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See why templates exist for the Meta-level reason approval is required at all.

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Create a template

Message Templates list with the Create dropdown open showing General Template, WP Template, Mixed Template, Carousel Media Template, Carousel Product Template, and Default Template

Chatbot Manager → Automation → Message Templates, with the Create dropdown open showing all six template types.

1

Open Chatbot Manager

Go to Chatbot Manager.
2

Open the Automation tab

Select Automation.
3

Click Message Templates

Select Message Templates from the sub-tabs.
4

Click Create

Click Create and pick a template type.
Six template types are available:
  • General Template — the standard single-message template builder.
  • WP Template — another single-message builder, mainly used for Marketing templates.
  • Mixed Template — supports all three WhatsApp template categories (Marketing, Utility, Authentication/OTP) from one builder.
  • Carousel Media Template — a message with swipeable cards, each with its own image or video.
  • Carousel Product Template — a carousel purpose-built for showcasing products.
  • Default Template — system-created templates you don’t build yourself.

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General Template

Message Template builder showing Template Name, Locale, Template Category, Header Type, Message Body toolbar, Footer Text, button configuration, and a live preview panel

The General Template builder — Template Name, Locale, Template Category, Header Type, Message Body with Custom Fields/Variables/Name/AI Re-write, Footer Text, Buttons, and a live WhatsApp preview.

General Template is the standard builder — the same fields described under Mixed Template below (Template Name, Locale, Template Category, Header Type, Message Body, Footer Text, Buttons, live preview) apply here too.

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Mixed Template

Message Template builder showing Template Name, Locale, Header Type, Message Body toolbar, Footer Text, and a live preview panel

The Mixed Template builder — Template Name, Locale, Template Category, Header Type, Message Body with Custom Fields/Variables/AI Re-write, Footer Text, and a live WhatsApp preview.

A Mixed Template can be submitted as Marketing, Utility, or Authentication (OTP) — useful when you want one builder for any category instead of switching tools. Fields you fill in:

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Custom Fields and Variables

Inside the Message Body you can insert:
  • Custom Fields — subscriber fields like #customer_city#, #customer_email#, #project_name#.
  • Variables — dynamic placeholders like #name#, #orderid#, #bookingid#, #amount#, which get replaced with the real value for each customer. These work like WhatsApp’s {{1}}-style template variables, just written with field names instead of numbers.
Customer receives:
  • AI Rewrite — generates or improves the template’s wording automatically.
Message Template builder with a saved template and a success toast confirming it needs WhatsApp approval before use

A saved template with Marketing category, no header, a Call To Action button, and the 'Template has been saved successfully' confirmation.

Saving the template shows a confirmation toast like the one above, confirming it’s been submitted for Meta’s review.

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WP Template

WP Template builder showing Template Name, Locale, Template Category, Header Type, Message Body toolbar with WP Variables, Footer Text, and Call To Action / Quick Reply button configuration

The WP Template builder — Template Name, Locale, Template Category, Header Type, Message Body with Custom Fields/WP Variables/Name/AI Re-write, Footer Text, and buttons.

WP Template is another single-message builder, mainly used for Marketing templates. It includes the same building blocks as the other builders:
  • Unique Template Name
  • Locale selection
  • Header options
  • Custom Fields
  • WP Variables (WP Template’s own variable picker, alongside Custom Fields)
  • AI Rewrite
  • Footer Text
  • Call To Action buttons
  • Quick Reply buttons
  • Live preview
Supported variables include #name#, #phone#, #email#, #orderid#, #bookingid#. Common use cases: promotional offers, product launches, property marketing, service promotions, lead follow-ups.
Carousel Message Template builder showing Template Category, Message Bubble, and Card Header options

The Carousel Media Template builder — Message Bubble above the cards, plus Card Header (Image/Video) and Card Body for each card.

Lets subscribers swipe through multiple cards inside WhatsApp — useful for real estate projects, travel packages, service catalogs, product showcases, and marketing campaigns.
  • Template Category — Marketing or Utility.
  • Message Bubble — the main message shown above the cards; supports Custom Fields, Variables, and AI Rewrite.
  • Card Header — each card’s Image or Video.
  • Card Body — each card’s description text, with Custom Fields, Variables, and personalized content.
Carousel card button configuration with a Button Type dropdown showing URL and Quick Reply options

Card button configuration — the Button Type dropdown offering URL and Quick Reply.

  • Buttons — each card can have a URL or Quick Reply button.
Example — a Real Estate Project Carousel: Card 1 → Luxury Villa, Card 2 → Premium Apartment, Card 3 → Commercial Space. The customer swipes through all three directly inside WhatsApp.
Carousel Product Template builder showing Message Body and a Number of Products dropdown set to 2

The Carousel Product Template builder — Message Body and 'How many products you want to add into carousel?' set to 2.

