Message templates

A message template is a pre-written message that Meta has reviewed and approved. It is the only thing WhatsApp delivers to someone whose 24-hour window has closed — which is almost everyone you would broadcast to. Templates are WhatsApp-only. Nothing else in DMLY uses them. Facebook, Instagram, SMS and Telegram broadcasts have no template picker and never need one — see what the other channels do instead. The Templates item in the sidebar only opens on a WhatsApp channel; on any other channel it tells you Message templates are only available on WhatsApp channels.

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Why templates exist

WhatsApp lets you send a free-form message only within 24 hours of a contact’s last message to you. Outside that window Meta delivers approved templates and nothing else. So: Templates start conversations. Free-form continues them. A broadcast is by definition a conversation you are starting, which is why a WhatsApp broadcast shows no message box at all — only a template picker. The wizard says so plainly: Broadcasts send an approved WhatsApp template — you can’t type a message directly. Only approved templates are listed.

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Approved is the only status that sends

Saving puts a template into Pending; Meta then returns Approved or Rejected. Draft means the submission didn’t reach Meta — save it again. Only Approved templates appear in the broadcast picker, the Inbox composer, or anywhere else you choose a template. DMLY checks approval twice: once when it builds the list, and again at the moment of sending. If Meta revokes a template between scheduling a broadcast and sending it, those sends fail rather than going out as something else.

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Build a template

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Limits Meta enforces

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Variables

Variables are numbered placeholders — {{1}}, {{2}} — that you fill in per recipient when you send. Select Add variable to insert the next one; it numbers them for you. One rule the builder blocks you on, and one Meta will reject you for:

• A template can’t start or end with a variable. Meta wants text around it.
• Every variable needs a sample value for review. That value is only for Meta’s reviewer — it is never sent to anyone.

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Filling variables in a broadcast

Once a template is approved, picking it in a broadcast shows one Enter parameter box per variable, under Body parameters. Each box takes either a fixed value or a personalisation token, so a template with one variable can greet everyone by name: put {{first_name}} in parameter 1 and DMLY resolves it per recipient as it sends. Custom fields work the same way — for example {{custom.order_id}}. This is the split worth understanding: Meta approves the template’s wording; you supply the variable values at send time. Changing what goes in a variable never needs re-approval. Changing the sentence around it does.

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Approval

Meta reviews automatically. Most templates come back within minutes, but Meta allows itself up to 24 hours — plan a campaign around a day of slack, not five minutes. Use Refresh templates on the Templates page to pull current statuses from Meta; the page shows when it last synced. Statuses only change when you sync, so refresh to find out whether Meta has approved yours yet.

The template came back Rejected

The rejection reason from Meta is saved and shown on the template, with Edit to fix. The usual causes are a category mismatch (marketing content submitted as Utility), promotional wording in a Utility template, or a placeholder-heavy body with too little real text. Fix the content and save again to resubmit.

I edited an approved template and nothing changed

This is the big one. Edits to a template Meta has already accepted are not pushed. DMLY tells you when it happens — Template saved. It already exists on WhatsApp — edits to a submitted template aren’t pushed automatically — and the message that actually sends is still the one Meta approved. To change approved wording, create a new template under a new name.

System vs My Templates

System holds the templates DMLY ships and maintains, marked Managed by DMLY. They are named dmly_… and power appointment reminders, invoices, receipts, review requests and the rest. They are submitted to Meta for you when you connect a live number.My Templates is everything you build. Broadcasts can use either, as long as it is approved.

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What the other channels do instead

The practical consequence: WhatsApp is the only channel where reaching a cold contact is a solved problem. On Messenger and Instagram, a contact outside the window with no opt-in simply cannot be broadcast to.

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