WhatsApp Templates Approval Guidelines

WhatsApp Templates Approval Guidelines

Overview

WhatsApp Template Approval Guidelines help institutes create effective templates that meet Meta's approval standards.

  • Template Creation: Learn how to design WhatsApp templates for business communication.

  • Approval Standards: Ensure compliance with Meta’s guidelines for successful approval.

  • Effective Messaging: Craft impactful and relevant messages for better audience engagement.

This ensures smooth approval of WhatsApp templates while maintaining effective communication.

Common Reasons for Template Rejection

Templates may be rejected due to the following reasons:

Personalization Token Issues

  • Variable parameters are incorrect or undefined.

  • Two variable tokens appear consecutively.

  • Values are missing for one or more variable tokens.

  • Special characters (e.g., #, $, %, &) are used within variable parameters.

  • Variable tokens contain excessive blank spaces (more than 5 characters).

  • Variables are formatted in multiple lines.

  • There should be value against every token, if value is not present against any token, the template will be failed.

  • Personalization token variable parameters are not defined. All parameters must have a known purpose, for example: the type of media you plan to send in a media message. Your template will be rejected if we do not know what goes into a specific parameter. We strongly recommend adding a sample value to your submission.

Formatting & Content Restrictions

  • Use of shortened links (e.g., bit.ly) in template content.

  • The message contains newline characters (\n).

  • Template name must be lowercase with no spaces (use underscores if needed).

  • Template content should not exceed 1024 characters (keep a buffer to accommodate variable replacements like URLs, which are often lengthy).

Media Template Limitations

  • Images: Less than 1MB

  • Videos: Less than 5MB

  • Documents: Less than 1MB

Policy Violations

  • Content that violates WhatsApp's Commerce Policy (e.g., restricted products/services).

  • Requests for sensitive information (e.g., full payment card numbers, National ID numbers, financial details).

  • Abusive, threatening, or defamatory language.

  • The message template is a duplicate of an existing template. If a template is submitted with the same content in the body and footer of an existing template, the duplicate template will be rejected. A rejection notification that includes the rejection reason will appear in Account Quality on WhatsApp Manager and be sent via email.

  • The template with Dynamic documents, Quick reply, Phone number & URL are not allowed to duplicate.

Best Practices for Template Approval

To improve approval chances, adhere to these guidelines:

  • Clearly define all variable parameters and include sample values.

  • Avoid unnecessary special characters and excessive blank spaces.

  • Use full URLs instead of shortened links.

  • Keep the content within the 1024-character limit, factoring in variable replacements.

  • Follow media size restrictions for images, videos, and documents.

  • Ensure compliance with WhatsApp’s Business and Commerce Policies.

Conclusion

By adhering to WhatsApp Template Approval Guidelines, institutes can streamline the approval process, ensuring their templates comply with Meta’s standards. Following best practices—such as proper variable formatting, avoiding restricted content, and maintaining message clarity—enhances approval success and improves communication efficiency. This helps in delivering impactful messages, reducing rejection rates, and fostering better engagement with the audience.

Additional Resources

For further details, refer to Meta’s official guidelines:

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