WhatsApp template messages: categories, approval and examples
On the WhatsApp Business Platform, every message you start, and every message after a customer has been quiet for 24 hours, must use an approved template. Here is how templates work, how they are priced, and how to get them approved first time.
The short answer
A template is a pre-approved message with variables, such as a name or a date, and optional buttons. Meta sorts each template into a category: marketing, utility or authentication. You pay per delivered template by category and the customer’s country. Since 1 October 2026, that includes utility templates sent while a customer service window is open.
When a customer writes to you, a 24-hour window opens in which you can reply without templates. These service replies are free for the first 1,000 a month per business number, then charged at Meta’s rate for the country.
The three categories
| Category | Use it for | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Marketing | Offers, launches, re-engagement, anything promotional | New phase launch at {{1}}: 1-bedroom units from {{2}}. Reply YES for the brochure. |
| Utility | Updates on something the customer asked for or bought | Hi {{1}}, your viewing at {{2}} is confirmed for {{3}}. |
| Authentication | One-time passwords | {{1}} is your verification code. |
Meta reviews the category. If a “utility” template reads as promotional, Meta re-categorises it as marketing and it is charged as such.
Getting templates approved
- Write the template in each language you need; Arabic and English are separate templates under the same name
- Give example values for every variable
- Do not start or end the message with a variable, and do not put variables next to each other
- No threatening language, no misleading claims, and nothing that asks for card numbers or passwords
- Keep utility templates free of promotion; put offers in a marketing template
Quality and limits
Each template has a quality rating based on how customers react: blocks and reports lower it. Low-quality templates can be paused, and a poor phone number quality rating can hold back your messaging limit. Send to opted-in customers, make it easy to stop, and keep marketing relevant.
Templates real estate teams use
- Viewing confirmation and reminder the day before (utility)
- Document checklist after a reservation (utility)
- Payment reminder for an upcoming instalment (utility)
- Follow-up after a viewing with the brochure link (marketing)
- New launch or price update to past enquirers (marketing)
Free tools for this
Sources
Rules change. Check the official text, or ask your accountant or lawyer, before you rely on a figure.
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