What are the 3 WhatsApp template categories and which should I use?

Marketing templates are for promotional content — sale announcements, product launches, offers. Utility templates are for transactional content — order confirmations, appointment reminders, payment receipts, shipping updates. Authentication templates are for OTPs and verification codes. Marketing templates cost ₹0.82/conversation, Utility ₹0.35/conversation. Use Utility for all transactional messages — it's more cost-effective and has faster approval.

How long does WhatsApp template approval take?

Utility and Authentication templates are typically approved within 2–24 hours. Marketing templates may take 24–48 hours. Templates that are rejected can be revised and resubmitted — most rejections are due to policy violations (promotional language in utility templates, missing opt-out options, excessive personalisation variables).

What causes WhatsApp templates to be rejected?

Common rejection reasons: (1) Promotional language in a Utility template (e.g., mentioning discounts or offers in an order confirmation). (2) Asking for sensitive personal information (passwords, full credit card numbers). (3) Too many variables making the content unverifiable. (4) Threatening language or urgency that violates WhatsApp policies. (5) Misleading content. Always match template category to actual use case.

How many variables can I use in a WhatsApp template?

Meta does not set a hard limit on the number of variables per template. However, templates with too many variables (10+) are more likely to be rejected as the content becomes difficult to verify for policy compliance. Best practice: use the minimum number of variables needed. For most templates, 2–4 variables is sufficient.

WhatsApp Message Template Guide — Write, Submit & Get Approved

Q: Can I use Hindi in WhatsApp templates?

Yes — WhatsApp templates support Unicode, so Hindi and all Indian regional languages (Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Bengali, Gujarati, Marathi) work in templates. You need to create a separate template for each language — you cannot mix English and Hindi in the same template. WA.Expert allows you to submit language-specific templates and select the customer's language preference when sending.

The 3 Template Categories

Choosing the right category — the most important decision

📣

Marketing (₹0.82/conversation)

Sale announcements, product launches, promotional offers, new collection alerts. Any message primarily designed to drive a purchase. Higher cost, slower approval.

🔧

Utility (₹0.35/conversation)

Order confirmations, shipping updates, payment receipts, appointment reminders, account notifications. Transactional — triggered by customer action. Faster approval, lower cost.

🔐

Authentication (₹0.15/conversation)

OTPs, verification codes, login confirmations. Lowest cost, fastest approval. Only for authentication use cases.

⚠️

The #1 mistake to avoid

Submitting marketing content as Utility. Meta will detect it and reject. Even a single promotional phrase ("save 20%") in a Utility template triggers rejection.

Writing Templates

Template structure, variables, and formatting rules

1

Template structure

Every template has up to 4 sections: Header (optional — text, image, document, or video), Body (required — your main message), Footer (optional — short supplementary text), Buttons (optional — up to 3 call-to-action or quick reply buttons).

// Template structure example
Header: Order Confirmed 🛍️  ← optional, text or image
Body: Hi {{1}}, your order #{{2}} for ₹{{3}} has been confirmed.
Footer: Reply STOP to unsubscribe  ← required for marketing
Button: [Track Order]  ← URL button

2

Variables — how to use them correctly

Variables are placeholders filled at send time: {{1}}, {{2}}, {{3}}. Number them sequentially. Provide a sample value for each when submitting — "Hi {{1}}" → sample: "Hi Priya". Meta uses the sample to verify the template is policy-compliant.

💡 Variables should be specific, predictable values — names, amounts, dates, order IDs. Avoid using variables for entire sentences — it makes the template unverifiable and triggers rejection.

3

Formatting — bold, italic, and emojis

WhatsApp supports *bold*, _italic_, and ~strikethrough~ in templates. Use emojis sparingly — 1–3 per message is professional. Emojis in the header line are commonly used for visual context (📦 for shipping, 💳 for payments). Avoid using emojis that could be interpreted as misleading (⚠️ overused as urgency tactic).

20 approved template examples for Indian businesses

// E-commerce — Order Confirmed (Utility)
Hi {{1}}, your order #{{2}} for ₹{{3}} is confirmed! 🛍️
Expected delivery: {{4}}. We'll update you when it ships.

// E-commerce — Abandoned Cart (Marketing)
Hi {{1}}, you left {{2}} in your cart 🛒
Your cart is saved — complete your order before it sells out.
Use code {{3}} for 10% off. Valid for 24 hours.

// Finance — Payment Receipt (Utility)
Payment received ✅ Hi {{1}}, we received ₹{{2}} on {{3}}.
Transaction ID: {{4}}. Thank you!

// Healthcare — Appointment Reminder (Utility)
Reminder: Hi {{1}}, your appointment with Dr. {{2}} is tomorrow at {{3}}.
Please arrive 10 minutes early. Reply to reschedule.

// Education — Fee Due (Utility)
Fee reminder: Hi {{1}}, ₹{{2}} is due by {{3}} for {{4}}.
Pay online: {{5}}. Contact finance: {{6}}

Common Rejections

Why templates get rejected — and how to fix them

❌

Wrong category

"Get 20% off your next order" submitted as Utility. Fix: resubmit as Marketing.

❌

Sensitive data request

"Enter your OTP: {{1}}" in a non-auth template. Fix: use Authentication category for OTPs.

❌

Too vague variables

Variable covers entire message: "{{1}}" as the only body content. Fix: variables should be specific values within a clear message.

❌

Threatening language

"Your account will be PERMANENTLY DELETED." Fix: rewrite as informational, not threatening.

FAQ

WhatsApp template questions

What are the 3 template categories?

Marketing (₹0.82/conversation) for promotional content, Utility (₹0.35/conversation) for transactional content, Authentication (₹0.15/conversation) for OTPs. Use Utility for all order and appointment messages — lower cost and faster approval.

How long does template approval take?

Utility and Authentication templates: 2–24 hours. Marketing templates: 24–48 hours. Rejected templates can be revised and resubmitted — usually approved on second attempt if the issue is fixed.

What causes template rejection?

Most common: promotional language in Utility templates, requesting sensitive personal information, too many variables making content unverifiable, threatening language, or misleading content. Match the category to your actual use case.

Can I use Hindi in WhatsApp templates?

Yes — WhatsApp supports Unicode for Hindi and all Indian regional languages. Create a separate template for each language. WA.Expert allows you to submit language-specific templates and select customer language preference at send time.

How many variables can I use?

No hard limit, but keep to 2–4 variables per template. Templates with 10+ variables are often rejected as content becomes hard for Meta to verify for compliance. Use variables for specific values (names, amounts, dates) — not entire sentences.

Use WA.Expert's pre-approved template library

50+ templates for e-commerce, healthcare, education, finance, and more — pre-approved by Meta, ready to send today.

Browse Templates →

WhatsApp Message Template Guide — Write, Submit & Get Approved

Choosing the right category — the most important decision

Marketing (₹0.82/conversation)

Utility (₹0.35/conversation)

Authentication (₹0.15/conversation)

The #1 mistake to avoid

Template structure, variables, and formatting rules

Template structure

Variables — how to use them correctly

Formatting — bold, italic, and emojis

20 approved template examples for Indian businesses

Why templates get rejected — and how to fix them

Wrong category

Sensitive data request

Too vague variables

Threatening language

WhatsApp template questions

How to Get WhatsApp Business API

WhatsApp API Guide

Automation Codex

Use WA.Expert's pre-approved template library