What is a Message Template?
WhatsApp requires pre-approved templates for any message your business sends to a customer outside the 24-hour customer service window — that is, when the customer hasn't messaged you in the last 24 hours.
Templates exist so Meta can review outbound content and protect users from spam. Once a template is approved, you can reuse it for campaigns and 1:1 outreach.
Template scope
Templates belong to a specific WABA account. They are not shared across other WABA accounts you have connected in TimelinesAI, even if those accounts belong to the same Facebook Business profile. If you need the same template on multiple WABA accounts, you must create and submit it separately on each one.
You can also view and manage your templates directly in the Meta Business Portfolio manager under WhatsApp accounts > Account settings > Message templates. Changes made there sync back to TimelinesAI automatically.
Template categories
Each template must be submitted under one of three categories. Picking the right one matters — Meta re-categorizes templates that are mis-classified, and repeated mis-classification damages your account quality rating.
Marketing — promotions, offers, abandoned cart reminders, product announcements. Billed at the marketing conversation rate.
Utility — order updates, appointment reminders, payment confirmations, account notifications. Tied to a specific transaction the user is expecting.
Authentication — one-time passwords and login codes only. Restricted to short, code-only formats.
Template structure
A template can include:
Header — text, image, video, document, or location (optional)
Body — the main message text, with up to a few variables like
{{1}},{{2}}for personalization (required)Footer — short static line, e.g. "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" (optional)
Buttons — quick reply buttons or call-to-action buttons (URL, phone number) (optional)
Variables are filled in at send time. They cannot start or end the message body and cannot contain only variables — Meta will reject templates that look like raw placeholders.
How to create a template
Open TimelinesAI > WABA accounts and select your account
Go to Templates > New template
Pick a category (Marketing, Utility, Authentication) and a language
Give the template a name — lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only
Build the header, body, footer, and buttons
Add sample values for each variable (Meta requires examples for review)
Click Submit for approval
Most templates are reviewed within minutes, though Meta can take up to 24 hours.
Using approved templates
From a chat, or to a new contact
Open the chat, or start a new chat with the number, and choose a template from the template picker. You must send a template for the first message to a contact, and whenever the contact's last message is more than 24 hours old. Fill in any variables before sending.
Mass messaging
Go to Mass messaging → New WABA campaign, pick the template, and upload a CSV file. The CSV needs:
A Phone column in international format with a leading + (for example, +34611224001)
To be saved as UTF-8
One column per variable (for example, a Name column)
In the campaign builder, map each column to its variable. Any variable you don't map is sent as the raw placeholder.
Bulk Reply in the shared inbox
Not supported. Bulk Reply only shows the shared-inbox quick-reply templates. Use a WABA campaign instead.
Public API and automations
See the WABA API reference. To send a template, use POST /waba/messages with a template object (name, language, variables).
Approval status
After submission, the template moves through these states:
Pending — under Meta review
Approved — ready to use
Rejected — see the rejection reason in the template details and resubmit a fixed version
Paused — temporarily blocked due to low quality (see below)
Disabled — permanently blocked, usually after sustained low quality
Where to find your templates
WABA templates live under WABA accounts → Templates. This is different from the Templates menu of the shared inbox, which holds quick-reply templates for QR-connected numbers.
If you have more than one WABA account, use the account selector at the top of the Templates page. A template only appears under the account you submitted it to.
New templates appear with the status Pending while Meta reviews them. If a template seems to have disappeared, check the account selector and look for it with Pending status. Most reviews finish within minutes; some take up to 24 hours.
You can also see all templates in Meta: WhatsApp Manager → Account tools → Message templates. Changes made there sync back to TimelinesAI.
Quality rating
Meta tracks how recipients react to each template. If too many users block or report a template, Meta drops its quality and may pause or disable it. To keep templates healthy:
Only send to opted-in contacts
Make sure the message matches the chosen category
Provide a clear opt-out path
Avoid sending the same template too aggressively to the same audience
Editing and deleting
Approved templates can be edited once every 24 hours. Edits trigger re-review.
Rejected templates can be re-submitted at any time after fixing the issue.
Deleting a template is permanent. The same template name cannot be reused for 30 days.
Troubleshooting
"Invalid parameter" when creating a template
Check the name. It can only contain lowercase letters, numbers and underscores.
Check the body. It must contain real text, must not start or end with a variable, and every variable needs a sample value.
If the template looks correct, the problem is usually the WhatsApp Business Account itself, not the template. Open WhatsApp Manager in Meta and check that:
a valid payment method is attached
a timezone is set on the WhatsApp Business Account
the account isn't restricted or disabled
If the account is fine, reconnect the WABA account in TimelinesAI and try again.
TimelinesAI shows the error that Meta returns, and Meta often reports account problems as "Invalid parameter".
My template disappeared after I created it
Check the account selector on the Templates page, and look for the template with Pending status (see "Where to find your templates").
If it's in neither place, check Meta's Message templates page. Meta deletes templates it rejects for policy reasons, and a template deleted there disappears from TimelinesAI as well.
Template stuck in Pending for more than 24 hours
Check your WhatsApp Business Account in Meta for a payment-method or verification warning. Then contact support with the template name.
The customer received {{1}} instead of their name
In a WABA campaign, this means the variable wasn't mapped to a CSV column, or the column was empty for that row. Map every variable before sending.