How to fix a rejected WhatsApp template

Before you start

• The rejected template
• The rejection reason Meta returned

The steps

1. 1

   Check whether it was re-categorised, not rejected

   If the category changed rather than the template being refused, nothing is wrong with your text. The price changed. Decide whether you still want to send it at the new rate.

2. 2

   Look at the first and last characters

   A placeholder at the very start or very end is the most common mechanical cause. Wrap it in fixed text: "Hi {{1}}, your order..." rather than "{{1}}, your order...".

3. 3

   Look for touching placeholders

   {{1}} {{2}} with nothing between them fails. Put a real word between them, not just a comma. This bites hardest in translations, where word order moves variables together.

4. 4

   Check the numbering

   Placeholders must run 1..n with no gaps and no repeats out of order. {{1}} then {{3}} is a hard fail.

5. 5

   Replace junk samples

   If your sample values were "test" or "abc", that alone explains it. Meta assesses the filled message.

6. 6

   Re-read the category

   If there is a promotional sentence in a utility template, that is the rejection. Either remove the sentence or resubmit it as marketing.

7. 7

   Edit and resubmit the same template

   Do not create a new one under a different name. Appeal only where you are genuinely right — a wrong appeal costs you standing.

Where this usually goes wrong

• Changing everything at once

  You learn nothing, and if it fails again you are no closer. Change the one clause the reason points at.

• A URL button built from a variable

  Easy to miss because the body looks fine. Fix the domain, vary the path.

• Restricted content

  Alcohol, tobacco, supplements with medical claims, gambling and some financial products are refused however the template is written. Check the policy before rewriting.