WhatsApp Message Templates, Written and Approved

Every message your business starts on the WhatsApp Business API uses a template Meta has approved. Write them in a visual builder, preview them as the customer sees them, and submit without leaving Waplify.

Included on every plan. Nine adaptable examples below.

Two phones side by side: the same WhatsApp order-confirmation template, first with its numbered variable placeholders and then delivered with a real name, order number and total

The short answer

What is a WhatsApp message template?

A WhatsApp message template is a pre-written message that Meta has reviewed and approved, with placeholders for the details that change per person. Any message a business sends outside an open 24-hour conversation has to use one, which is the rule that keeps a business number in good standing.

Three categories

Marketing for offers and announcements, Utility for order and account updates, Authentication for one-time codes. The category you choose affects how Meta reviews it and what it costs.
Placeholders, not copy-paste

Variables written as {{1}}, {{2}} are filled per contact at send time from their name, order number or anything else on their record.
Approved before it can send

A template moves through pending, approved, rejected, paused or disabled. Only an approved one goes out, and the status comes back into Waplify on its own.

The problem

Templates are where most WhatsApp projects stall

The API is connected, the contacts are imported, and then nothing sends, because the first template came back rejected and nobody knows why.

Rejections with no explanation attached

A template comes back rejected and the reason sits in a different tool from the one you wrote it in. So the second attempt is a guess, and so is the third.
Nobody knows what already exists

Templates get written twice because there is no single list showing what is approved, what is pending and what was paused months ago.
Written blind, then discovered on the phone

Variables in the wrong order, a header that truncates, a button label that does not fit. All of it obvious in a preview and invisible in a text box.

What you get

A builder, a preview, and the real limits enforced

Everything that would otherwise come back as a rejection is checked while you type.

Every component Meta supports

An optional header as text, image, video, document or location. A body up to 1,024 characters. A footer up to 60. Up to 10 buttons, each labelled in 25 characters or fewer.
Six kinds of button

Quick reply, a link, a phone number, a copyable code, a one-time passcode, or a button that opens a WhatsApp Form. Quick-reply taps are the ones that come back in your reporting.
A live preview of the phone

The message renders as the customer will see it while you write, including the header media, the variables filled with sample values, and every button in place.
One list, always in sync

Submit from Waplify and the status comes back on its own. Templates you built on Meta's own site sync in too, so there is one list rather than two that disagree.

Templates are included on every plan

No cap on how many you write, and no feature tier to upgrade through.

See pricing Book a demo

How it works

How to create a WhatsApp message template

Four steps, and only the last one involves waiting for Meta.

Pick the category

Marketing, Utility or Authentication. Choosing honestly is the single biggest factor in whether it is approved.
Write the message

Add a header if you need one, write the body, and place your variables where the per-contact details go.
Add the buttons

Quick replies to capture an answer, a link to send them somewhere, or a Form button to collect several details at once.
Submit and watch the status

Waplify sends it to Meta for review and updates the status when it comes back, with the rejection reason attached if there is one.

Where they get used

One template, four places it can send from

A broadcast campaign

Send an approved template to a whole group at once, with each person's variables filled from their contact record.
A drip sequence

Every step of a follow-up series is a template, which is what lets a sequence keep sending days after the conversation went quiet.
A chatbot flow

A flow can send a template to reopen a conversation, or carry a button that opens a form.
Your own system

Send a template over the REST API when something happens in your software, without anyone opening Waplify.

FAQ

WhatsApp template questions, answered

Starting with the examples, because that is what most people came for.

1. What are some WhatsApp message template examples?

Nine you can adapt directly, covering the categories most businesses need first. Replace the placeholders with your own fields before submitting.

Use	Category	Template text
Welcome	Marketing	Hi {{1}}, thanks for joining {{2}}. Reply here any time you need us.
Order confirmed	Utility	Order {{1}} is confirmed. Total {{2}}. We will let you know when it ships.
Out for delivery	Utility	Your order {{1}} is out for delivery today and should arrive by {{2}}.
Appointment reminder	Utility	Reminder: your appointment with {{1}} is tomorrow at {{2}}. Reply to reschedule.
Payment due	Utility	Invoice {{1}} for {{2}} is due on {{3}}. Tap below to pay.
Abandoned basket	Marketing	Hi {{1}}, you left {{2}} in your basket. It is still available today.
Offer	Marketing	{{1}}, our {{2}} sale is on until {{3}}. Use code {{4}} at checkout.
Feedback	Utility	How was your order, {{1}}? Tap a button below, it takes a second.
Verification code	Authentication	{{1}} is your verification code. Do not share it with anyone.

2. What are the three WhatsApp template categories?

Marketing for offers, launches and anything promotional. Utility for updates about something the customer already did, such as an order, a booking or an invoice. Authentication for one-time passcodes. The category changes how Meta reviews the template and what the conversation costs, so choosing the accurate one matters more than choosing the cheap one.

3. How do I add variables to a WhatsApp template?

Write them as numbered placeholders, {{1}} and {{2}}, in the order they should be filled. At send time each one is mapped to a field on the contact, such as their first name or an order number, and Waplify lets you set a fallback for anyone missing that field. Without a fallback, a missing value can cause WhatsApp to reject the individual message.

4. What are the WhatsApp template character limits?

The body holds up to 1,024 characters. A text header and the footer are capped at 60 characters each, and a footer cannot contain variables. Button labels are capped at 25 characters, and a template can carry up to 10 buttons. Waplify enforces all of these while you type rather than letting Meta reject it later.

5. Why was my WhatsApp template rejected?

The most common causes are a category that does not match the content, promotional wording inside a Utility template, a broken or misleading link, placeholder text left in the message, or variables that start or end the body. When Meta returns a rejection, Waplify shows the reason on the template, so the next attempt is a fix rather than a guess. We do not publish approval times or rates, because those are Meta's and they change.

6. Can I edit a template after it is approved?

Editing is limited once a template is live, because messages already queued against it have to stay valid. In practice most teams duplicate the template, change the copy on the copy, and submit that. The old one can be paused so nobody picks it by mistake.

7. Do I need a template to reply to a customer?

No. Inside the 24 hours after a customer messages you, your team can reply freely in the team inbox with no template at all. Templates are only required for messages your business starts, or for continuing after that 24-hour window has closed.

8. Can a template open a form?

Yes. One of the button types opens a WhatsApp Form, so a single approved template can collect a name, a date, a choice and a document upload in one screen rather than asking question by question.

9. Where can I use an approved template?

Anywhere Waplify sends a business-initiated message: a broadcast campaign, a step in a drip sequence, a chatbot flow, or your own software over the REST API. You write it once and it is available to all of them.

10. How many templates can I create?

There is no Waplify limit and no charge per template. Meta applies its own account-level limits, which vary by account, and they are visible in your WhatsApp Business Account. Every feature, templates included, is on every plan.

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