Purpose-built for showcasing products rather than general content.
  • Template Name and Locale as usual.
  • Message Body — the introduction message (Custom Fields, Variables, AI Rewrite).
  • Number Of Products — how many product cards to show, e.g. 2, 5, 10.
  • Product Cards — each card has a Product Image, Product Name, Product Description, and Product Button (e.g. Buy Now, View Details, Order Now).
Use cases: ecommerce stores, Shopify stores, product catalogs, product recommendations, online sales campaigns.

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Approval status & Sync Template

Message Templates list with a Sync Templates button and Approved/Pending status badges highlighted

The Message Templates list after a successful sync, showing Approved and Pending statuses and the Sync Templates button.

After saving, every template appears in the Message Templates list with a status — all custom templates must be reviewed by Meta before use:
  • Pending — the status right after saving, before it’s been sent to Meta for review.
  • Submitted — sent to Meta and awaiting review; a template moves from Pending to Submitted once you click Sync Templates.
  • Approved — ready to use in Keyword Replies, Broadcasting, Sequences, WhatsApp Flows, and AI Agent automations.
  • Rejected — see why templates get rejected, fix the content, and resubmit.
Click Sync Templates any time to pull the latest status from Meta.
Meta usually reviews templates quickly, but a new WhatsApp Business account may take up to 24 hours or longer. If the status doesn’t update right away, click Sync Templates, wait a few minutes, and check again.

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Template Variables

Message Templates page with the Variables tab selected, showing a list of custom variables and a Create button

The Message Templates page's Variables tab, listing custom variables (totalprice, deliverydate, productlist) alongside the Templates tab and Create button.

Beyond the field-level Custom Fields and Variables inside a single template, Template Variables are reusable placeholders you define once and reuse across any Message Template — switch to the Variables tab (next to Templates) to manage them.
1

Click Create

Open the Template Variables list and click Create.
2

Name the variable

Enter a name with no spaces or special characters, e.g. name, email, phone, orderid, bookingid, company_name.
3

Save

The variable now appears in the list and can be used inside any template.
Use a variable inside a template body the same way as a custom field:
Before sending, assign each variable a real value: The customer receives:
Template Variables let you personalize a single template per customer, reuse it across many subscribers, and avoid creating a near-duplicate template for every small change.

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Broadcasting with Template Buttons

If a WhatsApp template contains buttons, it can be integrated with a Keyword Replies flow during broadcasting — tapping a template button hands the customer straight into that flow. Prerequisites:
  • A WhatsApp template with buttons, submitted and Approved by WhatsApp.
  • The Keyword Replies flow you want the button to trigger, already built.
Configure Action Button modal with 24 hours / Anytime messaging window options, a Select template field, and a list of flows to trigger

Configure Action Button — choose the messaging window, the approved template, and which Keyword Replies flow a template button should trigger.

1

Open the Broadcast module

Go to Broadcasting.
2

Select the approved template

Pick the WhatsApp template with buttons.
3

Open Configure Action Button

Navigate to Configure Action Button.
4

Choose the messaging window

24 Hours (within the customer service window) or Anytime (non-promotional).
5

Select the Keyword Replies flow

Pick which flow the template’s button should trigger.
6

Save and start the broadcast

Save the configuration, then start the broadcast.
Example: Flow:
  • Only Approved templates can be used for broadcasting.
  • The Keyword Replies flow must be built and saved before sending the broadcast.
  • A template button is only the entry point — verify the assigned flow with a test broadcast before sending to production contacts.

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Frequently asked

Go to Chatbot Manager → Automation → Message Templates → Create, pick a template type (General, WP, Mixed, Carousel Media, Carousel Product), fill in the name, category, body, and any buttons, then save. It’s submitted to Meta automatically and needs approval before use.
Meta is still reviewing it. Click Sync Templates to pull the latest status — new WhatsApp Business accounts can take up to 24 hours or longer for the first review.
Use Variables (or Template Variables for ones you reuse across templates) like #name# or #orderid# inside the message body. Assign each variable a real value before sending, and it’s automatically replaced per customer.
Yes — click AI Rewrite inside the Message Body (or a carousel’s Message Bubble/Card Body) to generate or improve the wording automatically.
All three are single-message builders with largely the same fields (Template Name, Locale, Category, Header Type, Message Body, Footer Text, Buttons, live preview) — pick whichever entry point you land on in the Create menu.
Yes — under Broadcasting with Template Buttons, use Configure Action Button to assign an approved template’s button to a specific Keyword Replies flow, so tapping it hands the customer straight into that conversation.
  • A template can’t be used anywhere until it’s Approved — Keyword Replies, Broadcasts, Sequences, WhatsApp Flows, and AI Agent automations all require an approved template.
  • Status doesn’t refresh on its own — click Sync Templates to check Meta’s latest decision; it won’t update in real time.
  • A Rejected template needs a fix, not a resend — review the content against common rejection reasons before resubmitting.