Writing WhatsApp message templates that get approved and get replies

A WhatsApp template that is approved and answered has one purpose. It says who is writing and why, uses plain words, fills its variables with real data, and lets the person stop hearing from you. Check it against the common reasons for rejection before you submit.

What is a template, and why does it exist?

As WhatsApp works at present, a business on the API starts conversations with a template that WhatsApp has reviewed, not with free text, and the same applies once a conversation window has closed. Your provider can confirm the current position. Templates are fixed wording with gaps for variables, such as a name or a date.

Messages are grouped by purpose. Roughly, one group is for updates about something the person already asked for (an order, a booking), one for promotions and reminders to buy, and one for login codes. The groups, the rules and the prices are set by WhatsApp and change, so confirm the current ones with your provider before you design anything. What follows is about writing, not about fees.

The anatomy of a template that works

1. A greeting with the variable. "Hello {{1}}," uses the name. If the name is missing, the message looks broken, so supply a fallback in your data.
2. The reason you are writing. In the first line, tied to something the person did. "Your service visit for the RO purifier is due."
3. One piece of useful information. A date, an amount, a link. Not three.
4. One action. A reply word, a button, or a call. Not a paragraph of choices.
5. Who you are. Your business name once.
6. A way out. "Reply STOP to stop these messages." On marketing messages, give people a plain way to opt out.

Keep it under about sixty words.

The common reasons for rejection

WhatsApp does not publish every reason for a rejection, so this table lists causes that come up often, not a guarantee of approval.

If your trade is regulated (health, education, finance, insurance, law, real estate, food and so on), rules differ by state and body and change. Check with your own adviser or the regulator, and keep claims general.

Four examples to adapt

Each assumes the person has agreed to hear from you.

Service reminder (update) "Hello {{1}}, your AC service at {{2}} is booked for {{3}} between {{4}}. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to change the time. {{5}}" Here {{5}} is your business name.

Back in stock (marketing) "Hello {{1}}, the {{2}} you asked about is back in stock at {{3}}. Reply YES and we will hold one for you till {{4}}. Reply STOP to stop these messages."

Quotation follow-up "Hello {{1}}, this is {{2}} from {{3}}. Quotation {{4}} was sent on {{5}}. Is there anything we can explain? Reply here or call {{6}}."

Feedback request "Hello {{1}}, thank you for choosing {{2}}. How was your experience? Reply with a number from 1 to 5, or tell us in a line what we should change."

When you submit, the form usually asks for sample values for each gap. Give realistic ones, such as "Meena" and "14 March", rather than "test" or "abc". A reviewer reading "Hello abc, your xyz is ready" cannot judge whether the message is honest.

How do you get replies, not just delivery?

A template is delivered when it passes review and the person's phone is on. It gets a reply when it feels like it came from someone who knows them.

Tie the message to something real: the booking, the item, the date. Ask one thing that a person can answer in one word. Send at a time they can act on it; a service reminder at 10 pm may be ignored. And write for the reply you can handle. If the template asks "Reply 1 to confirm", someone must read the 1s that arrive.

For example: an electronics repair chain in Lucknow

This case is invented. A repair chain with five counters in Lucknow fixes phones and laptops. The owner wants a template saying "Your device is ready, and get 15% off your next repair", and it comes back rejected.

The likely trouble is two purposes in one message. A "ready for collection" note is an update about something the customer asked for. An offer is marketing. Put together, the message did neither job well.

The owner split them. The first template says "Hello {{1}}, your {{2}} is ready for collection at {{3}}. Please bring the token {{4}}." The second, sent separately and only to customers who agreed to offers, says "Hello {{1}}, thank you for choosing {{2}}. Your next screen or battery job at any of our counters has a small discount until {{3}}. Reply STOP to stop these messages." The pickup template is approved on the next submission. The offer template is rejected once more for a vague date and passes after the date becomes a variable. The pickup message gets replies because it carries a token number people need; the offer message gets few.

When not to use a template

Do not use a template to say something the person has to hear sensitively: a complaint, a refund, bad news. Call them. And do not use templates to reach people who never agreed to be contacted; the approval does not make the message welcome. For the wider strategy, see WhatsApp marketing for small businesses.

Draft three this week

Write the three templates your business would send most: one update, one reminder, one follow-up. Read each against the six parts above and the rejection table. Submit them with time to spare, and keep notes on any that come back, since the reasons given are your best guide to the next draft. The account and number they sit in are the job of WhatsApp Business API setup, and the marketing hub shows how that fits the rest. If you want help getting them through, tell us what you need.