Personalize Marketing & Utility Message Template

Configure the message to be delivered in the Personalize section. The Personalize pane displays the message template name, language tabs matching the Metadata selection, and an emulated device screen.

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NOTE
In case you want to create an Authentication message template, go to the Personalize Authentication section

Each language tab's content must be in the language corresponding to the configured tab. The English tab needs English content; the Spanish tab needs Spanish content, etc.

The following table summarizes each component available in marketing and utility message templates and their options.

Main Components	Options	Required
Header	Text: Contains text, one personalized field (placeholder), and emojis. Image*: Accepts image files in `.jpeg`, `.jpg`, or `.png` format, with a maximum file size of 5 MB. Images must be 8-bit, RGB or RGBA. Video*: Accepts video files in `.mp4` format, with a maximum file size of 16 MB. Only H.264 video and AAC audio codecs are supported. Document*: Accepts `.pdf` documents with a maximum file size of 100 MB. Audio*: Accepts `.aac`, `.mp3`, `.amr`, `.mpeg` audio files with a maximum file size of 16 MB.	No
Text Message (Body)	Contains text, variables (personalized fields / placeholders), and emojis.	Yes
Footer	A short line of text at the bottom of your message template. When creating a message template, you may include a footer at the end of the message. A footer may only contain text. No personalized fields (placeholders) or emojis are allowed. A footer has a limit of 60 characters.	No
Buttons	Call To Action: Up to three (3) buttons (format options) are allowed. Format Options: Phone Number, Static URL, Dynamic URL. Quick Reply**: Up to ten (10) buttons are allowed.	No

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WARNING
When creating a message template, you must have the following:
Fill in the message template with the text and/or media components (Header, Body, Buttons, Footer), including parameter placeholders (variable), as required. Make sure thevalue of the placeholders (variable) do not contain newlines, or more than 4 consecutive Workspaces.

Newline or Tab Characters: WhatsApp restricts the use of newline (\n) and tab (\t) characters in placeholders. Ensure that your message does not contain any unexpected line breaks or tab Workspaces.

Excessive Workspaces: WhatsApp also prohibits more than four consecutive Workspaces. This is to maintain a consistent look and feel for messages and avoid formatting issues.

Here's an example to illustrate how to adjust the value of the placeholder (variable) in the message template message that might cause this error:

Incorrect Value

The following message constains only a variable:
Hello {{name}}, thank you for reaching out!
The incorrect value of the variable is the following:
Hello     Dear     Victor, thank you for reaching out!
Issues: The placeholder {{name}} is replaced by " Dear Victor" There are more than four consecutive Workspaces between "Hello", "Dear", and "Victor", which does not compliant with WhatsApp's formatting requirements.

Correct Value

The following message constains only a variable:
Hello {{name}}, thank you for reaching out!
The correct value of the variable is the following:
Hello Victor, thank you for reaching out!
The placeholder value for {{name}} is "Victor", without any unnecessary Workspaces, making it compliant with WhatsApp's formatting requirements.

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Markdown syntax
Markdown syntax is a powerful tool that can help you make your messages stand out and capture the attention of your recipients. You can create visually appealing and easy-to-understand messages. making your messages more readable. In the world of short attention spans, properly formatted messages can help ensure that your content is understood and remembered. Therefore, markdown is a lightweight markup language that you can use to add formatting elements to plain text text.
Markdown for WhatsApp message templates refers to a simplified text formatting system that allows you to apply basic styles to text in WhatsApp components ( Header, Body, Footer).
WhatsApp only supports a limited set of basic formatting options, such as bold, italics, strikethrough, and monospace:

Bold Text: To make text bold, place asterisks *around the text. (e.g., *this text is bold*).

Italic Text: To italicize text, use underscores _ around the text. (e.g., _this text is italic_).

Strikethrough Text: To strike through text, place tildes ~ around the text. (e.g., ~this text is Strikethrough~).

Monospaced Text: To display text in a monospaced (fixed-width) font, use three backticks (</code>) around the text. (e.g.,<code>).

Header

The Header is an optional element. It offers two options through radio buttons: a text header or a multimedia header. It is placed at the top of the message.

If you select text as the header, a title text entry box of up to 60 characters appears with an option to add one variable. The actual variable value counts toward the 60-character title limit. The Adding Variables section covers entering personalized fields.

The header appears in bold as the first element of the message on the recipient's device. The emulated device screen to the right of the Personalize pane previews its presentation.

If you select Multimedia, the platform offers four options: image, video, document, or audio. You choose by selecting one of the multimedia content images.

The Header supports the following multimedia file types and size limits:

File type	Supported formats	Maximum file size
Image	`.jpeg`, `.jpg`, `.png`	5 MB
Video	`.mp4`	16 MB
Document	`.pdf`	100 MB
Audio	`.aac`, `.mp3`, `.amr`, `.mpeg`	16 MB

NOTES:

Images must be 8-bit, RGB or RGBA.
Video files must use the H.264 video codec.
Audio tracks in video files must use the AAC codec.

