When you need a template
- To message someone who hasn't written to you in the last 24 hours: a booking reminder, an order update, a follow-up after a quote.
- To start a conversation with many people at once, such as an offer to customers who opted in.
- To send a one-time code for signing in.
Inside the 24-hour window you don't need one: any reply, including an AI agent's, is a normal message. See the WhatsApp 24-hour window, explained.
The three categories
| Category | What it's for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | Something the customer did or asked for: an order, a booking, their account | “Your appointment on Tue 12 Nov at 3:00 PM is confirmed. Reply here to change it.” |
| Marketing | Anything promotional: offers, news, invitations, and anything unclear | “20% off all sofas this weekend. Reply to book a showroom visit.” |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes to sign in, with a copy-code button; no links, media or emojis | “123456 is your verification code.” |
Meta prices each category differently and by the customer's country, and marketing usually costs the most. Meta: template categorization · Meta: pricing
A template that mixes the two, such as an order update with a discount added, counts as marketing. Keep updates and offers in separate templates.
What a template can contain
| Part | Limit |
|---|---|
| Header (optional) | Text up to 60 characters, or an image, video or document |
| Body (required) | Up to 1,024 characters, with variables such as the customer's name |
| Footer (optional) | Up to 60 characters |
| Buttons (optional) | Up to 10 in all: quick replies, up to 2 website links, 1 phone number, 1 copy-code |
Variables are written as {{1}} or {{customer_name}} and filled in when you send. Meta asks for an example value for each when you submit, so reviewers can see what a real message looks like. Meta: template components
How approval works
- Step 1
Write it
A name in lowercase letters, numbers and underscores, a language, a category, and the parts above.
- Step 2
Submit it
Meta reviews it, usually within 24 hours. Only an approved template can be sent.
- Step 3
Fix and resubmit if rejected
Common causes are promotional wording in a utility template, missing variable examples, and content against WhatsApp's policies.
- Step 4
Watch its quality
Meta rates each template from how it's used and how customers react. A template rated low can be paused or disabled, typically after repeated negative feedback or few people reading it.
Meta also re-checks approved templates. A utility template that reads as marketing can be moved to marketing, normally with a day's notice, and you have 60 days to ask for a review. Meta: message templates
How many templates you can have
- 250 templates per WhatsApp account while your business isn't verified.
- Up to 6,000 once your business is verified and its display name approved.
- No more than 100 new templates an hour.
One template can have versions in several languages under the same name.
Templates that pass review, and work
- Lead with the reason you're writing: the booking, the order, the account.
- Keep utility templates free of offers, discounts and “check out our new…”.
- Give every variable a realistic example.
- Add a quick-reply button, so the customer can answer with a tap, and your AI agent can take it from there.
- Send marketing only to people who opted in, and not too often: low engagement lowers a template's quality rating.
In HeyKiko
You write WhatsApp templates in HeyKiko with a text, image, video or document header, a body with variables, a footer and quick-reply, link or phone buttons, submit them to Meta from there and send yourself a test. When a customer replies to a template, the reply goes to your agent, who carries on the conversation inside the new 24-hour window.
HeyKiko doesn't support authentication templates or carousels: for one-time codes, use your sign-in provider.
See the WhatsApp AI chatbot, or try HeyKiko free for 14 days.
Sources
Checked on 5 November 2026. We make HeyKiko, which this guide uses as its example; Meta’s rules apply to every tool.
