#WhatsApp Templates

#What it is

A template is a message that Meta (the company behind WhatsApp) has reviewed and approved before you send it. It has fixed wording with blanks (called variables) that are filled in for each person, for example "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is on its way."

Templates live under Broadcast, then the Templates tab of a WhatsApp channel. They are used by campaigns, by automations, and by the Inbox when you need to write to someone after the 24-hour window.

#The problem it solves

WhatsApp does not let businesses send any promotional text they like to people who are not in an active conversation. This rule protects users from spam. If a customer has not written to you in the last 24 hours, the only thing you may send is an approved template. Without templates you could not:

• announce a sale to your customers,
• tell a customer their order shipped, or
• follow up on a conversation that went quiet.

A template is how you get permission, in advance, for a specific message.

#How it works

1. You write the template in Threadline and check how it will look.
2. You submit it to Meta. Nothing reaches Meta until you press Submit; saving a draft sends nothing.
3. Meta reviews it. This takes from a few minutes to about a day.
4. When it is Approved, you can use it.

#1. The templates page

Go to Broadcast, open a WhatsApp channel, then the Templates tab. (You can also open it from a channel's card: Templates: 3 approved of 5.)

• Cards show each template's name, category, language, a phone-style preview, and its status.
• Status tabs with counts: All, Draft, Pending, Approved, Rejected.
• Search by name.
• A short reminder runs along the top: 1 Draft → 2 Submit to Meta → 3 Use it in a campaign once approved.
• Sync from Meta pulls in templates you made in Meta's own dashboard. See Syncing from Meta.

#2. Writing a template

Click New template. The page has a form on the left and a live preview on the right that updates as you type.

#Start from a ready-made one

At the top you can pick a starter instead of a blank page: Order confirmation, Appointment reminder, Shipping update, Sale announcement, Abandoned cart or Feedback request. It fills in sensible wording, example values and buttons you can change.

#Basics

Field	What to enter
Template name	Lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only, for example order_shipped. Only you and Meta see it.
Category	Marketing (promotions and offers), Utility (updates about something the customer did, like an order) or Authentication (one-time codes). Choose honestly: Meta can reject or re-categorise a template that does not fit.
Language	The language the text is written in. The customer sees it in this language.

The name, language and category lock once Meta has the template, because Meta does not allow changing them. Everything else can be edited and resubmitted.

#Header (optional)

A header sits above the message. Choose:

• Text: a short title (it cannot contain variables).
• Image, Video or Document: pick a file from your media library. Threadline uploads it to Meta for you.

#Message

The body is the main text, up to 1,024 characters. To personalise, use Insert variable or type {{1}}, {{2}} and so on. Variables must be numbered in order and cannot start or end the text.

#Footer (optional)

A small grey line under the message, up to 60 characters, with no variables. Good for "Reply STOP to opt out".

#Buttons (optional)

Up to 10 buttons in total:

Kind	Limit	What it does
Quick reply	up to 3	A button the customer taps to answer, for example "Yes" or "Tell me more". Quick replies are listed first.
Website	up to 2	Opens a web address. The address can end with {{1}} to add something personal, such as an order number.
Phone	up to 1	Starts a call to a number.

You can reorder buttons. For Authentication templates there is a fixed message and a copy code button instead.

#Example values

Meta's reviewers need to see a real-looking example for every variable, for example Ana for the name and #10234 for the order number. Threadline asks for them and will not save without them.

#When it is sent

Below the form, a panel shows where each variable's value will come from when the template is sent: a fixed text, or a contact detail (name, first name, phone, email, or any of your own fields), with a fallback if a person has none. Campaigns and automations can change this mapping for themselves.

#3. Check for likely rejection

Check for likely rejection looks for the usual reasons Meta rejects a template, so you find out now instead of after a day of waiting. It checks, for example, that:

• variables are numbered {{1}}, {{2}}… in order, with none missing or repeated;
• the text does not start or end with a variable;
• the text is within the length limits;
• there are no double spaces and no spaces at the end of a line;
• every variable has an example.

It also runs when you save. Passing the check does not guarantee approval. Meta has the final say.

#4. Statuses

Status	Meaning	What to do
Draft	Saved in Threadline only.	Edit, then Submit.
Pending	Sent to Meta, waiting for review.	Wait.
Approved	Ready to use.	Use it in a campaign, automation or the Inbox.
Rejected	Meta refused it. The reason is shown in red on the card.	Click Fix, change it, and Resubmit.
Paused / Disabled	Meta stopped it, usually after poor feedback from recipients.	Check the wording and recipients.

Threadline checks with Meta every hour, so the status stays up to date without you opening Meta's dashboard.

#5. Syncing from Meta

If someone created templates in Meta's own dashboard, click Sync from Meta. Threadline:

• adds templates it did not know about,
• updates the status and rejection reason of the ones it has,
• never makes a duplicate.

A synced template that has an image, video or document header needs you to choose a file from the media library before it can be sent, because the file itself is not copied over.

#6. Using a template

• Campaigns: pick it in step 3 of the Broadcast wizard.
• Automations: the Send a WhatsApp template step, or as the fallback when the 24-hour window has closed. See Automation.
• Inbox: when the reply window is closed, the message box offers your approved templates. See Inbox.
• Starting a conversation: New in the Inbox can send a template to a number that never wrote to you.

#Plan limit

Your plan may limit WhatsApp templates. At the limit, creating a new one is refused until you delete one or upgrade. See Plans and Billing.

#Common questions

How long does approval take? Usually from a few minutes to a day.

Meta rejected my template. Open the card: the reason is shown. Click Fix, change the wording, and Resubmit. The most common reasons are a missing example, a variable at the very start or end, or marketing wording in a Utility template.

Can I change an approved template? You can edit and resubmit it, and Meta reviews it again. The name, language and category cannot change.

Why can I not send my template? It is not Approved, or it is an authentication template, or it has a media header with no file chosen.

The status did not change. Wait up to an hour, or click Sync from Meta.