> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://docs.patagon.ai/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://docs.patagon.ai/en/agent-optimization/whatsapp-templates.md). # How WhatsApp templates work: eligibility and approval For rating definitions, see the [ILA lead rating system](/en/agent-optimization/ila-rating-system.md). ## What is a Meta-approved template A template (or message model) is a pre-written message that needs to be **reviewed and approved by Meta** before it can be sent. It's different from a regular WhatsApp message because: * It's sent to initiate a conversation **outside the 24-hour window**, when the lead has gone more than 24 hours without sending any message * It must follow WhatsApp Business API categories and content rules * Once approved, it can be reused anytime for automatic follow-ups and campaigns Approved templates are available in Patagon AI at **Agent → Capabilities → Templates tab**, and can be selected both in the post-24h Follow-up configuration and in campaign creation. ## Why post-24h follow-up requires a template (and within-window doesn't) This is the most frequent question about the topic, and the answer lies in a WhatsApp Business API rule itself, not in Patagon AI. ### The WhatsApp 24-hour window Whenever a lead sends a message to your agent, WhatsApp opens a **24-hour conversation window**. Within this window, the agent can respond with **free text**, any message, without format restrictions or prior approval. That's why the agent converses normally, asks questions, and responds in natural language during an active conversation. When the lead goes **more than 24 hours without sending any message**, this window expires. From that point on, WhatsApp **no longer allows the business to send free text messages**. The only way to resume contact is using a **Meta-approved template**. ### What this means in practice for follow-up ``` Lead sends message │ ▼ 24h window opened │ Lead stops responding │ ├── Up to 24h later → Agent can follow up with free text │ (no template needed) │ └── After 24h → Window expired. Only approved template allows recontact via WhatsApp API ``` Patagon AI's automatic Follow-up respects this cycle. Follow-up **within the window** uses free text generated by the agent. Follow-up **post-24h** only works if there's an approved template selected in the Follow-up configuration. If the "Follow-ups after 24h" option is active but no template has been selected (or if the template is pending approval), the follow-up simply isn't sent. The lead remains without automatic contact after the window expires. ## The three template categories and when to use each When creating a template, you choose one of three available categories. This choice is determinant for approval, Meta verifies if the message content is aligned with the declared category. ### Marketing **When to use:** offers, promotions, launches, news about products or services, any message with commercial or persuasive intent. **Characteristics:** it's the category with most creative freedom, but also with greater Meta attention in review. Marketing messages need to make it clear they're making an offer or communicating something new, they can't disguise commercial intent in service language. **Approval:** generally faster, but rejections happen when content seems deceptive, promises unrealistic results, or lacks clarity about who is sending. **Example use in Patagon AI:** reengagement of 3★ lead with real news ("We launched a new plan that may be exactly what you were waiting for"). ### Utility **When to use:** continuity of an ongoing process, meeting confirmations, reminders, status updates, messages that give continuity to a conversation that already existed. **Characteristics:** it's the safest category for reengagement follow-ups. Meta approves with more consistency and speed because the message doesn't have direct commercial connotation. That's why it's the **recommended category for post-24h follow-up** in most cases. **Approval:** faster and more consistent. The most common rejection cause is including promotional language. If the text mentions discount, offer, or commercial advantage within a Utility template, Meta will reject. In these cases, switch to Marketing. **Example use in Patagon AI:** "Hi {{1}}, I saw our conversation was left open. Can I still help you with something?" ### Authentication **When to use:** sending verification codes, one-time passwords (OTP), or identity confirmations. Not used for follow-up or reengagement campaigns. **Characteristics:** category restricted to authentication cases. Meta has very specific criteria for approving this type of template. Don't use Authentication for relationship