WhatsApp Business message templates: examples by category
Marketing, Utility and Authentication, with examples you can adapt
To start a WhatsApp chat with a customer through the WhatsApp Business Platform, you send a template that Meta has approved. Each template sits in one of three categories, and the category decides whether it is approved and what you pay for it. Below are Meta's rules for each category and template examples for Indian businesses: order updates, appointment reminders, payment reminders, festival offers and one-time passcodes.
The three categories at a glance
| Category | Use it for | Examples | The rule to remember |
|---|---|---|---|
| Utility | Updates about something the customer did or asked for | Order confirmed, shipped, delivered; appointment reminder; bill due; payment received | No promotion at all. Mixing in an offer makes it Marketing |
| Marketing | Anything that promotes, sells or brings a customer back | Festival offers, new arrivals, cart reminders, renewal offers | Needs opt-in. Customers can stop these from WhatsApp itself |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes only | Login or payment OTP | Fixed text from Meta. No links, media or emojis |
How Meta decides the category
- You pick a category, and Meta checks it. When you create a template, WhatsApp validates the category you chose against its content. The template comes back approved, pending or rejected, and a wrong category is rejected with the reason
INCORRECT_CATEGORY. - Utility must be non-promotional. Meta's wording: "not containing any promotional or persuasive intent". It must also be specific to or requested by the customer, or essential to them, such as an outage or product recall notice.
- Order and account updates can't sell. Meta says they "should not promote, recommend, upsell, or cross-sell products".
- Mixed content is Marketing. A template with both an update and an offer, or one too vague to judge (only
{{1}}, or just "Congratulations!"), is treated as Marketing. - Retargeting is always Marketing, even when the customer asked for it. A cart reminder is a Marketing template.
- Feedback requests must be tied to a specific order or visit to count as Utility. A general survey doesn't qualify.
- Only Authentication templates can send OTPs. Marketing and Utility templates can't be used for passcodes.
What happens when a template is in the wrong category
- Meta can move an approved Utility template to Marketing if the messages you send don't match the Utility rules, even after an earlier review.
- You usually get one day's notice before the change. Businesses that have already had a misuse warning get no notice.
- The template stays approved and keeps sending, now billed as Marketing.
- Repeat misuse brings limits: rate-limited Utility messages, all Utility templates moved to Marketing, or no new Utility templates.
- A template that should have been Authentication is rejected on the first day of the next month.
Utility template examples
Use these after the customer has placed an order, booked a slot or received a bill. Keep each one to the update, with no offers or "you may also like" lines.
Order confirmed
Hi {{1}}, thank you for your order {{2}}. We've received it and will message you when it ships. Total: {{3}}.
Order shipped
Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been shipped. You can track it with tracking number {{3}}. Expected delivery: {{4}}.
Out for delivery (cash on delivery)
Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is out for delivery today. Please keep {{3}} ready for cash on delivery.
Appointment reminder (clinic or salon)
Hi {{1}}, this is a reminder of your appointment with {{2}} on {{3}} at {{4}}. Reply 1 to confirm or 2 to reschedule.
Payment due reminder
Hi {{1}}, invoice {{2}} for {{3}} is due on {{4}}. You can pay through the link below. Please ignore this message if you have already paid.
Payment received
Hi {{1}}, we've received your payment of {{2}} for invoice {{3}}. Thank you.
Service update
Hi {{1}}, your vehicle {{2}} is ready for pickup at our {{3}} workshop. We're open until {{4}} today.
Marketing template examples
Send these only to customers who opted in to hear from you. Add a clear way to stop, so people opt out instead of blocking you.
Festival offer with opt-out (Diwali)
Happy Diwali, {{1}}! Our Diwali offer is on until {{2}}: {{3}} on all gift boxes at our {{4}} store. Show this message at the counter.
Reply STOP to stop offers from us.
New arrivals
Hi {{1}}, the new {{2}} collection is in at our {{3}} store. Tap below to see it before the weekend rush.
Reply STOP to stop updates like this.
Cart reminder
Hi {{1}}, you left {{2}} in your cart. It's saved for you. Tap below to finish your order.
