Creating WhatsApp Templates

WhatsApp templates are pre-approved message formats that allow you to initiate conversations with users outside the 24-hour messaging window. This guide covers how to create, submit, and manage templates.

Overview

Templates are required for:

Starting new conversations with users
Re-engaging users after the 24-hour window expires
Sending transactional notifications (order updates, appointments, etc.)

Template Structure

A WhatsApp template consists of:

Component	Required	Description
Name	Yes	Unique identifier (lowercase, underscores only)
Language	Yes	Language code (e.g., `en`, `es`, `pt`)
Category	Yes	UTILITY, MARKETING, or AUTHENTICATION
Body	Yes	Main message content with variables
Header	No	Text, image, video, or document
Footer	No	Short footer text
Buttons	No	Quick reply or URL buttons (max 3)

Creating a Template

Via Dashboard

Navigate to Senders in your dashboard
Select the sender you want to create templates for
Go to the Templates tab
Click Create Template
Fill in the template details and submit

Via API

import Zavudev from '@zavudev/sdk';

const zavu = new Zavudev({
  apiKey: process.env["ZAVUDEV_API_KEY"],
});

const template = await zavu.templates.create({
  name: 'order_confirmation',
  language: 'en',
  body: 'Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed and will ship within 24 hours.',
  category: 'UTILITY',
  variables: ['customer_name', 'order_id'],
});

console.log('Template ID:', template.id);
console.log('Status:', template.whatsappStatus); // "draft"

import os
from zavudev import Zavudev

zavu = Zavudev(
    api_key=os.environ.get("ZAVUDEV_API_KEY"),
)

template = zavu.templates.create(
    name="order_confirmation",
    language="en",
    body="Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed and will ship within 24 hours.",
    category="UTILITY",
    variables=["customer_name", "order_id"]
)

print("Template ID:", template.id)
print("Status:", template.whatsapp_status)  # "draft"

template = client.templates.create(
  name: "order_confirmation",
  language: "en",
  body: "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed and will ship within 24 hours.",
  category: "UTILITY",
  variables: ["customer_name", "order_id"]
)

puts "Template ID: #{template.id}"
puts "Status: #{template.whatsapp_status}" # "draft"

template, err := client.Templates.New(context.TODO(), zavudev.TemplateCreateParams{
    Name:      zavudev.String("order_confirmation"),
    Language:  zavudev.String("en"),
    Body:      zavudev.String("Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed and will ship within 24 hours."),
    WhatsappCategory: zavudev.String("UTILITY"),
    Variables: []string{"customer_name", "order_id"},
})

fmt.Println("Template ID:", template.ID)
fmt.Println("Status:", template.WhatsappStatus) // "draft"

$template = $client->templates->create([
    'name' => 'order_confirmation',
    'language' => 'en',
    'body' => 'Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed and will ship within 24 hours.',
    'whatsappCategory' => 'UTILITY',
    'variables' => ['customer_name', 'order_id'],
]);

echo 'Template ID: ' . $template->id . "\n";
echo 'Status: ' . $template->whatsappStatus . "\n"; // "draft"

curl -X POST https://api.zavu.dev/v1/templates \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ZAVUDEV_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "name": "order_confirmation",
    "language": "en",
    "body": "Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} has been confirmed and will ship within 24 hours.",
    "category": "UTILITY",
    "variables": ["customer_name", "order_id"]
  }'

Template Variables

Use numbered placeholders for dynamic content:

Hi {{1}}, your order {{2}} is ready for pickup at {{3}}.

When sending a message, provide the variable values:

await zavu.messages.send({
  to: '+14155551234',
  messageType: 'template',
  content: {
    templateId: 'tmpl_abc123',
    templateVariables: {
      '1': 'John',
      '2': 'ORD-12345',
      '3': '123 Main St'
    }
  }
});

Templates can also use named placeholders ({{customer_name}}) and text-header variables. For how named vs positional formats work and how to send them, see How Variables Work.

