template in order to start a conversation with a contact.
A template needs to be sent if it has been more than 24 hours since the customer last sent an inbound WhatsApp message to your business.
Once this 24 hours has expired you can no longer send a free form message to the customer, and will need to send a message template (a countdown timer is included at the top of the conversation panel to show you the time you have remaining out of the 24 hours).
This rule by WhatsApp is to ensure that businesses reply in good time to customers in order to provide a high quality messaging experience.
A message template can be almost any type of message - a customer care message, a payment request (eg invoice or checkout), an appointment reminder, delivery update, product alert, and more.
An example of message templates and contents that you can use for your own templates can be found here.
Message templates must first be submitted to WhatsApp/Meta for approval before they can be used. In the majority of cases, they are automatically checked for content and approved within a couple of minutes.
Message templates are stored in your WhatsApp Business Account (WABA) and each WABA can have up to 250 message templates. Multiple phone numbers in a WABA can use the same template message.
Each template can have multiple language translations. For example, a message template called hello_world translated into two languages counts as one message template of the 250 limit.
There are three types of message template:
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.
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.
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).
Creating and Managing WhatsApp Message Templates
WhatsApp Message Templates are essential for initiating conversations with your contacts or for sending messages outside of the 24-hour customer service window. All templates must be approved by Meta before they can be used.
This guide will walk you through the updated process of creating, submitting, and managing your message templates directly in your Meta WhatsApp Manager and then preparing them for use within Converso.
Part 1: Creating Your Template in Meta WhatsApp Manager
All message templates are now created and managed within your Meta Business Account.
Navigate to your Meta Business Suite.
Go to WhatsApp Manager and select the correct WhatsApp Business Account (WABA).
In the left-hand menu, click on Message templates.
Step 1: Choose a Category
Click Create template and select one of the three categories. Choosing the correct category is crucial for approval and helps Meta understand the template's purpose.
Marketing: For promotions, offers, announcements, or messages to drive customer engagement.
Utility: For confirming transactions, sending delivery updates, account statements, or other notifications related to an existing transaction or request.
Authentication: For sending one-time passcodes (OTPs) for account verification or security.
Step 2: Name and Language
Name: Give your template a clear and descriptive name in lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores only (e.g.,
order_confirmation_v2ordelivery_status_update).Languages: Select all the languages in which you want to use this template. You will need to provide a translation for each language.
Part 2: Building Your Template Components
A template consists of several optional and required components.
Header (Optional)
The header grabs attention at the top of your message. You can choose one of the following formats:
Text: A short title. Limited to 60 characters. You can use one variable, e.g.,
Order Confirmation for {{order}}.Media: An image, video, or document.
Image: Use a company logo or product image. Must be a JPG or PNG file.
Video: Must be an MP4 file.
Document: Use for sending invoices, tickets, or guides. Must be a PDF file.
When submitting your template, you must provide a sample of the media you intend to use. If you want the media to be dynamic (e.g., a unique image for each customer), you can configure the header to use a variable.
Body (Required)
This is the main content of your message.
The body text is required for all templates.
To personalize your message, insert variables using double curly braces with a written variable in lower case, starting from
{{name}}. For example:Hi
{{name}}, your order{{order_number}}has been shipped and is expected to arrive on{{order_delivery_date}}. Thank you for shopping with[business-name]!
During the submission process, you must provide clear examples for each variable (e.g., for {{name}}, an example could be "Maria"). This is critical for getting your template approved quickly.
Footer (Optional)
A short, extra line of text at the bottom of your message, such as a slogan or a brief instruction (e.g., "Not you? Please disregard this message").
Buttons (Optional)
Buttons make your messages interactive, and can be applied as per the dropdown (below):
Part 3: Submission and Best Practices
Submitting for Approval
Once you have configured your template, added your content, and provided high-quality examples for all your variables, click Submit. The approval process is mostly automated and often takes only a few minutes, but it can take up to 24 hours. You can monitor the status of your template (e.g., Pending, Approved, Rejected) directly in the WhatsApp Manager.
Best Practices for Fast Approval
Clarity is Key: Be specific and clear. The reviewers may not be familiar with your business, so provide context.
Use a Clear Name: Instead of
template_01, use a descriptive name likebooking_reminder.Provide Good Examples: The sample content you provide for your variables (
{{name}},{{order_number}}, etc.) is crucial. Make them realistic.Check for Errors: Proofread for spelling and grammar mistakes. Ensure variables are formatted correctly:
{{name}},{{product_name}}.Avoid Promotional Content in Utility Templates: Do not include marketing language, upselling, or promotional phrases in templates submitted under the Utility category.
Add Context: If a template is designed to re-engage a user, start the message with a reference to your previous conversation (e.g., "Hi {{name}}, regarding your recent inquiry about...").
Part 4: Using Your Templates in Converso
Syncing and Mapping Templates
Once Meta approves your template, it is automatically imported into your Converso account. This sync happens at regular intervals. To access new templates immediately, you can perform a manual refresh by navigating to Admin > Message templates and clicking the Refresh message templates button.
Before you can send a template, you must map its variables to the corresponding placeholders in Converso.
In Converso, navigate to Admin > Message templates.
Find your newly approved template in the list and click on it to open the mapping editor.
For each variable in the template (e.g.,
{{name}},{{business_name}}), use the dropdown menus to select the Converso placeholder that will populate it with data (e.g.,[contact-firstname],[contact-lastname]).Header Media: If you created a template with a dynamic media header, you can map the header variable to a placeholder that contains a valid media URL.
Click Save. You must click save—even for templates without variables—to activate the template and make it available for use in the "New Message" and message tray views.
Once saved, your template is ready to go! The variables you configured will be automatically populated with the correct contact data when you send the message.
For any questions or assistance with best practices for your specific use case, please contact Converso Support at [email protected].
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