Fix a rejected WhatsApp template
Rejections are almost always one of six things. Work through them in this order rather than rewriting the message from scratch — and rewrite once, not four times.
The instinct on a rejection is to rewrite the whole message and resubmit immediately. Resist it. Repeated rejected submissions affect your number's standing with Meta, and the cause is nearly always one specific, findable thing rather than the message as a whole.
Work through the six causes below in order. In practice the first two account for the large majority of rejections.
Steps
Read the rejection reason first
It appears in your Convarza notification feed. Meta's reasons are terse and generic, but they do point at a category, and reading it beats guessing.
Check the category
Marketing content submitted as utility is the most common rejection by a wide margin. If the message promotes, sells, or re-engages someone who has gone quiet, it is marketing. Resubmit under the correct category before changing a single word.
Check variable placement
No template may start or end with a variable, and two variables cannot sit adjacent. Add fixed text around them.
Check the sample values
Placeholder junk gets rejected because the reviewer cannot evaluate what will actually be sent. Give a plausible name, a plausible date, a plausible order number.
Remove anything that reads as spam
Excessive capitals, multiple exclamation marks, "click here now", guarantees about money, and URL shorteners. Shorteners in particular are treated with suspicion because they hide the destination.
Rewrite once, then submit once
Make every change you believe is needed, read it back as though you were the reviewer, and then submit. One careful rewrite beats four hopeful ones, and costs your number less.
If it is still rejected, change the shape rather than the words
Split a long template into a short notification plus a follow-up sent inside the window. Or move the offer out of the template entirely — get the customer to reply, and then say it in free-form text where no approval is needed.
Check it worked
Once approved, check your other pending templates for the same fault. A rejection is usually a habit rather than a one-off, and fixing four templates at once saves four rounds of review.
The parts people get wrong
- Repeated rejections can affect your messaging limits and quality rating. Treat a rejection as a signal about your approach, not as a queue to grind through.
- The 24-hour window is the escape hatch. If the person messaged you recently, you do not need a template at all.