Template Categories

UTILITY

For transactional messages with specific, agreed-upon information. Examples:

Order confirmations
Shipping updates
Appointment reminders
Account notifications

Cost: Lower messaging rates

MARKETING

For promotional content and offers. Examples:

Sales announcements
Product recommendations
Newsletter content
Promotional offers

Cost: Higher messaging rates

AUTHENTICATION

For one-time passwords and verification codes. Examples:

Login verification
Two-factor authentication
Account verification

Cost: Lowest messaging rates

Adding Headers

Add a header to make your template more engaging:

const template = await zavu.templates.create({
  name: 'shipping_update',
  language: 'en',
  body: 'Your package {{1}} is on its way!',
  category: 'UTILITY',
  headerType: 'text',
  headerContent: 'Shipping Update',
});

Header Types

Type	Description
`text`	Plain text header
`image`	Image header (provide URL)
`video`	Video header (provide URL)
`document`	PDF or document header

Adding Buttons

Templates can include up to 3 buttons:

const template = await zavu.templates.create({
  name: 'order_tracking',
  language: 'en',
  body: 'Your order {{1}} has shipped!',
  category: 'UTILITY',
  buttons: [
    {
      type: 'url',
      text: 'Track Order',
      url: 'https://example.com/track/{{1}}'
    },
    {
      type: 'quick_reply',
      text: 'Contact Support'
    }
  ]
});

Button Types

Type	Description
`quick_reply`	Sends predefined response
`url`	Opens a URL (can include variables)
`phone`	Initiates a phone call
`request_contact_info`	Asks the recipient to share their phone number. The label is fixed by WhatsApp (Share Contact Info), so `text` is not required. Useful for username contacts known only by BSUID.

const template = await zavu.templates.create({
  name: 'callback_request',
  language: 'en',
  body: 'Hi {{1}}, we need a phone number to schedule your callback.',
  category: 'UTILITY',
  buttons: [
    { type: 'request_contact_info' }
  ]
});

The recipient’s answer arrives as an inbound contact message, and Zavu links the shared number to the contact automatically. See Contact Info Request Messages.

Best Practices

Keep it concise

Templates have character limits. Body text should be under 1024 characters.

Use clear variables

Name your variables descriptively in the documentation for easier maintenance.

Choose the right category

Incorrect categorization may lead to rejection or higher costs.

Test before production

Always test templates with your own number first.

Naming Conventions

Template names must:

Be unique within your account
Use only lowercase letters, numbers, and underscores
Not exceed 512 characters
Not start with a number

Good examples:

order_confirmation_v2
appointment_reminder
shipping_update_en

Bad examples:

Order Confirmation (spaces not allowed)
2fa_code (starts with number)
ORDER_CONFIRMATION (uppercase not allowed)

Next Steps

Submit for Approval

Learn how to submit templates and track approval status

Send Template Messages

Start sending messages with your approved templates

Getting Started

Build agents

Send & receive

Operate

Developer tools

Integrations

Creating WhatsApp Templates

Overview

Template Structure

Creating a Template

Via Dashboard

Via API

Template Variables

Template Categories

UTILITY

MARKETING

AUTHENTICATION

Adding Headers

Header Types

Adding Buttons

Button Types

Best Practices

Keep it concise

Use clear variables

Choose the right category

Test before production

Naming Conventions

Next Steps

Submit for Approval

Send Template Messages

​Overview

​Template Structure

​Creating a Template

​Via Dashboard

​Via API

​Template Variables

​Template Categories

​UTILITY

​MARKETING

​AUTHENTICATION

​Adding Headers

​Header Types

​Adding Buttons

​Button Types

​Best Practices

Keep it concise

Use clear variables

Choose the right category

Test before production

​Naming Conventions

​Next Steps

Submit for Approval

Send Template Messages

Overview

Template Structure

Creating a Template

Via Dashboard

Via API

Template Variables

Template Categories

UTILITY

MARKETING

AUTHENTICATION

Adding Headers

Header Types

Adding Buttons

Button Types

Best Practices

Naming Conventions

Next Steps