Message templates
Get your WhatsApp messages pre-approved by Meta so your automations and campaigns can actually send.
A template is a message you've had Meta approve in advance. You need one every time you message a customer outside the 24-hour window — which means nearly every automation and every campaign.
Templates live under Templates in Enscale.
Submit templates before you need them
Approval usually takes minutes, but it can take a day. A campaign you planned for Friday, held up by a template you submitted on Friday, is a campaign that misses its moment. Get your usual set approved during setup.
Why Meta makes you do this
WhatsApp doesn't let businesses send unsolicited free-typed messages to people. Meta reviews every template first — that's what stops WhatsApp turning into the kind of channel people mute and abandon.
It's a nuisance, but it's also why a WhatsApp message from you gets read and an email doesn't.
The three categories
Meta makes you categorise every template. The category decides both what you're allowed to say and what Meta charges you.
| Category | Use it for | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Utility | Order confirmations, shipping updates, delivery notices, COD confirmations | Cheapest |
| Marketing | Offers, launches, sale announcements, win-backs, review requests | Most expensive |
| Authentication | One-time passcodes only | Separate rate |
Categorise honestly — this one bites
A review request is marketing, not utility. You're asking the customer for something, not informing them about their order. It's the most common mistake.
Meta re-categorises templates that don't match what they actually say, and a pattern of mislabelling marketing as utility damages your account quality rating. The few rupees you'd save aren't worth it.
What each category costs: Meta template charges.
Create one
Write the message
Be specific. "Your order #1001 has shipped and arrives Thursday" beats "Your order has an update" — it performs better with customers and it's likelier to be approved, because Meta can tell what it's for.
Add your variables
Variables are the blanks filled in at send time — the customer's name, their order number, a tracking link.
When you use the template in an automation, you connect each blank to a real value. See Using customer details in messages.
Pick a category and language
Language matters more than people expect. A template approved in English is a completely different template from the same text in Hindi. If you want to message customers in both, you submit and get approved for both.
Submit it to Meta
Enscale sends it over and tracks the status. You'll be notified when it's approved or rejected.
Template statuses
| Status | What it means | Can you send? |
|---|---|---|
| Pending | Submitted, waiting on Meta. Usually minutes. | No |
| Approved | Ready to use. | Yes |
| Rejected | Meta declined it, with a reason shown. | No |
| Paused | Meta suspended it for poor quality signals. | No |
Paused is the one that hurts, because it usually happens mid-campaign. It follows a pattern of customers blocking or reporting that specific message. Meta pauses the individual template rather than your whole number — a warning shot, not a ban. Treat it as a signal that the message or the audience was wrong.
Why templates get rejected
Rejections aren't a penalty. Fix and resubmit.
| Reason | What to do |
|---|---|
| Category mismatch | Marketing content submitted as utility. Resubmit in the right category. |
| Starts or ends with a variable | Meta won't accept a bare placeholder at either end. Add words around it. |
| Two variables in a row | Put text between them. |
| Too vague | Meta can't tell what the message is for. Be specific about the order, product or action. |
| Promotional wording in a utility template | Remove the offer, or resubmit it as marketing. |
| Spelling or formatting problems | Fix and resubmit. |
Repeatedly submitting low-quality templates does affect your account rating, so read the rejection reason rather than resubmitting blindly.
Where templates get used
- In automations — the Template Message step. Needed whenever the flow isn't already inside an open 24-hour window, which is most of them.
- In campaigns — every campaign needs an approved template. That's not optional.
- In your inbox — when a conversation's 24-hour window has closed, the reply box offers your approved templates instead of free typing.
Protecting your quality rating
Meta scores each of your WhatsApp numbers on how customers react. Blocks and reports push it down; replies and engagement push it up.
A low rating means Meta cuts how many people you can message per day and makes template pauses likelier. Four things protect it:
- Only message people who genuinely opted in.
- Categorise templates honestly.
- Keep marketing frequency sane — one good message beats four ignored ones.
- Make opting out obvious and easy.
Opted-out contacts are excluded automatically. You never have to manage that list yourself.
Common questions
Next steps
- Meta template charges — what each category costs.
- Broadcasts — using templates in campaigns.
- WhatsApp setup — connecting the channel.