WhatsApp Marketing Template Guidelines: Formatting, Compliance, and Approval Best Practices

1. Technical Formatting Rules

• Variable Sequencing: Placeholders must be sequential and use double curly braces.

  • ✅ Correct: Hi {{1}}, your event starts at {{2}}.

  • ❌ Incorrect: Hi {{2}}, your event starts at {{1}}. (Out of order)

  • ❌ Incorrect: Hi {1}, your event starts at {2}. (Single braces)

• No "Floating" Variables: Do not place variables at the very beginning or end of a message without surrounding text. Meta flags these as "too generic" and prone to spam.

• Spacing & Line Breaks: * Avoid more than two consecutive line breaks (newlines).

  • Avoid more than four consecutive spaces.

• Character Limits:

  • Body: Max 1,024 characters.

  • Footer: Max 60 characters (variables are not allowed in footers).

  • Buttons: Max 25 characters per button.

2. Content & Policy Requirements

• Category Accuracy: * Utility: Strictly informational (e.g., "The doors are now open").

  • Marketing: Contains any promotional intent, "Buy Now" energy, or rewards.

  • Tip: If your "Doors Open" message includes a discount for the snack bar, it must be categorized as Marketing.

• Language Match: The language you select in the submission form must exactly match the text of the template. Using "Hinglish" (Hindi + English) while selecting "English" as the language is a common cause for rejection.

• Safe Links: * Use full, branded HTTPS URLs (e.g., https://ticmint.com/tickets).

  • Avoid URL shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl) as they are frequently flagged for phishing.

• Sensitive Data: Never ask for full credit card numbers, passwords, or government IDs. Requesting the "last 4 digits" for verification is usually okay.

3. Best Practices for Approval

• Descriptive Naming: Use clear, lowercase names with underscores.

  • ✅ door_opening_alert_10am

  • ❌ template_1 or test_message

• Provide Samples: When submitting, Meta allows you to "Add Sample." Always do this—it helps the reviewer understand what information will fill the {{1}} and {{2}} slots.

• Opt-out Option: For Marketing templates, including an "Unsubscribe" or "STOP" button is highly recommended to maintain a high Quality Rating.