How to create, approve, and use WhatsApp templates in Blip

1. Summary
2. Message Categories
3. Step-by-Step: Creating a message template
4. Template Structure and Supported Content
5. Viewing Existing Templates
6. Analyzing the Message Template Status
7. Using Approved Templates

Summary

To send active messages on WhatsApp, you must create a message template. These templates follow a reusable format, use variables, and require prior approval from Meta. This allows you to send personalized messages to multiple customers without creating new text for each situation.

Using templates is mandatory to start any conversation with a customer or to contact them outside the customer service window (when they have not sent messages in the last 24 hours). In addition to ensuring compliance with the channel's policies, templates provide a good user experience.

Before you begin

• To deepen your knowledge of Meta's rules, see the official WhatsApp documentation about Message Templates.

• Also see the specific documentation about how message template categorization works and how to start conversations.

Message Categories

Meta currently requires you to classify templates into one of the three categories below. Do not mix contexts in the same message; for example, combining a delivery notification with a promotion will cause Meta to compulsorily categorize the message as Marketing.

• Authentication: Identity validation. Use it for one-time passwords (OTPs), account recovery, and security checks.

• Utility: Confirmations and updates about transactions. Use it for order updates, receipts, and delivery alerts.

• Marketing: Promotions, offers, customer re-engagement, or notifications that items are back in stock.

For more details about message templates, see Meta's official documentation:

• Template categorization
   

Step-by-Step: Creating a message template

To create a new template, follow the steps below:

• Access the Blip portal.

• Select the desired chatbot.

• Go to the Content module and click Message Templates.

• Click the Create template button.

• Fill in the required fields described below:

  1. Notification name: Define an internal identifier. Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores (_).

  2. Category: Select Marketing, Utility, or Authentication.

  3. Language: Define the primary language of the message. To include other languages, click Add translation later.

  4. Message body: Enter the main text. You must insert variables (such as {{1}}, {{2}}, and sequential numbering) to personalize the content.

5. Evaluate the content with AI (Text Only). Blip uses Artificial Intelligence to analyze your text according to Meta's standards and best practices. The validation is classified into three levels:

• High risk of rejection

• Low engagement risk

• Satisfactory engagement level

If the analysis indicates a risk of rejection or low engagement, AI will automatically generate a suggestion for new text. Click Copy and paste the suggestion to replace your original message, if it makes sense for your strategy. 

6. Click the Add translation button if you want to use the same template in different languages.

• Click Submit for review.

• In the window that opens, fill in the Variable examples field. Provide real examples of values for each variable inserted. This step is mandatory and provides Meta with context about how the template is used.

After all fields have been properly completed, click Submit for review. When you submit it for review, a modal will open so that you can provide the Variable examples. Enter examples of values for the variables in your template, as this information helps clarify the use case of the message template during Meta's review process.
 

Template Structure and Supported Content

A Message Template consists of a set of customizable components: 

Supported content types

A template may contain a Header, Body, and Footer. The accepted content types are:

• Text: Basic format. The character limit varies according to the component. Insert variables for personalization.

• Image (JPG/PNG): Images are great for product or brand visuals. They add personalization and a trustworthy tone to communication. Host them on servers that do not validate the "User-Agent" header (e.g., Google Drive, Amazon S3, Imgur).

• Video (MP4): Excellent for quick tutorials and product demonstrations. The maximum size allowed for sending through Blip is 16MB.

• Document (PDF): Ideal for sending invoices, receipts, and terms of service.

• Carousel: You can use a carousel to present multiple products or offers in a swipeable experience, keeping the conversation engaging and dynamic.
  Swipeable format with 2 to 10 cards. Each card requires media (image/video), optional text, and up to 2 buttons.
  The carousel has a main message body (text), followed by a collection of interactive cards (video or image). Each card is a mini-template and must include:

1. A Media Header (Image or Video).

2. An optional Text Body.

3. Up to two interactive buttons (URL or Quick Reply only)

Interactive Buttons

Interactive buttons turn your Active Messages into micro-interactions, efficiently guiding the customer to the next step. You can choose between Action Buttons (CTA) or Quick Reply Buttons in the Template. 

• Quick Reply: Limit of up to 3 buttons (up to 20 characters each). The button text becomes the message sent by the user, guiding the bot flow.

• Call Phone Number (Call to action - Phone Number): Limit of up to 2 buttons. Text must be short (maximum 20 characters). The number must be in international format, including the Country Calling Code and Area Code (e.g., +55 11 99999-9999).

• Action - Link (Call to action - URL): Direct the user outside WhatsApp (e.g., product page, order tracking) Maximum of 2 buttons (including calls). 

  • The http:// or https:// protocols are required.

  • Allows a dynamic URL via a variable (e.g., [https://site.com/order/](https://site.com/order/){{1}}). You can customize the link for each customer. The value of this variable must be configured in your chatbot flow, usually via an HTTP Request, before the Template is sent.

  • Do not use URL shorteners (such as bit.ly).

Passing parameters to the link via an HTTP Request

To assign a value to the dynamic URL in your chatbot flow, follow the structure below:

1. Access your chatbot's Builder and add an action of the HTTP Request type.

2. Select the POST method and enter the URL: https://{{contractid}}.http.msging.net/messages. Use the URL with the contract ID to avoid performance impacts.

Note: Use the URL with the contract ID to consume the endpoints. Their performance and operation may be affected, because this is the only way to use HTTP requests.

3. Enter your bot's authorization code in the request header.Here 

4. In the request body, use the following JSON structure:

{
  "id":"{{$guid}}",
  "to":"{{contact.identity}}",
  "type":"application/json",
  "content":{
  "type":"template",
  "template":{
    "name":"{{NOME-DO_MODELO}}",
     "language":{
        "code":"pt_BR",
        "policy":"deterministic"
     },
     "components":[
        {
           "type":"button",
           "sub_type":"url",
           "index":0,
           "parameters":[
              {
                 "type":"text",
                 "text":"{{urlPayment}}"
              }
           ]
        }
     ]
  }
  }
}

Viewing Existing Templates

In the Message Templates module, the viewing tab displays a centralized table with the following data:

• Template name: Unique internal identifier.

• Category: Current classification (Marketing, Utility, or Authentication).

• Language: Language setting (e.g., pt_BR, en_US).

• Recategorization: Alert indicating whether Meta changed the template's original category (this affects sending costs).

• Status: Current approval status.

• Quality (Score): Dynamic metric (High quality, Medium quality, Low quality, and Undetermined) based on user feedback.

You can use the resources at the top of the table to find templates:

• Filter by Status: View only templates with a specific status (e.g., Approved or Pending).

• Search Icon: Quickly find a template by entering the Template name.

Analyzing the Message Template Status

Meta's analysis is automated and may take anywhere from a few minutes to 24 hours.

• Approval: After submission, the status will appear as Pending.

• Synchronization: After approval, wait up to 20 minutes for the update to be reflected in the WhatsApp Business API.

• Quality: Monitor the score to avoid blocks caused by negative feedback. 

Using Approved Templates

1. On the Templates screen, identify the exact Template name in the first column (or click the template itself for more details).

• Access the Growth module.

• Select the appropriate audience.

• Follow the standard process for sending active messages by configuring the send with the name of the approved template. Learn more in the article: How to send an active message in Growth.

Need more help? Explore our content on Blip Academy or Blip Community, watch tutorials on our YouTube channel or get your questions answered through our support channel 😃