A WhatsApp message template is a message whose wording Meta has approved in advance, which you need in order to message a customer outside the 24-hour window their last message opened.
The rule templates exist to enforce
When a customer messages you, a 24-hour customer service window opens. Inside it you
can write whatever you like. Once it closes, you cannot start a conversation in free text.
You can only send an approved template. This is Meta’s defence against WhatsApp filling
with unsolicited business messages, and it is why “just send them a quick message” is not
always available to you.
The categories, and why they decide your bill
Meta’s pricing documentation lists five message categories: marketing, utility,
authentication, service, and Meta Business Agent. Templates fall into the first three. The
category is not a label you choose freely. Meta assigns it based on the content, and the
rate differs by category and country
(Meta, WhatsApp Business
Platform pricing documentation).
- Utility. Tied to a transaction the customer already made. Order
confirmed, shipped, out for delivery, appointment reminder. Cheapest of the three in most
markets. - Marketing. Anything promotional. A sale, a new arrival, a
re-engagement nudge. Most expensive, and the category most likely to get you blocked. - Authentication. One-time passcodes.
Wording moves a message between categories. “Your order has shipped” is utility. “Your
order has shipped, and here is 10% off your next one” is marketing, for the whole message.
If your utility templates keep getting priced as marketing, look at the sentence you
added at the end.
Why approvals fail
Usually for dull reasons. Variables with no sample content. A variable at the very
start or end of the message. Placeholder text left in. Wording that promises something the
business cannot do. Or a template submitted as utility that reads as promotional. Fix the
text and resubmit. Repeated rejections across many templates are worth treating as a
signal about the whole approach rather than the wording.
Two things that bite later
Quality rating. If recipients block or report your messages, your
number’s quality rating drops and your sending limits tighten. The usual cause is
marketing templates to people who do not remember opting in. Templates do not protect you
from this. Relevance does.
Service messages now cost. Since 1 October 2026 the free-text replies
you send inside the 24-hour window are chargeable, with 1,000 per business phone number
per month free and no rollover. So the old habit of sending several short messages instead
of one clear one now has a price. See
conversation-based pricing.
Related terms
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