Master WhatsApp message templates. Learn what gets approved, common rejection reasons, and best practices.
WhatsApp lets you reply freely to any customer for 24 hours after their last message. Outside that window, and for any campaign you start, you must use a message template: a pre-written message that Meta has reviewed and approved. This guide covers creating templates in Ghala and getting them approved on the first try.
| Situation | Template needed? |
|---|---|
| Replying within 24h of the customer's last message | No — free-form messages |
| Following up after the 24h window closed | Yes |
| Bulk campaigns and broadcasts | Yes |
| Order updates initiated by you | Yes |
A template has up to four parts:
{{1}}-style variables for personalizationVariables are numbered placeholders filled in at send time: "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has shipped" becomes "Hi Amina, your order #1042 has shipped."
Meta reviews every template under a category, and pricing differs per category, so pick honestly:
A promotional message submitted as Utility is a near-guaranteed rejection. When a message mixes both, it's Marketing.
order_shipped, august_saleReview usually takes minutes to a few hours. The Templates page tracks each template's status (pending, approved, or rejected), and only approved templates can be used in campaigns.
The most common rejection reasons, and the fix:
| Rejection reason | Fix |
|---|---|
| Wrong category | Promotional content must be Marketing, not Utility |
| Vague variables | {{1}} with no context confuses reviewers; make the surrounding text explain it |
| Floating variables | Don't start or end the message with a bare variable |
| Policy content | No prohibited goods, misleading claims, or requests for sensitive data |
| Formatting issues | Broken variable numbering ({{1}}, {{3}} with no {{2}}), excessive caps or emoji |
A rejected template can be edited and resubmitted; you don't lose the slot.
order_confirmed, order_shipped, order_delivered beat one do-everything templateFor deeper guidance on wording that converts without hurting your quality rating, see Message Template Best Practices.