The Adding Variables section covers adding variables to the Header.

Body

The message body is the only mandatory element. You enter the message content here, with room for 1024 characters, user-defined field variables, and emojis.

All these elements count toward the 1024-character limit. You monitor the character count to stay within the limit.

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NOTE

The minimum number of characters you can enter into the text body is 10 characters.

The maximum number of characters that you can enter into the text body is 1024 characters.

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ON MESSAGE VARIABLES
Variables to be added to the message body, are platform defined fields and those that you have defined and added to the platform.
To know how to add variables (placeholders) to the text body, go to the Adding Variables section.
Review the fields section of the platform here.

Footer

The footer is another optional element. It holds a closing message or Call To Action prompt of up to 60 characters. It immediately follows the Body section and precedes the Button elements of the message template.

Buttons

WhatsApp message templates support up to two optional button types: Quick Reply and Call to Action. Users interact with your business directly from the chat through these buttons.

Call to Action button — Customers call a specific phone number or visit a URL (static, dynamic, or both) through this button.

Up to three (3) call-to-action buttons are allowed per message template. These buttons can be either a phone number button or URL buttons (dynamic or static).

Only one phone number button is permitted per message template. The remaining buttons can be URL buttons, either dynamic or static, but the total number of call-to-action buttons must not exceed three.
Quick Reply — Users respond by tapping a predefined option instead of typing a response. This makes interactions faster and ensures the reply matches a value that can trigger an automation.

Up to ten (10) quick reply buttons are allowed per message template. Each button includes a visible label (Button Text) and a value that is sent back to the platform when the user selects it.

For example, this configuration adds two buttons to the message content:

Button Text = Yes, Button payload: agree
Button Text = No, Button payload: NotAgree

If the end user selects the button 'Yes', the platform will interpret it as 'agree' → agree (Yes).

You set the value of the Button payloads to Consent Management (Auto-Reply, Opt-Out, Help Response, Join Response).

The entered value in the button field must match exactly the keyword defined in the automation. The platform uses this value to trigger the corresponding automation. If the value does not match the configured keyword, the automation will not be activated.

For example,

Button Text = Tell me more
Button Text = No thanks
Button Text = Sign me up

These three button texts (Tell me more, No thanks, Sign me up) are keywords that were defined when creating the automations. This action triggers an automated response that directs the user to the corresponding automation. When the end user selects one of these options, the platform redirects them to the linked automation.

The following steps cover adding multiple buttons to a WhatsApp Message Template:

Enable Buttons Section

After composing the message body, you click the Buttons toggle to enable it and begin adding buttons.

Adding multiple buttons: A single WhatsApp message template supports up to 10 buttons in total. These can be a combination of Quick Reply and Call to Action buttons, according to the total number of buttons allowed per button type.

To add each button type, you click the Button Type dropdown menu. It displays the available button types.

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NOTE
When you add the first button to the message template, regardless of whether it is a Call to Action or Quick Reply button, it will be placed in the first position. For example, if you start with a Call to Action button like "Call to Phone Number," this will be the topmost button in the list.
When you decide to add a second button of a different type (e.g., after adding a Call to Action, you now add a Quick Reply), the system automatically creates a division between the button types. This division ensures that buttons of different types are grouped separately.
Each new button you add will be placed under the correct group according to its type. For instance:

If you add a Quick Reply button after having already added a Call to Action button, the Quick Reply button will be positioned below all Call to Action buttons, and a clear separation will exist between the two groups.\

That is, buttons of the same type will always be grouped together in the final message template. For example, if you add three Call to Action buttons first, they will all appear together, one after the other, at the top of the message. If you then add Quick Reply buttons, they will all be grouped together below the Call to Action buttons.
It's worth noting the counter located at the top of the Button Type dropdown menu plays a crucial role in managing the number of buttons you can add to a WhatsApp message template.
The counter indicates the total number of buttons allowed in your message template. In this case, the message template can accommodate up to 10 buttons. It also shows how many buttons have already been added.
For example, the counter reads "10/10," meaning that 10 buttons are available to be added to the message template. When the counter turns to "0/10" meaning that all 10 available button slots have been used.
This counter ensures that you do not exceed the maximum number of buttons allowed in the message template. As you add buttons, the counter will update to reflect the remaining slots

Call to Action buttons: Click on the dropdown menu labeled Button Type and check the box next to "Call To Action." This selection will allow you to configure a Call to Action (CTA) button.

After you select it, the Type of Action dropdown menu appears for choosing the CTA type: Call to Phone number and Visit Websites.

