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Message Template Guidelines
Message Template Guidelines

What does a message template look like, and how do I craft one?

Mohamed Elbadwihi avatar
Written by Mohamed Elbadwihi
Updated over a week ago

Template Name

Message template names can only contain lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores. No other characters or empty spaces are allowed.

Examples of valid message template names:

  • order_confirmation

  • booking_request

  • customergreeting2

Examples of invalid message template names:

  • Order_confirmation

  • booking request

  • customer_Greeting2

Template Body (Content)

Message templates are limited to 1024 characters. You can include placeholders for variables or parameters that you'd like to fill in later on, to cater your message for each customer.

Parameters are defined using curly brackets and a number in between them, as shown in the following example. You can also format your message using WhatsApp's standard message formatting features:

The above message can be customized to say:

Hello Jason, your order is ready and will be delivered on Thursday, the 5th of November.

Notice that placing asterisks around the variable displays it as bold text. View the official guideline for more on WhatsApp text formatting.

Template Types

Here is a list of template types that have a higher chance of being approved:

ACCOUNT UPDATE
Notify the message recipient of a change to their account settings.

  • Profile has changed

  • Preferences are updated

  • Settings have changed

  • Membership has expired

  • Password has changed

PAYMENT UPDATE

Notify the message recipient of a payment update for an existing transaction.

  • Send a receipt

  • Send an out-of-stock notification

  • Notify an auction has ended

  • Status on a payment transaction has changed

PERSONAL FINANCE UPDATE
Confirm a message recipient’s financial activity.

  • Bill-pay reminders

  • Scheduled payment reminder

  • Payment receipt notification

  • Funds transfer confirmation or update

  • Other transactional activities in financial services

SHIPPING UPDATE
Notify the message recipient of a change in shipping status for a product that has already been purchased.

  • Product is shipped

  • Status changes to in-transit

  • Product is delivered

  • Shipment is delayed

RESERVATION UPDATE
Notify the message recipient of updates to an existing reservation.

  • Itinerary changes

  • Location changes

  • Cancellation is confirmed

  • Hotel booking is cancelled

  • Car rental pick-up time changes

  • Room upgrade is confirmed

APPOINTMENT UPDATE
Notify the message recipient of a change to an existing appointment.

  • Appointment time changes

  • Appointment location changes

  • Appointment is cancelled

TRANSPORTATION UPDATE
Notify the message recipient of updates to an existing transportation reservation.

  • Flight status changes

  • Ride is cancelled

  • Trip is started

  • Ferry has arrived

TICKET UPDATE
Send the message recipient updates or reminders for an event for which a person already has a ticket.

  • Concert start time changes

  • Event location changes

  • Show is cancelled

  • A refund opportunity is made available

ISSUE RESOLUTION

Notify the message recipient of an update to a customer service issue that was initiated in a Messenger conversation, following a transaction.

  • Issue is resolved

  • Issue status is updated

  • Issue requires a request for additional information

  • ALERT. Notify the message recipient of something informational. Business hours/hours of availability

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