Create a WhatsApp template

Steps

1. Step 1 of 12

   Open Create template

   WhatsApp templates are created on their own tab of Templates.

   In the console, go to Templates, under General settings, and choose the WhatsApp templates tab. The page also holds quick templates, internal text your team inserts with a shortcut in a conversation that is already open. Click Create template, in the WhatsApp Business account row. The New template panel opens, with the editor on the left and the preview on the right. Nothing is saved or sent until you create it.

   • Templates › WhatsApp templates › Create template
   • Quick templates have their own tab
   • Nothing is saved until you create it

   Watch step 1 on the screen

2. Step 2 of 12

   Give it a name

   The template name is the one your team sees.

   Under Template information, type the Template name, for example Spring welcome. Only your team sees this name. The WhatsApp template name is created from it automatically, with lowercase letters, numbers and underscores, and cannot be edited.

   • Template name: only your team sees it
   • The WhatsApp name is created for you
   • That name cannot be edited

   Watch step 2 on the screen

3. Step 3 of 12

   Choose the category

   The category sets how WhatsApp reviews and bills the template.

   Every WhatsApp template has a category. In WhatsApp category, choose Marketing, for offers and invitations, or Utility, for confirmations and updates. WhatsApp reviews and bills each category differently. The category cannot be changed once WhatsApp registers the template.

   • Marketing: offers and invitations
   • Utility: confirmations and updates
   • Fixed once WhatsApp registers it

   Watch step 3 on the screen

4. Step 4 of 12

   Add tags and teams

   Tags group templates and teams decide who sees them.

   In Tags, open the list and select the ones that apply. Tags group templates in the library and in the composer, and they are the same across the whole workspace. Tags with a lock come with every workspace and cannot be changed, such as Start with a customer, Start with a prospect and Re-engagement. In Available for, choose the teams that see the template in their composer; leave it empty and everyone sees it.

   • The same tags across the workspace
   • Tags with a lock cannot be changed
   • Available for empty: everyone sees it

   Watch step 4 on the screen

5. Step 5 of 12

   Add the languages

   Each language is a version of the same template.

   Under Configure message, the template starts with one language, marked Default. To add another, click Add language and search for it; the list holds main languages only, without regional variants. Each language is a separate version of the template, with the same name: its message, buttons and examples are written separately, and WhatsApp reviews each language on its own. With two languages or more, the Default selector appears: Bridge sends the version in the contact’s language and, when there is none, the default one.

   • Main languages only, with search
   • The first one is the default
   • Each language has its own message

   Watch step 5 on the screen

6. Step 6 of 12

   Write the message

   The body is the message the contact receives.

   In Message body, write the text, up to 1,024 characters, with bold, italic, strikethrough or emoji if you need them. With Variable you insert data Bridge fills in on every send: from the Recipient, such as their first name; from the Sender, the Bridge user who sends it; or the Organization name. The text cannot start or end with a variable: if it does, the error shows as you type and Send for approval is disabled until you fix it.

   • Up to 1,024 characters
   • Variable: Recipient, Sender or Organization
   • Do not start or end with a variable

   Watch step 6 on the screen

7. Step 7 of 12

   Create your own variable

   Your own variable carries data the user types or the API sends.

   For data Bridge does not hold, open Variable and choose Create custom variable. Type the Variable name, with lowercase letters, numbers and underscores, and the Default text, which is required. The user types the value in the composer, or the API sends it; when it arrives empty, the default text is used. Your variables appear under Custom variables (API or User filled), below the message, where you can copy, edit or delete them.

   • Name: lowercase letters, numbers, underscores
   • The default text is required
   • Copy, edit or delete it in its box

   Watch step 7 on the screen

8. Step 8 of 12

   Add a header, footer and buttons

   A header, a footer and buttons complete the message.

   These parts are optional. In Header, choose None, Text, Image, Video or Document. In Footer, write a short line under the message, without links, up to 60 characters. In Buttons, use Add button to add up to 10, such as Quick reply, Visit website or Call phone number.

   • Header: text, image, video or document
   • Footer: one line, no links
   • Up to 10 buttons

   Watch step 8 on the screen

9. Step 9 of 12

   Give examples and check the preview

   Examples let you read the message as the contact will see it.

   In Preview examples, type an example value for each variable you used. Examples are used only in the preview and in WhatsApp’s review, and never reach a contact. On the right, the Preview shows the message as the contact receives it; the Examples switch toggles between the example values and the variables. It is indicative: it varies by device.

   • One example per variable
   • Only for the preview and the review
   • Examples: values or variables

   Watch step 9 on the screen

10. Step 10 of 12

    Send it for approval

    One click creates the template and sends it to WhatsApp.

    Click Send for approval. This creates the template and sends the language on screen to WhatsApp. If anything is missing, a window lists what to resolve before sending. Once sent, the notice Template created and sent for approval confirms it and that language moves to In review. The other languages are sent from the same editor, with Send for review. Cancel closes the panel; if you changed anything, Bridge asks before discarding it.

    • Creates the template, sends the language on screen
    • That language moves to In review
    • The others, with Send for review

    Watch step 10 on the screen

11. Step 11 of 12

    Follow the approval

    WhatsApp decides each language; the list shows its status.

    The template appears in the WhatsApp templates list, with one row per language. The Approval column shows WhatsApp’s decision for each language: In review, Approved, Rejected, Paused or Not submitted. Only approved languages can be sent. If WhatsApp rejects a language, what it said shows when you hover over the status: open the template, fix it and send it again. The Sync column says whether Bridge holds WhatsApp’s latest copy.

    • One row per language
    • Only approved languages can be sent
    • If rejected, you see what WhatsApp said

    Watch step 11 on the screen

12. Step 12 of 12

    Activate, hide or delete it

    Hiding does not delete the template; deleting it from WhatsApp does.

    The Active switch shows or hides the template from people in Bridge and applies to all its languages. An inactive template still exists in WhatsApp, so the API can still send it. To remove it for good, use Delete from WhatsApp in the row menu: it deletes that row’s language and cannot be undone. If it is the last language, the whole template is deleted, and the name of an approved template cannot be reused for 30 days. Once WhatsApp approves it, your team finds it in Bridge, under the Templates button of the chat.

    • Inactive: hidden in Bridge, still in WhatsApp
    • Delete from WhatsApp cannot be undone
    • Once approved, your team uses it in the chat

    Watch step 12 on the screen