Call Phone number — Users call a specific phone number directly from the WhatsApp message. The note "(Up to 1)" indicates that only one "Call to Phone Number" button is allowed per message template.
1. Button Text: Enter the text that will appear on the button in the WhatsApp message. This text should be concise and indicate the action, such as "Call Now" or "Contact Us". The text field allows up to 25 characters.
2. Country/Region: Select the country code for the phone number.
3. Phone number: Enter the specific phone number that users will call when they click the button. Make sure the number is accurate and formatted correctly for the selected country.
Only one "Call to Phone Number" button is permitted per message template. If you try to add another, the system will prevent it.

Visit Websites — Directs users from the WhatsApp message to a specific webpage. When users click this button, the platform takes them to the URL specified during configuration. The note "(Up to 2)" indicates that only 2 "Visit Websites" buttons are allowed per message template.

Two types of Website buttons are available: Static and Dynamic.

Static — All users who click the button reach the same fixed website URL. For example, to direct everyone to your homepage, you select 'Static' and enter your homepage URL in the 'Website URL' field.
1. Button Text: Enter the text that will appear on the button in the WhatsApp message. This text should be concise and indicate the action, such as "Visit Our Website" or "Learn more". The text field allows up to 25 characters.
2. URL Type: Select the Static URL type option from the dropdown menu.
3. Website URL: Enter the URL that users will be directed to when they click the button. Ensure that the URL is correct and active (e.g., https://elipackage.com). The URL should start with http:// or https:// to redirect the user to the website. The text field allows up to 256 characters.
  
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  WARNING
  WhatsApp does not allow direct links to WhatsApp in Call-to-Action buttons.
  Call-to-Action buttons can only be used to open external websites. If you need to share a WhatsApp link (for example, a wa.me link), include it directly in the message body instead of using a button.
  Example:
  ❌ Not supported (CTA button) - Using a Call-to-Action button with a direct WhatsApp link:
  Button URL: https://wa.me/XXXXXXXX
  ✅ Supported (message body) - Including the WhatsApp link directly in the message body:
  Message text: Chat with us on WhatsApp (https://wa.me/XXXXXXXX)
Dynamic — You customize the URL for each user based on parameters. For instance, you might direct users to a personalized landing page by appending unique identifiers to the URL.
1. Button Text: Enter the text that will appear on the button in the WhatsApp message. This text should be concise and clearly indicate the action, such as "View Your Offer" or "Track Your Order". The text field allows up to 25 characters.
2. URL Type: Select the Dynamic URL type option from the dropdown menu.
3. Website URL: Enter the base URL where users will be directed. This is the primary website address without the personalized parameters (e.g., https://example.com/user). The URL should start with http:// or https://. The text field allows up to 256 characters.
  
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  NOTE
  When adding the dynamic Website URL, we recommend do not add a "/"at the end of the URL. The system will automatically append the "/" to the URL during processing. if the user adds the "/", the system will ensure only one is included, avoiding duplication.
4. URL Suffix: Enter the dynamic part of the URL, which will be appended to the base URL. This suffix might include variables (e.g., ?userID=12345 or &utm_campaign=sale2024). The actual value of these variables can be customized based on the data you have for each user. To enter the URL Suffix (variable), go to the Adding Variables section.
After you've entered all the necessary details for the CTA button selected, click the Add button to include an additional CTA button.
Quick Reply buttons: Click on the dropdown menu labeled Button Type and check the box next to "Quick Reply". This selection will allow you to configure a Quick Reply button.

This type of message offers a quicker way for users to make a selection from a menu when interacting with a business. Users select from up to 10 predefined responses per message template.
1. Button Text: Enter the button payload or keyword that will appear on the button in the WhatsApp message. This is the text that users will see and tap on to send a quick response. The button text is limited to 25 characters. For instance, you have created a Chatbot automation. The Chatbot flow is designed to be activated by a specific keyword, which in this example is "Track Order."By entering "Track Order" into the Button Text field of the Quick Reply button, you ensure that when users select this option, the system immediately routes the conversation to the Chatbot flow without requiring the user to type anything manually.
After you've entered all the necessary details for the Quick Reply button, click the Add button to include an additional Quick Reply button.

After you configure the WhatsApp message template, you select Save to create it. After saving, the template must undergo an approval process before it can be used to send messages.

WhatsApp requires up to 48 hours to review and approve the message template. During this time, the message template is evaluated to ensure it complies with WhatsApp's messaging policies and guidelines.

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WhatsApp Template Status
Once the WhatsApp has been created, META will assign a quality status to the WhatsApp message template, to know more about these status we recommend you go to the WhatsApp Message Template Quality Status section.

Click Tracking (buttons)

If a WhatsApp Message Template includes at least one URL-linked Call-to-Action or Quick Reply button, you monitor user interactions when they click each button. Enabling this feature collects data on how users engage with buttons.

After you add at least one of these buttons, the Click Tracking toggle appears at the top of the message template preview.

The Enabling Click Tracking section covers click tracking configuration.