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

# How to create and get a message template approved (Meta)

> Categories, variables with examples, buttons and click tracking — and how to avoid the number 1 cause of rejection.

## What you will learn

How to create a WhatsApp template, submit it for Meta's approval and use buttons with click tracking — which is what ties a sale to a message.

## Why approval exists

To start a conversation outside the [24-hour window](https://docs.cliqo.io/en/whatsapp/primeiros-passos.md), Meta requires a template it has approved in advance. Approval is usually fast (minutes to a few hours), and the templates stay **in your account** — approved once, used forever.

## Create a template

In **Templates**, **WhatsApp (Meta)** tab, fill in the **New template** form:

1. **Template name** — lowercase letters, numbers and underscores only (accents and spaces are converted automatically). E.g. `oferta_semana`.
2. **Category** — Meta charges and judges by it:
   * **Utility** — order, delivery, payment. Cheaper. Since Oct 1, 2026, Meta also charges for utility messages sent inside the 24h window.
   * **Marketing** — promotion, news, coupon.
   * **Authentication** — access codes.
     Don't try to pass marketing off as utility: Meta rejects it for the wrong category or changes the category — and the cost changes with it.
3. **Message** — the text, with variables `{{1}}`, `{{2}}` for whatever changes per person or per campaign (name, coupon, product).
4. **Example for each variable** — mandatory. **A variable without an example is the most common cause of rejection** — Meta needs to see what the message looks like filled in.
5. **Buttons (optional)** — via **Add button**: **Quick reply** (e.g. "Tell me more") and/or **Link**. The button order is the order shown in WhatsApp, and it can't change after approval.

Then click **Submit for approval**.

You can also create one without leaving the campaign: in the campaign wizard's **Message** step, **Create new** opens the same approval request (there, with the Marketing and Utility categories).

## Track the button click

Every **Link** button created in Cliqo is tracked (**This button is tracked**): each recipient gets their own link, the clicks show up in the report and the **revenue is attributed** to the WhatsApp campaign. You choose the destination and the UTMs on each campaign — with no need to have the template approved again.

A template whose button has a fixed URL (created outside Cliqo, e.g. directly on Meta) can't be used to send a campaign: the campaign screen warns that the button can't be measured, and you need a template with the tracked link.

Tip: include the opt-out instruction ("reply SAIR to stop receiving messages") — on a **Marketing** template without it, the screen warns you and offers **Insert “Reply SAIR”** with one click.

## Statuses and what to do in each one

The statuses come straight from Meta and appear as Meta reports them:

| Status | Meaning |
| - | - |
| **PENDING** (in review) | Waiting on Meta — usually minutes to hours. |
| **APPROVED** | Ready to use in sends and flows. |
| **REJECTED** | Fix and resubmit. If the template was created through the campaign's **Create new**, the screen shows Meta's reason and offers **Edit and resubmit**; the Templates list shows only the status. Common causes: a variable without an example, text that violates the policy, wrong category. |
| **PAUSED** | Meta paused it for low quality (too many blocks/reports): 3 hours the 1st time, 6 hours the 2nd. Review audience and frequency before insisting. |
| **DISABLED** | On the 3rd pause Meta disables the template, and it doesn't come back — create another one, with different text. |

**Delete template** removes it **on Meta as well**, permanently — and campaigns and flows that use it stop sending; the screen warns you first. Meta also holds the **name** for 4 weeks: the replacement needs a different name.

## Related articles

* [How to send a bulk message](https://docs.cliqo.io/en/whatsapp/enviar-em-massa.md)
* [Number & quality](https://docs.cliqo.io/en/whatsapp/numero-e-qualidade.md)


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