How to Get Your WhatsApp Message Templates Approved the First Time

On WhatsApp you can reply freely for 24 hours after a customer writes to you. To start a chat, or to message after that window, you need a message template that WhatsApp has approved. A rejected template costs you days, so it is worth getting right.

Pick the right category

Every template belongs to a category, and WhatsApp checks that your message matches it:

• Utility: a message about something the customer already did or asked for, like an order update, appointment reminder or payment receipt.
• Marketing: promotions, offers, new products and anything meant to encourage a purchase.
• Authentication: one-time passcodes.

Putting a promotion in a utility template is one of the most common reasons for rejection. If it sells, call it marketing.

Write it clearly

• Say who you are and why you are writing.
• Keep it short, and make the next step obvious.
• Use variables for details that change, like {{1}} for the customer's name or an order number.
• Add sample values for every variable, so reviewers see a realistic message.

Things that cause trouble

• Variables stuck together or at the very start and end with nothing around them
• Vague text with no clear purpose
• Threatening, misleading or adult content
• Links that hide where they go
• A template that is really an advertisement submitted as utility

Only message people who agreed

Approval is not the same as permission. Send only to customers who opted in, and make it easy to opt out. Your number's quality depends on how recipients react.

Start from something that works

You do not have to start from a blank page. In Engage the template library has ready-made templates for common jobs: order updates, reminders, offers, feedback. Edit the words, add your fields, submit, and see the status in one place. Then use the same template in a campaign or a chatbot.

Want this running on your own WhatsApp number? Start a 7-day free trial, no card needed, or let our team build it for you.