or sales messages. ## How much Meta charges per message (2026 changes) Templates and service messages carry a **cost charged by Meta**, separate from Patagon AI's billing. Patagon only charges per **qualified lead** (see [Plans and pricing](/en/billing-and-plans/plans-and-pricing.md)); the WhatsApp per-message cost is Meta's and depends on the **category** of each message. For years, Meta billed WhatsApp in **24-hour conversations**. That per-conversation model has been discontinued: today billing is **per message**, based on the category the message falls into. ### The billing categories | Category | Type | Billing | Status | | ------------------- | ----------- | ----------- | --------------------------------------------------------- | | Marketing | Template | Per message | Active | | Utility | Template | Per message | Active (free within the service window until Oct 1, 2026) | | Authentication | Template | Per message | Active | | Service | No template | Per message | Starting Oct 1, 2026 (free since Nov 2024) | | Meta Business Agent | No template | Per token | Starting Aug 1, 2026 | **Service messages** are exactly the free-text replies the agent sends within the 24-hour window (described above). The **Meta Business Agent** is Meta's own AI layer and is billed per token; any reply that doesn't come from it is a service message. ### What changes in 2026 Three dates matter: * **July 1, 2026** — Meta launched the Meta Business Agent platform, its AI layer for WhatsApp. * **August 1, 2026** — Meta begins charging Meta Business Agent messages, per token, billed monthly. * **October 1, 2026** — the change most businesses will feel: **service messages** (your replies to a customer who wrote first), free since November 2024, start being charged **per message**. **Utility** messages sent within the service window also start being charged on this date. In short: replying to a customer who wrote first has been free. Starting **October 1, 2026**, each of those replies has a price. ### How much a service message costs in Latin America Service message rates are set per market and match those of Utility and Authentication. There are no volume discounts for service messages (Utility and Authentication keep volume tiers). Meta will publish the final rates — effective October 1, 2026 — by September 1, 2026; current per-market rates already serve as a reference: | Market | Cost per service message (USD) | | ------------- | ------------------------------ | | Argentina | $0.0260 | | Chile | $0.0200 | | Peru | $0.0200 | | Rest of LatAm | $0.0113 | | Mexico | $0.0085 | | Brazil | $0.0068 | | Colombia | $0.0008 | As a reference, a business in Mexico replying to 10,000 customer messages per month would pay about **$85** for those service messages ($0.0085 each). ### What keeps the bill down Two things still reduce the cost: * **Click-to-WhatsApp ads** (and Facebook ads that open a conversation) start a **free 72-hour entry window** — those conversations are answered at no cost. * Until **October 1, 2026**, the 24-hour service window is still **free**. {% hint style="info" %} The number that matters most isn't the cost per message, it's the **cost per qualified lead** and the **cost per booked meeting**. That's why Patagon AI connects every conversation to the ad that created it and qualifies leads automatically. Rate source: Meta, WhatsApp Business Platform. {% endhint %} ## How to create and submit a template through Patagon AI The template can be created directly in the app at **Agent → Capabilities → Templates tab → + New Template**, without needing to access Meta Business Manager. ### Form fields **Template Name** - internal template identifier. Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores (eg: `reengagement_3_stars`). No spaces or special characters. **Language** - the language the message is written in. Select English for English templates. **Category** - Marketing, Utility, or Authentication. Choose based on content (see previous section). **Header** *(optional)* - highlighted text that appears at the top of the message. Useful for clearly naming the message subject. **Body** *(required)* - the main message text. 1,024 character limit. Use `{{1}}`, `{{2}}`, etc. to include personalized variables (lead name, date, product, etc.). Each variable needs to have an example value provided before submitting. **Footer** *(optional)* - small text below the body, generally used for opt-out instructions ("Reply STOP to no longer receive messages"). **Buttons** *(optional)* - click **+ Add Button** to include quick reply buttons (eg: "Yes, I'm interested", "No thanks") or link buttons (to direct to a URL). ### Submitting for approval After filling all fields, click **Save**. The