WhatsApp template messages, and why yours was rejected

A WhatsApp template is a message you register with Meta before you send it, so it can be delivered outside the 24 hour window. Templates are how order updates, reminders and one time codes reach people who are not currently in a conversation with you - and the rules for getting one approved are stricter and pettier than most people expect.

The three categories, and why the category matters

Meta bills conversations by category and reviews templates against the category you claim. Picking the wrong one is the fastest route to a rejection.

The rules that actually cause rejections

• No variable at the start or end of the body. {{1}}, your order is ready is rejected. Hi {{1}}, your order is ready is fine. The reason is that a message which is entirely a variable cannot be reviewed.
• No two variables next to each other. {{1}} {{2}} reads as an unreviewable blank.
• Sample values are required and are read. Give realistic ones. {{1}} = "test" gets rejected where {{1}} = "Wanjiku" does not.
• Variables must be numbered from 1, in order. Skipping to {{3}} fails validation before a human sees it.
• No URL shorteners in a fixed URL. A link nobody can inspect at review time is a link that gets refused.
• Duplicates are rejected. A template that differs from an existing one only by wording will be bounced as a duplicate.
• Placeholder text is fatal. Lorem ipsum, XXX, and Your Company Name all get found.

Writing one that survives

A utility template that gets approved on the first attempt:

Name:      order_shipped_v1
Category:  Utility
Language:  en

Body:
Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has left our shop and should
reach you by {{3}}. Reply here if anything is wrong.

Samples:
{{1}} = Wanjiku
{{2}} = #10432
{{3}} = Thursday

Note what it does: opens with real words, uses three variables each separated by text, gives plausible samples, and invites a reply. That last part is not decoration - a template that opens a conversation is worth more than one that closes it, because the reply gives you a fresh 24 hour window and a chance to actually help.

Naming and versioning

Template names are lowercase, underscored, and permanent in practice: you cannot rename, and editing is limited. Put a version in the name from the start. order_shipped_v1 costs nothing today and saves an afternoon the first time somebody wants the wording changed.

What templates cannot do

They cannot hold a conversation. A template is a way through the door, not a substitute for being in the room. The pattern that works is: template to open, then a real reply from a real person inside the window that the customer's answer opens. The pattern that does not work is a sequence of templates fired at somebody who never answered the first one - that is a broadcast with extra steps, and it is billed per conversation.