The rules Meta actually applies, with examples written for Indian institutes, clinics and builders.
Last updated 3 October 2026.
| # | Reason | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Floating or edge variables — a line that is only {{1}}, or a message that starts or ends with a variable. | Put words before and after every variable: "Hi {{1}}, your demo is on {{2}}." |
| 2 | Too many variables, too little text | Keep plenty of fixed words around them — roughly three words per variable plus one is a safe floor. |
| 3 | Broken variable syntax — {1}, {{ 1 }}, or {{1}} then {{3}} | Exactly two curly brackets each side, numbered 1, 2, 3 in order with no gaps. |
| 4 | No sample values | Give a realistic sample for every variable ("Priya", "Sat 5 Oct, 11 AM"). Reviewers judge the filled-in message. |
| 5 | Wrong category — offers or "limited seats" sent as Utility | Utility = something the person asked for or needs (confirmations, reminders, receipts). Anything that sells is Marketing. |
| 6 | Special characters inside variable values (#, $, %) | Keep those out of the variable; put symbols in the fixed text instead. |
| 7 | Link shorteners and wa.me links | Use a clean link on your own domain. |
| 8 | Threatening or shaming wording — "legal action", "final warning" | State the fact and the next step politely. This matters most for fee and payment reminders. |
| 9 | Duplicate or test templates — same body under a new name, names like "test1" | Edit the existing template instead; use descriptive names like welcome_enquiry. |
| Rejected | Approved |
|---|---|
| {{1}} | Hi {{1}}, thanks for your enquiry with Bright Career Academy. Our counsellor will call you shortly. |
| Reminder: {{1}} {{2}} | Hi {{1}}, this is a reminder that your free demo class is on {{2}}. Reply YES to confirm. |
| (Utility) Only 5 seats left! Pay today and get 20% off. | (Marketing) Hi {{1}}, our weekend batch starts on {{2}} and a few seats are still open. Reply SEAT to reserve yours. |
| Pay your fees immediately or face action. | Hi {{1}}, a gentle reminder that your instalment of ₹{{2}} is due on {{3}}. Reply here if you need the payment link. |
In India a utility message costs Meta about ₹0.115 and a marketing message about ₹0.86, so the category is not just a label. Meta can also re-categorise an approved template if its wording turns promotional. Keep confirmations, reminders and receipts clean of sales lines, and send offers as marketing.
WA Templates has a template library of ready-made, approval-friendly messages, a New template editor that asks for sample values, and Sync from WhatsApp to bring templates from another tool. Status (approved, pending, rejected) syncs back automatically.
Usually a few hours. If it is still pending after a day, check the category and wording and resubmit.
Yes — fix the issue and resubmit the same template rather than creating a duplicate with a new name.
Not within 24 hours of their last message — inside that window you can reply freely, and those replies are free. Templates are needed to message someone first or after 24 hours.
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