Promotional messages on WhatsApp are sent as marketing category templates, which Meta reviews before you can send them. Get the format right and approval takes minutes. Get it wrong and you are stuck rewriting while the sale you planned it for goes by.
Below are samples you can adapt, followed by the rules that decide whether they pass.
Sale and discount announcements
Lead with the offer and the deadline. Vagueness kills these. Anything in double braces is a placeholder filled per contact.
Hi {{1}}, our end of season sale is live. Flat 30% off everything until Sunday, no code needed. Shop here: {{2}}
Reply STOP to opt out.
{{1}}, you have 24 hours left. The 30% sale closes tonight at midnight and prices go back up tomorrow. {{2}}
Reply STOP to opt out.
New arrival and launch
Hi {{1}}, the new {{2}} collection just landed. Sizes are limited on the popular pieces, so have a look while everything is in stock: {{3}}
Reply STOP to opt out.
Back in stock
One of the highest converting messages you can send, because the person already told you they wanted it.
Good news {{1}}, the {{2}} you asked about is back in stock. We have {{3}} left. Order here: {{4}}
Reply STOP to opt out.
Abandoned cart
Hi {{1}}, you left {{2}} in your cart. It is still saved, and we held your size. Finish here: {{3}}
Reply STOP to opt out.
Win-back for quiet customers
{{1}}, it has been a while. Here is {{2}} off your next order as a thank you for shopping with us before. Use {{3}} at checkout, valid for 7 days: {{4}}
Reply STOP to opt out.
Festive and seasonal
Happy Diwali from all of us at {{1}}. Our festive collection is up to {{2}} off until {{3}}, and orders placed today ship tomorrow: {{4}}
Reply STOP to opt out.
Welcome messages for new contacts
People search for WhatsApp group welcome message samples, but for a business the useful version is the welcome sent when someone opts in to hear from you. Set expectations in it, because that is what stops blocks later.
Welcome to {{1}}, {{2}}. You will hear from us about new arrivals and sales, roughly twice a month. Not more. Reply STOP any time to opt out, or just reply here if you need anything.
The rules that decide approval
Meta rejects marketing templates for a small, predictable set of reasons. Work through this list before you submit.
- Pick the marketing category. Anything promotional is marketing. Submitting a sale message as a utility template to pay the lower rate gets it rejected, and repeated attempts damage the account.
- No placeholder at the very start or end. A template that opens with {{1}} or closes with it is rejected. Wrap it in real words, which is why the samples above say “Hi {{1}}” rather than just {{1}}.
- No floating placeholders. Two placeholders next to each other with nothing between them will not pass.
- Give example values. Submit sample content for each placeholder. Reviewers reject templates they cannot evaluate.
- Keep it clean. No all-caps shouting, no wall of emoji, no misleading claims about prizes or guaranteed results.
- Include an opt-out. Not strictly required on every template, but it protects your quality rating, and quality rating is what protects your number.
You can build and preview any of these with our template generator, and there are more formats, including utility and authentication messages, in our template examples library.
What separates the ones that work
Approval is the low bar. Getting a reply is the real one, and the difference is usually not the writing.
- Send to a segment, not everyone. The back-in-stock message converts because it goes to people who asked. The same message to your whole list is spam.
- One offer, one link. Two calls to action halve the response.
- Keep it short. WhatsApp is read on a phone, in a few seconds, between other chats.
- Be ready for replies. These messages start conversations, and a reply inside 24 hours is free to answer. Not answering is the most expensive thing you can do with a promotional campaign.
Marketing conversations are priced per conversation by Meta. Estimate a campaign with our cost calculator, and see how to send at scale in our guide to bulk WhatsApp messages.