Templates

WhatsApp message templates are pre-approved messages that let you contact customers outside the 24-hour messaging window. Use them for appointment reminders, order updates, and starting new conversations.

Why templates?

WhatsApp only allows businesses to send free-form messages within 24 hours of a customer's last message. After that, you must use an approved template.

Templates are useful for:

• Starting new conversations with customers

• Re-engaging after the 24-hour window closes

• Sending notifications and reminders

• Appointment confirmations

Create a template in Meta

Templates must be created and approved in Meta Business Manager before you can use them in Missive.

1

Open WhatsApp Manager

1. Log in to Meta Business Manager

2. Navigate to your WhatsApp Business Account

3. Go to WhatsApp Manager > Message Templates

2

Create template

Click Create Template and fill in:

• Category: Choose what type of message this is

• Language: Select the language

• Name: Internal name for the template

3

Add content

Build your template with:

• Header (optional): Text, image, video, or document

• Body: Main message text

• Footer (optional): Small text at the bottom

• Buttons (optional): Call-to-action or quick reply buttons

Use variables like {{1}}, {{2}} or named variables like {{customer_name}} for personalization.

4

Submit for approval

Review your template and submit it to WhatsApp for approval. This usually takes a few hours to a day.

Approval tips:

• Keep templates professional and clear

• Avoid promotional language in transactional templates

• Follow WhatsApp's template guidelines

5

Use in Missive

Once approved, templates automatically sync to Missive and are ready to use.

Send a template in Missive

1

Open the template picker

For new conversations:

1. Click the new message button

2. Select New WhatsApp Message

3. Enter the recipient's phone number

4. Click the template icon in the composer

For existing conversations:

1. Open the conversation

2. Click the template icon in the composer

2

Select a template

Choose the template you want to send from the list.

3

Fill in variables

If your template has variables, enter values for each one. Preview how the message will appear.

4

Send

Review your message and click Send Template.

Auto-fill variables

Missive can automatically fill these variables when contact data is available:

Variable	Value
{{recipient.name}}	Contact's full name
{{recipient.email}}	Contact's email address
{{recipient.phone}}	Contact's phone number
{{user.name}}	Your full name
{{user.email}}	Your email address

Other variables must be filled in manually when sending.