insideDM

Create a WhatsApp template and get it approved

4 min readUpdated 9 Oct 2026

In short

Go to Interaction › Templates, press Submit template, give it a name, a category and the message, then press Submit for review. Meta usually answers in minutes to hours; press Sync from Meta to see whether it’s approved.

Where it isInteractionTemplates

On WhatsApp, a business can start a conversation only with a message Meta has approved in advance. That message is a template. You need one for every WhatsApp offer you send to a list. Replies inside a chat where the customer wrote to you in the last 24 hours don’t need one.

Before you start

  • Your WhatsApp number must be connected. See Connect WhatsApp.
  • Templates is a WhatsApp screen. If it isn’t in the sidebar, switch the channel at the top of the dashboard to WhatsApp or to both channels.
  • Your role needs permission to manage templates. Without it, the button reads Submitting needs the manage role.

Write and submit a template

  1. Go to Interaction › Templates. You can also press Manage templates on the Campaigns screen.
  2. Press Submit template.
  3. Fill in Template name. Use lowercase words joined by underscores, such as watch_offer_october. Only your team sees the name, and spaces are turned into underscores when you submit.
  4. Choose a Category (see the next section).
  5. Fill in Language with the language code, such as en_US.
  6. Write the Message body, up to 1,024 characters. Say who you are, what the offer is and how to get it. Use {{1}}, {{2}} and so on for blanks, and give an example of what goes in each one; Meta reviews the examples too.
  7. Add buttons if you want them, such as “YES, send the link” and “Not now”.
  8. Press Submit for review. You’ll see “Template submitted to Meta for review. Sync later to pull the verdict.”

Choose the right category

  • Marketing — offers, launches, restocks and “we miss you” messages. Anything that sells is marketing.
  • Utility — updates about something the customer already did, such as an order they placed.
  • Authentication — one-time codes. Most shops never need this one.

Meta decides the final category. If a template marked Utility reads like an offer, Meta can approve it as Marketing.

Check whether it’s approved

Press Sync from Meta to pull Meta’s latest answer.

Each template shows one of these statuses:

  • Approved — ready to use in a campaign.
  • In review — Meta hasn’t answered yet. Sync again later.
  • Rejected — Meta turned it down. Rewrite the message and submit it again under a new name.
  • Paused or Disabled — Meta has stopped this template, often because people blocked or reported it. It can’t be sent until Meta allows it again.
  • Status unknown — Meta sent a status insideDM doesn’t recognise. Sync again, or check it in WhatsApp Manager.

Only approved templates can be picked when you create a campaign. The others show as can’t send.

Blanks, buttons and templates you already have

When you use the template in a campaign, you choose what fills each blank, such as Text you type · same for everyone. There’s no option for the customer’s first name. A tap on a button comes back to you as the customer’s reply, and your agent answers it in the chat.

If you made templates in WhatsApp Manager (Meta’s own tool) before you joined insideDM, press Sync from Meta to bring them in with their status.

If something’s not right

  • “No active WhatsApp account is connected.”, “The sync could not reach Meta. Check the WhatsApp connection.” or another message about the WhatsApp connection: open WhatsApp in Set up › Connections, connect it again if it asks you to, then press Sync from Meta.
  • Submitting fails with a message from Meta. The message gives Meta’s reason. Fix what it names and submit again, under a new name if Meta says the name is taken.