To start a conversation with a customer via WhatsApp, you need a message template approved by Meta. In this article, you'll learn how to create WhatsApp templates in Selzy, add variables and buttons, submit templates for review, and delete them.
What is a WhatsApp template
A WhatsApp template is a message that you create in advance and submit to Meta for approval.
WhatsApp has different rules for sending messages depending on whether you're replying to a customer or starting a conversation yourself:
- Reply to a customer. When a customer sends you a message, a 24-hour messaging window opens. During this window, you can reply with regular messages without using a template. The window resets every time the customer sends another message and closes 24 hours after their latest message.
- Starting a conversation. Outside the 24-hour window, you can't send a regular message to start or continue the conversation. To contact the customer, you need to use a message template approved by Meta.
For example, if a customer messages you at 10 AM on Monday, you can send regular replies until 10 AM on Tuesday. If they send another message at 6 PM on Monday, the window stays open until 6 PM on Tuesday. After that, you'll need an approved template to message them again.
Create a WhatsApp template
To create a WhatsApp template, go to Scenarios → WhatsApp. Click Add template and fill in the template settings.
Name
Enter a template name using lowercase Latin letters, numbers, and underscores (_).
The combination of template name + language must be unique. This means you can use the same template name to create versions in different languages.
Category
Select the category that matches the purpose of your message:
- Marketing for promotions, announcements, offers, and other marketing content;
- Utility for service messages related to a customer's actions, such as order updates or appointment reminders;
- Authentication for verification codes.
The category affects both Meta's review and the cost of sending the template.
Don't select Utility for promotional content to reduce messaging costs. Meta checks the template content and may change its category during review.
Currently, you can't create Authentication templates directly in Selzy. If you need one, contact our support team: support@selzy.com
Language
Select the language used in the template.
You can create versions of the same template in multiple languages.
Header and footer
You can optionally add a header and footer to your template.
Each can contain up to 60 characters.
Message
Enter the main text of your message. It can contain up to 1,024 characters.
You can personalize the message using merge tags.
Merge tags
You can use merge tags to personalize your template with recipient data, such as their name. Meta supports two parameter formats for WhatsApp templates: named and positional. In Selzy, you use them as merge tags:
- named, for example {{name}};
- positional, for example {{1}}.
Note that several rules apply:
- You can't mix named and positional formats in the same template.
- A merge tag can't be placed at the very beginning or end of the message.
- For WhatsApp templates, named merge tags must use lowercase Latin letters. For example, use {{name}} instead of {{Name}}
- For each merge tag, add an example value. Meta uses these examples when reviewing the template. Templates with missing example values may be rejected.
We recommend using named merge tags because they're easier to identify and work similarly to merge tags elsewhere in Selzy.
Buttons
Open the ‘Buttons’ tab to add buttons to your template.
You can add up to three buttons. A button can:
- send a quick reply;
- open a link.
Image
Open the ‘Image’ tab and upload a sample image.
The sample is used by Meta when reviewing your template. When you actually send the message, the image is passed using a link. This means you can use the same image for every recipient or provide a different image for each recipient.
An image in the header replaces a text header.
Submit the template for review
Once the template is ready, click Submit for review.
The template will be sent to Meta. You can track its status in the template list:
- Pending: Meta is reviewing the template. Review can take up to 24 hours, according to the official Meta guidance.
- Approved: the template has been approved and is ready to use.
- Rejected: Meta rejected the template. Check the ‘Comment’ column for the reason.
- Paused or Disabled: Meta has restricted the template because of recipient complaints.
To view templates for a connected WhatsApp number, go to the WhatsApp numbers page and click the template list in the number's row.
What happens if Meta changes your template’s category
Meta checks whether your selected category matches the template content.
If it doesn't, Meta may approve the template under a different category instead of rejecting it. For example, if a promotional template is submitted as Utility, Meta can reclassify it.
The template will then be billed according to its new category.
To see the updated category in Selzy, click Refresh templates.
Delete a WhatsApp template
Before deleting a template, keep the following in mind:
- Meta keeps the template name reserved for about 30 days after deletion, so you can't immediately create another template with the same name.
- Templates belong to the WhatsApp Business Account (WABA), not to an individual phone number.
If several phone numbers are connected to the same WhatsApp Business Account, deleting a template removes it for all of them. Selzy shows which numbers will be affected in the deletion dialog.
