> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tied.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Message templates

> Pre-approved messages for WhatsApp and Twilio content — what needs one, and how approval works.

Some channels will not let you send arbitrary text outside a conversation window. A template is a message pre-approved by the platform, with variable slots you fill at send time.

The rule that drives all of this: **WhatsApp allows free-form replies only inside the 24-hour service window.** Outside it, a template is the only way to reach someone.

## What needs a template

| | |
| - | - |
| **WhatsApp, outside the 24-hour window** | Always. No free-form text is possible |
| **WhatsApp, inside the window** | No — reply freely |
| **Twilio content templates** | For structured content across Twilio-backed channels |
| **SMS, RCS, email, web chat** | No templates required |

## Categories, and why they matter

WhatsApp templates carry a category, and the category sets both the approval bar and the price:

<CardGroup cols={3}>
  <Card title="Marketing" icon="megaphone">
    Promotions, launches, abandoned cart, re-engagement. Strictest review. Always chargeable.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Utility" icon="package">
    Order updates, shipping, payment confirmations. Free inside the service window.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Authentication" icon="key-round">
    OTP, 2FA, login verification. Chargeable **even inside** the window.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>

<Warning>
  **Do not miscategorise to get a cheaper rate.** Meta reviews the actual content, and a marketing
  message submitted as utility is rejected — or, worse, approved and later flagged, which damages the
  quality rating on your number. See [WhatsApp](/channels/whatsapp).
</Warning>

## Variables

Templates carry numbered placeholders you fill at send time:

```
Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} shipped and should arrive {{3}}.
```

Two things worth knowing:

* **Variables cannot carry the whole message.** A template that is almost entirely variables reads as an attempt to bypass review, and gets rejected.
* **Provide realistic examples on submission.** Reviewers judge the template as a customer would see it filled in. Vague examples are a common rejection cause.

## Approval

<Warning>
  **Templates are authored and submitted in Meta Business Manager, not in Tied.** Tied reads your
  approved templates down and sends against them; it does not create, edit or submit them. Budget
  for working in two tools here.
</Warning>

<Steps>
  <Step title="Write and submit it in Meta Business Manager" icon="pencil">
    Set the content, category, language and the variables with example values, and submit it for
    review there.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Wait for Meta" icon="clock">
    Usually minutes to hours, occasionally longer. The state you see is Meta's.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Sync it into Tied" icon="refresh-cw">
    On the inbox's Configuration tab, use **Sync templates**. This pulls the current approved list
    down. A template Meta approved five minutes ago is not visible to Tied until you sync.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Use it" icon="circle-check">
    An approved template is available to flows, campaigns and agents.
  </Step>
</Steps>

### States

| State | What it means |
| - | - |
| **Pending** | Submitted, awaiting review |
| **Approved** | Usable |
| **Rejected** | Not usable. Fix and resubmit — the reason is shown |
| **Paused** | Meta paused it after negative feedback. Quality-related |
| **Disabled** | Repeated problems. Effectively permanent |

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tied/EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je/images/diagrams/template-approval-light.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je&q=85&s=32173fea44a3b7fa4af61c26f5d02d0d" alt="WhatsApp template states: draft, pending, approved, rejected, paused and disabled, and the edges between them." className="block dark:hidden w-full my-8" noZoom width="900" height="400" data-path="images/diagrams/template-approval-light.svg" />

<img src="https://mintcdn.com/tied/EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je/images/diagrams/template-approval-dark.svg?fit=max&auto=format&n=EKg57bTFCkV_E_Je&q=85&s=57f496e97e6903cf764fd449295c0ae1" alt="WhatsApp template states: draft, pending, approved, rejected, paused and disabled, and the edges between them." className="hidden dark:block w-full my-8" noZoom width="900" height="400" data-path="images/diagrams/template-approval-dark.svg" />

<Info>
  **Editing an approved template resubmits it for review.** A copy change is not free — it returns the
  template to Pending. Plan template changes rather than iterating on them live, particularly for
  anything a campaign depends on.
</Info>

## Practical advice

**Submit the templates you will need before you need them.** Approval is fast but not instant, and discovering at campaign launch that your template is pending is entirely avoidable.

**Keep a utility variant of important messages.** Utility templates are free inside the service window; a marketing-categorised equivalent is not. For messages that could legitimately be either, having both lets you send the cheap one when the window is open.

**Localise deliberately.** Each language is a separate template with its own approval.

## Next

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="WhatsApp" icon="message-square-more" href="/channels/whatsapp">
    The 24-hour window, the free entry point window, and quality rating.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Campaigns" icon="megaphone" href="/campaigns">
    Sending templates to a segment.
  </Card>

  <Card title="WhatsApp fees" icon="receipt" href="/pricing/channel-fees/whatsapp">
    What each category costs, by country.
  </Card>

  <Card title="Channels overview" icon="radio-tower" href="/channels">
    Which channels need templates at all.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>


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