In this article 9 sections
Every WhatsApp message template you create belongs to one of three categories: marketing, utility or authentication. The category decides how Meta reviews the template, how much each message costs, and how customers can respond to it.
Choosing the right one is simple once you know the rule behind each.
The one-line rule
- Utility: about something the customer already did or asked for.
- Authentication: a one-time passcode, nothing else.
- Marketing: everything else — especially anything promotional.
Marketing templates
Marketing templates promote your business: offers, discounts, new products, announcements, event invitations, festive greetings, newsletters, and messages that try to bring back inactive customers.
Key points:
- Always charged by Meta, and usually the highest-priced category.
- Customers can opt out of marketing messages from a business.
- Reviewed more strictly for spammy wording.
- Should only go to people who agreed to receive them.
Examples:
- "Our Diwali collection is now in store. WhatsApp subscribers get 15% off this week."
- "We have opened a new branch in Thane — visit us this weekend."
- "We miss you! Here is 10% off your next order."
Utility templates
Utility templates are about a specific transaction or request the customer started.
Key points:
- Charged when sent outside an open 24-hour customer service window; not charged when sent inside one.
- Get cheaper per message at higher volumes, through Meta's volume tiers.
- Must not contain promotional content.
Examples:
- Order confirmation, shipping and delivery updates
- Appointment reminders and rescheduling
- Payment receipts and failed payment notices
- Account alerts and changes the customer requested
- Booking confirmations and tickets
Authentication templates
Authentication templates deliver one-time passcodes for logging in, verifying an account or confirming a transaction.
Key points:
- Meta fixes the wording, for example "{{1}} is your verification code."
- You cannot change the text, add a header or footer, or add your own buttons.
- Rarely rejected, because there is little to get wrong.
- Charged outside an open service window, like utility.
Messages that get re-categorised
Meta checks the content, not just the label you choose. These "utility" messages are actually marketing:
| Message | Why it is marketing |
|---|---|
| "Your order has shipped! Use code SAVE10 on your next purchase." | Contains an offer |
| "Your appointment is tomorrow. Also, try our new spa package." | Promotes another service |
| "Thanks for your payment. Check out our new arrivals." | Promotes products |
| "Your account is ready. Explore our premium plan." | Upselling |
The fix: split them. Send the update as utility, and send the offer separately as a marketing template — to people who want offers.
Labelling a promotional message as utility does not make it cheaper. Meta either changes the category or rejects the template, and repeated misuse can affect how Meta treats your account.
How category affects cost
| Category | When it is charged |
|---|---|
| Marketing | Always |
| Utility | Outside an open customer service window |
| Authentication | Outside an open customer service window |
| Free-form reply | Not charged as a template, inside the window |
For more detail and ways to keep costs down, read WhatsApp Business API pricing in India.
Choosing the category: a quick test
Ask three questions:
- Is it a one-time passcode? Authentication.
- Did the customer just do or request something, and is this message only about that? Utility.
- Anything else? Marketing.
If you hesitate between utility and marketing, it is probably marketing.
Best practice for each category
- Marketing: send less often, only to opted-in customers, with an opt-out line. Watch your quality rating.
- Utility: send promptly, keep it short and factual, and avoid upselling.
- Authentication: send only when the user requests a code, and make codes expire quickly in your own system.
For the step-by-step process of writing templates that pass review, see how to get WhatsApp templates approved first time.
Managing templates in ONPAD
ONPAD lets you choose the category when creating a template, shows the approval status from Meta, and fills in Meta's fixed text for authentication templates automatically. Read the templates documentation or start a free trial.
Written by the ONPAD TeamWe build ONPAD, WhatsApp marketing software on the official WhatsApp Business API, from Mumbai.