template is automatically sent for Meta review. You don't need to do anything else, Patagon AI manages the submission to the WhatsApp API. If you already have templates created directly in Meta Business Manager, use the **Sync from WhatsApp** button on the Templates screen to import them to Patagon AI without needing to recreate them. ## Approval time Meta approval generally takes **from a few minutes to up to 24 hours**. There's no guaranteed SLA, in practice, most simple Utility templates are approved in less than 1 hour. The template status is visible in **Agent → Capabilities → Templates tab**. While pending, the template doesn't appear in the post-24h Follow-up selection dropdown or in campaign creation. {% hint style="info" %} **Plan ahead:** if you're going to launch a campaign or activate post-24h follow-up, create and submit the template at least **24 hours before**. Creating at launch time is the most common mistake. The template stays waiting for approval while leads go without follow-up. {% endhint %} ## What to do when a template is rejected Meta sends a rejection notification with a reason code. The most common cases are: **Promotional content in Utility template** - the most frequent rejection cause. Happens when the text mentions discount, promotion, offer, or any sales language within a Utility category. Solution: change the category to Marketing, or rewrite the body removing commercial intent. **Misleading content or exaggerated promises** - Marketing templates that promise guaranteed results, financial gains, or claims that can't be proven are rejected. Rewrite in factual and direct language. **Missing variable example** - if the body uses `{{1}}` but no example value was provided, Meta can't evaluate the variable context and rejects. Make sure to fill the example field for each variable. **Text too short or vague** - templates with very short body (a generic phrase) or without clear context about who is sending and why may be rejected. Add sufficient context for the recipient to understand the message without conversation history. ### How to correct and resubmit 1. Open the rejected template in **Agent → Capabilities → Templates tab** 2. Edit the content based on the rejection reason 3. If necessary, change the category 4. Save - the template returns to the review queue automatically 5. Wait for approval before using If a template is repeatedly rejected with the same content, it's a sign the problem is structural (wrong category or content that violates WhatsApp policies). In that case, create a new template with a different approach instead of continuing to edit the same one. ## How to connect the template to post-24h follow-up With the template approved, the next step is to activate it in Follow-up: 1. Access **Agent → Capabilities → Features** 2. Click on the **Follow-up** card 3. Make sure the **Enable Follow-up** toggle is active 4. Scroll to the **Follow-ups after 24h** section 5. Activate the **Enable follow-ups after 24h** toggle 6. Click **+ Add Follow-up** 7. In the **Template** dropdown, select the approved template 8. Click **Save Changes** If the dropdown appears empty or with error "Failed to load templates", it means no template is approved yet. Submit a template and wait for approval before trying again. ## Checklist before activating post-24h follow-up * [ ] Template created in **Agent → Capabilities → Templates** * [ ] Correct category selected (Utility for continuity, Marketing for offer) * [ ] Message body with sufficient context, no promotional language in Utility * [ ] Variable examples filled (if template uses `{{1}}`, `{{2}}` etc.) * [ ] Footer with opt-out instruction (recommended) * [ ] Template with **Approved** status visible in Templates tab * [ ] Template selected in post-24h Follow-up configuration ## Related articles * [How Follow-Up Works](/en/agent-optimization/how-follow-up-works.md) - the 5 Follow-up configuration fields and the complete 24h window cycle * [Lead Re-engagement (Warm-Up)](/en/agent-optimization/lead-re-engagement-warm-up.md) - reengagement strategy by score with templates for each lead profile * [How to use reengagement campaigns for your existing base](/en/sales-performance/reengagement-campaigns.md) - how to use approved templates in campaigns for the existing base * [Campaign Eligibility](/en/agent-optimization/campaign-eligibility.md) - what to do when the campaign appears as blocked * [What to do when your number has a RED Quality Rating](/en/troubleshooting/quality-rating-red.md) - how poorly categorized templates can affect your number's Quality Rating --- # Agent Instructions This documentation is published with GitBook. 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