A WhatsApp broadcast template gets approved when it sits in the right category, has sample values for every variable, doesn't start or end with a variable, and reads like a message the customer expected. It stays healthy when you send it only to people who opted in, to a list cut down to who will care, at a pace that keeps blocks low. Below are 12 templates you can adapt, with Meta's rules behind each one.
This post is about what goes inside the message. For how many people you can reach per day, see our WhatsApp broadcast limit guide, and for the full picture, our WhatsApp marketing guide for Indian businesses.
How Meta reviews a template
Any message you start on the WhatsApp Business Platform outside a 24-hour customer service window must be an approved template. Meta says review "can take up to 24 hours" (Meta, templates overview, checked 28 Oct 2026).
Meta's review page lists what gets a template rejected (Meta, template review, checked 28 Oct 2026):
- Missing samples. Every variable needs a sample value, such as "Priya" for a customer's name.
- Dangling variables. A template can't start or end with a variable like
{{1}}. - Variables out of order. Number them 1, 2, 3 in sequence.
- Special characters in variables. Variables containing
#,$or%are rejected. - Too many variables for the length. A short message stuffed with blanks looks like spam. Add real text or drop a variable.
- Asking for sensitive data. Don't ask for full card numbers, bank account numbers or national ID numbers. Asking for the last four digits is allowed.
- Threats. Threats of legal action or public shaming are rejected. This matters for payment reminders.
- Duplicates. A template with the same body and footer as one you already have is rejected.
If a template is rejected, you can appeal with a sample. Meta decides appeals within 24 hours.
Size limits
From Meta's components reference (Meta, template components, checked 28 Oct 2026):
| Part | Limit |
|---|---|
| Text header | 60 characters |
| Body | 1,024 characters (required) |
| Footer | 60 characters |
| Quick-reply buttons | Up to 10, labels up to 25 characters |
| Website buttons | Up to 2 |
| Phone button | 1 |
Most of the examples below fit in 300 characters, short enough to read in one glance on a phone.
Pick the right category first
Category is the decision that most changes your bill and your review. Meta's definitions (Meta, template categorization, checked 28 Oct 2026):
- Marketing: awareness, offers, launches, re-engagement, birthday greetings, renewal reminders. Templates with mixed or unclear content also count as marketing.
- Utility: about something the customer did or asked for, with no "promotional or persuasive intent". Order confirmations, shipping updates, feedback surveys about a specific order, opt-in confirmations.
- Authentication: one-time passcodes, from Meta's template library, with no links, media or emojis.
Price follows category. On Meta's India rate card effective 1 October 2026, a marketing message costs ₹0.8631 and a utility message ₹0.115, before GST (Meta pricing, checked 28 Oct 2026).
That gap tempts people to label offers as utility. Meta checks approved templates regularly and moves mislabelled utility templates to marketing. Businesses that keep doing it face escalating penalties: a warning, rate limits on utility messages, a 7-day utility template restriction (30 days for repeats) and a 30-day restriction on the whole business portfolio. Label offers as marketing from the start.
7 marketing template examples
Variables are shown as {{1}}, {{2}}. Each example notes the category, the buttons and why it passes.
1. Festival offer (jeweller)
Diwali at Shah Jewellers, Ahmedabad 🪔
{{1}}, making charges are 20% off on gold jewellery from 1 to 8 November.
Visit our CG Road showroom or reply to see the new collection.Footer: Reply STOP to opt out. Buttons: See collection (website), Talk to us (quick reply). Illustrative example. The offer, dates and place are all in fixed text. Only the name is a variable, and the message doesn't end with it.
2. New arrivals (boutique)
New wedding lehengas are in at Riya Boutique, Jaipur.
We have kept aside sizes for regular customers until {{1}}.
Tap below to see photos and prices on WhatsApp.Buttons: Show me photos (quick reply), Not interested (quick reply). Illustrative example. A "Not interested" button gives people an easy way out other than blocking you.
3. Back in stock (sweet shop)
Kaju katli is back at Gupta Sweets.
{{1}}, you asked us to tell you when it was available.
Order by 7 pm for same-day pickup at our Sector 18 shop.Button: Order now (quick reply). Illustrative example. This is still marketing, even though the customer asked, because it invites a purchase.
4. Appointment slots (salon)
Wedding season bookings are open at Glow Salon, Pune.
Bridal and party makeup slots for {{1}} are filling up.
Reply with a date and we will confirm your slot.Buttons: Book a slot (quick reply), Call us (phone). Illustrative example.
5. Re-engagement (clinic)
Hello {{1}}, it has been 6 months since your last dental check-up at Smile Care, Indore.
Book a check-up this month and we will send you the available times.Buttons: Show times (quick reply), Stop reminders (quick reply). Illustrative example. Health businesses: keep it to timings and check-ups, with no claims about results.
6. Event invite (furniture store)
You are invited to our year-end sale preview at Woodcraft, Hyderabad.
Date: {{1}}, from 11 am to 8 pm.
Reply YES and we will keep a parking spot for you.Button: I will come (quick reply). Illustrative example.
7. Dealer launch (manufacturer)
Our new range of {{1}} is ready to ship to dealers.
Price list and minimum order quantities are on the link below.
Reply to speak to your area sales manager.Buttons: Price list (website), Talk to sales (quick reply). Illustrative example. B2B messages follow the same rules. A dealer who never opted in is not on your list.
5 utility template examples
Keep these free of offers. One line of promotion turns them into marketing.