Reply STOP to stop reminders.
Renewal reminder with an offer
Hi {{1}}, your {{2}} plan ends on {{3}}. Renew this week and get {{4}}.
Reply STOP to stop offers from us.
Without the offer, a plain reminder of the renewal date could be Utility.
Authentication template example
Authentication templates use Meta's fixed text, which you can't rewrite. You choose a button and two optional lines:
{{1}} is your verification code. For your security, do not share this code.
This code expires in 10 minutes.
- Body: "{{1}} is your verification code." is fixed.
- Optional lines: the security line and the expiry line, with your number of minutes.
- Button: copy code or one-tap autofill. Zero-tap, with no button, works on Android only.
- Not allowed: links, media and emojis. Parameters are limited to 15 characters.
Opt-in and opt-out rules
- Get opt-in first. Meta asks businesses to state clearly that the person is opting in to messages from them, and to name the business. The opt-in can come from your website, a form, an SMS, an IVR call or a paper form in your shop.
- Give a clear way out. Meta asks for clear instructions on how to opt out of each message type, and for those requests to be honoured.
- Customers can stop marketing on their own. WhatsApp has an "Offers and announcements" setting that lets a customer stop or resume all marketing messages from your business. A Marketing template sent after that fails with error 131050.
- Separate opt-ins help. Meta notes that asking for consent per message type, such as order updates and offers separately, lowers the chance that customers block you.
For India-specific rules on promotional messages, see our guide to WhatsApp marketing compliance in India.
Writing tips that get templates approved
- Pick the category honestly. If a single sentence sells, choose Marketing.
- Use variables only for details that change, such as names, order numbers, dates and amounts. A template that is only
{{1}}is rejected or treated as Marketing. - Write one template per job. An order update and a festival offer are two templates.
- Use the customer's language. You can create the same template in English, Hindi, Gujarati and other languages.
- Check the cost before a broadcast. Meta charges per delivered template, and Marketing costs the most. Our WhatsApp API pricing calculator shows Meta's India rates with GST.
How BeeCMO helps
Messenger Bee runs your WhatsApp on Meta's official Cloud API, through your own number and Meta account.
- Templates go only to opted-in contacts, with proof of where each opt-in came from. One setting, off by default, lets a contact who messages you first count as opted in.
- STOP works straight away, and imports never re-subscribe someone who opted out.
- Every broadcast shows the recipient count and an approximate cost, and waits for your approval.
- Meta bills you directly for messages, with no markup from us.
What are the three WhatsApp template categories?
Marketing, Utility and Authentication. Utility covers non-promotional updates about something the customer did or asked for. Marketing covers anything promotional. Authentication is only for one-time passcodes.
Is an appointment reminder a Utility template?
Usually, yes. It is specific to a booking the customer made. Add an offer to it and Meta treats it as Marketing.
Can I add a discount to an order update?
Not in a Utility template. Meta says order and account updates "should not promote, recommend, upsell, or cross-sell products". Send the offer as a separate Marketing template to customers who opted in.
Do Marketing templates need an opt-out line?
Meta asks businesses to give clear instructions for opting out and to honour them. A line such as "Reply STOP to stop offers from us" does that. WhatsApp also lets customers stop all marketing from your business in its settings.
Can I write my own OTP message?
No. Authentication templates use Meta's fixed text: "{{1}} is your verification code." You can add Meta's security line and an expiry line, and choose the button.
What happens if I put marketing in a Utility template?
Meta can move the template to Marketing, usually with one day's notice, and bill it at the Marketing rate. Repeat misuse can limit or switch off your Utility templates.
Sources
Checked on 28 Oct 2026.
- Meta for Developers, Template categorization
- Meta for Developers, Authentication templates
- Meta for Developers, Marketing templates (user preferences and error 131050)
- Meta for Developers, Get opt-in for WhatsApp
- Meta for Developers, WhatsApp pricing
Send the right template to the right customer
Templates to opted-in contacts only, and a cost estimate before every broadcast, which waits for your approval.