What is a WhatsApp template message?
A WhatsApp template message is a message format submitted to Meta and approved in advance, which a business must use to start a conversation with a customer outside the 24-hour session window.
Why templates exist.
Meta lets customers start a conversation with any business freely, but it does not let businesses do the same. To message a customer who has not written to you in the last 24 hours, you have to use wording Meta has already reviewed. The point is to keep WhatsApp from filling up with unsolicited promotions. Templates are the only way a business can reopen a cold conversation.
What a template looks like.
A template has an optional header, a body, an optional footer and optional buttons. The body can contain placeholders that you fill in at send time, so one approved template covers thousands of customers: an order number here, a delivery date there. The fixed wording is what Meta approves. The variables are yours. Buttons can call a number, open a link, or send a quick reply that brings the customer back into a live session.
How approval works.
You submit a template through your provider or through Meta Business Manager, choose a category, and wait for review. Most decisions land quickly. Meta checks that the wording matches the category you picked, that it is not misleading, and that placeholders are not left dangling with no context. An approved template stays usable until you edit it or Meta re-reviews it, at which point the same checks apply again.
The Voltade take
We keep template libraries small and boring on purpose. A handful of clear utility templates covering order updates, appointment reminders and re-engagement will carry most Singapore SMEs, and they get approved without argument. Sprawling promotional template sets are where approval problems and customer blocks tend to start.
Related pages
More from the glossary
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