8. Order confirmation
Your order {{1}} at Gupta Sweets is confirmed.
Pickup: {{2}} at our Sector 18 shop.
Reply here if you need to change the time.9. Delivery slot
Your order {{1}} will be delivered on {{2}} between {{3}}.
Please keep your phone nearby. Our delivery partner will call before arriving.10. Appointment reminder
Reminder: your appointment at Smile Care is on {{1}} at {{2}}.
Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to reschedule.11. Payment received
We received your payment of ₹{{1}} for invoice {{2}}. Thank you.
Your receipt is attached to this message.The rupee symbol sits in the fixed text, outside the variable. Meta rejects variables that contain #, $ or %, so keep symbols out of variables in general.
12. Opt-in confirmation
You are now subscribed to offers from Riya Boutique on WhatsApp.
We send at most a few messages a month. Reply STOP at any time to unsubscribe.Meta lists opt-in and opt-out confirmations as utility. Send this right after someone signs up, so your first message isn't an offer.
Keep your quality rating high
After approval, Meta rates each approved template on "usage, customer feedback, and engagement" (Meta, template quality, checked 28 Oct 2026):
| Rating | What it means |
|---|---|
| Quality pending | No feedback yet. New templates start here. |
| High (green) | Little to no negative feedback. |
| Medium (yellow) | Negative feedback from several users or low read rates. May be paused soon. |
| Low (red) | The same signals, worse. In danger of being paused or disabled. |
What happens at low quality
From Meta's pausing rules (Meta, template pausing, checked 28 Oct 2026):
- First time: paused for 3 hours.
- Second time: paused for 6 hours.
- Third time: disabled. You can edit it and resubmit.
- If your templates keep reaching low quality, Meta says "the phone number may eventually be impacted".
Template pacing
New templates, and older ones without a high rating, may be paced. Meta sends the first messages, holds the rest and watches the feedback. If it's good, the held messages go out. If it's bad, the template is paused and the held messages are dropped with error 132015 (Meta, template pacing, checked 28 Oct 2026). So a brand-new template sent to your whole list can fail partway. Test new templates on a small, engaged group first.
Opt-in and how often to send
Meta's opt-in guidance asks you to name your business, say what people will receive and give clear opt-out instructions. It suggests separate opt-ins for different kinds of messages, such as order updates and offers, so people get only what they expected (Meta, getting opt-in, checked 28 Oct 2026). WhatsApp's policy says you must respect every request to stop (WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, checked 28 Oct 2026).
Meta doesn't publish a safe number of messages a month. What it does say:
- WhatsApp may cap how many marketing templates one person receives from all businesses, based on their read rate and how busy their inbox is. Over the cap, sends fail with error 131049. Wait at least 24 hours before retrying (Meta, per-user limits, checked 28 Oct 2026).
- Marketing messages sent inside a 24-hour service window, after the customer has replied, don't count toward that cap.
Our working rules, not Meta's:
- Send marketing only to the segment it fits: wedding offers to people who asked about bridal wear, not your whole list.
- Send one reminder at most, only to non-replies, two or three days later.
- In festival weeks, when every brand messages the same customers, send fewer messages that matter more.
- Watch blocks and "Not interested" taps after every send. If they rise, stop and rewrite.
The full opt-in rules, including DPDP basics, are in WhatsApp marketing compliance in India. For a festival-by-festival plan, see the festival WhatsApp campaign checklist.
How BeeCMO helps
Messenger Bee sends templates through the official WhatsApp Cloud API on your own number, and only to contacts with a recorded opt-in. STOP is honoured right away. Every broadcast shows the recipient count and an approximate cost, waits for your approval on WhatsApp, and is paced within your number's messaging limit. Meta approves your templates and bills message fees to your own account. See Messenger Bee.
Frequently asked questions
How long does WhatsApp template approval take?
Meta says review can take up to 24 hours. Appeals of rejected templates are also decided within 24 hours. Submit festival templates at least a week early so you have time to fix a rejection.
Why was my WhatsApp template rejected?
The most common reasons are missing sample values, a template that starts or ends with a variable, special characters such as #, $ or % inside a variable, too many variables for the message length, or a duplicate of an existing template.
Can I send an offer as a utility template to save money?
No. A template with any promotional content counts as marketing. Meta recategorizes mislabelled utility templates and can restrict businesses that keep doing it.
What happens if my template gets a low quality rating?
Meta pauses it for 3 hours the first time and 6 hours the second time, and disables it the third time. Repeated low-quality templates can eventually affect your phone number.
How often can I send WhatsApp marketing messages?
Meta doesn't set a fixed number. It caps how many marketing messages each person receives from all businesses, based on their engagement, and rates your templates on feedback. Send to segments that care, and keep reminders to one.
Sources
All checked 28 October 2026.
- Meta, WhatsApp templates overview (review time, quality statuses): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/overview
- Meta, template review (rejection reasons, samples, appeals): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-review
- Meta, template components (character and button limits): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/components
- Meta, template categorization (definitions, recategorization, enforcement): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-categorization
- Meta, template quality rating: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-quality
- Meta, template pausing (3 hours, 6 hours, disabled): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-pausing
- Meta, template pacing (held messages, error 132015): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-pacing
- Meta, getting opt-in for WhatsApp: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/getting-opt-in
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy (opt-in, opt-out): https://whatsappbusiness.com/policy/
- Meta, per-user marketing template limits (error 131049): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits
- Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform pricing (India rates): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing