Everything you need to know about WhatsApp Templates

Templates and their related rules and approvals are unique to WhatsApp. This guide provides the definitions, categories, guidelines, and best practices when it comes to creating, sending, and monitoring templates.

Golden Rule for Business-Initiated WhatsApp Messages

Before you can send a business-initiated message to your WhatsApp subscribers, you need to create a template and have that template approved.

Defining a WhatsApp Message Template

• A template is a pre-built message that can include variable parameters, buttons and quick replies.
• A template is not a live conversation between a customer and a brand.
• Message templates are meant for messages sent to customers based on a trigger or sent to a group in a batch.
• Any template you've created and want to use must go through approval.
• Tildei can provide insights and guidance on helping build an approved template. WhatsApp still has the final decision on the approval process.
• Once a template is approved, it continues to receive a quality rating that is monitored by WhatsApp. This quality rating is determined by your customers and their feedback.

The Four Types of Conversation Categories

Any template that you create within WhatsApp falls within one of 4 category distinctions. You choose the category before submitting it for review and approval.

Marketing — Relates to your business, products, or services. Can include offers and promotions, product suggestions, and abandoned cart message follow-ups.

Utility — Directly related to a transaction your customers have made. Commonly includes post-purchase notifications and recurring billing statements.

Authentication — Provides users with one-time passcodes for authenticating their accounts during registration, account recovery, or other challenges.

Service — Inquiries initiated by your users. Businesses have a 24-hour window to respond. Service messages don't have to be templates.

Note: Currently, within WhatsApp, you cannot categorize a Template as a Service Message, but you can send a templated response to a customer-initiated Service Conversation.

You can find further template categorization documentation and guidelines here.