WhatsApp template
A WhatsApp template is a message format pre-approved by Meta that a business uses to start a conversation on the WhatsApp Business API outside the 24-hour customer service window. It contains fixed text and customizable variables, can include images, documents, buttons and links, and belongs to a category (marketing, utility or authentication) that determines its content rules and pricing.
Templates are created in WhatsApp Manager or from the platform connected to the API and are reviewed by Meta, which evaluates content, formatting and consistency with the declared category. Approval is largely automated and usually arrives within minutes or a few hours. Variables, marked by numbered placeholders, let you personalize the name, order, date or link for each recipient without having to get a new template approved every time.
Meta can reclassify a template if the declared category doesn't match the content: promotional copy submitted as utility gets moved to marketing, with the corresponding rate. Templates with too much negative feedback or too many reports can be paused or disabled. Established best practices: short copy, sensible variables, a single clear call to action and no misleading wording, which Meta's policies prohibit.
In SendApp, templates are created, sent and monitored from the same interface as campaigns, with synchronization from WhatsApp Manager. Meta's template costs stay at the official price, with no markups.
Frequently asked questions
From theory to practice
Everything you read in this glossary can be done with SendApp: try it free, no credit card required.