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A template is a pre-approved WhatsApp message. You need one to start a conversation with a customer who has not written to you in the last 24 hours, which is what every campaign does. Templates live under Mass Marketing → Templates; the same list feeds the campaign wizard and the Inbox.

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Before you start

  • A connected WhatsApp Business number. Templates belong to one number; if you have several, you pick which one in the editor.
  • Permission to create templates in your role.
  • Any media you want in the header or carousel cards: JPEG or PNG images, MP4 video, or a PDF, each at most 5 MB.

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Create a template

1

Open the editor

Go to Mass Marketing → Templates and click New Template.
2

Answer What are you sending?

Pick the purpose that fits best: Order confirmation, Shipping update, Receipt or invoice, Appointment reminder, Customer support reply, Promo or offer, Welcome message, Abandoned cart, Feedback request, OTP / verification code, or Something else. The purpose pre-sets the Category, the Where you’ll use it tags, and a starting Internal name. You can change all three afterwards; click Change next to the purpose pill to pick again.
3

Name it

Internal name accepts letters, numbers, and underscores only; anything else is converted and the field shows Saved as with the result. Customers never see this name.
4

Write the message

Type the Body (up to 1,024 characters). Use the toolbar for bold, italic, and strikethrough, and Add Variable to insert a placeholder such as {{1}}. Or click Draft with AI, describe the message, and click Generate; the helper may ask A couple of details first, then offers Use this draft or Try again.
5

Add optional parts

Below the body you can Add an image, video, or title at the top, Add a small note at the bottom, Add buttons for actions, or Add a card carousel. Each part is described below.
6

Check Setup

In the Setup card choose Send from (shown only when you have more than one number), Category, Language, and Where you’ll use it (Inbox replies, Campaigns).
7

Save or submit

Save as Draft keeps the template in Popcorn only. Submit for review sends it to Meta; the toast Submitted to Meta for review confirms it. The checklist on the right must read Ready to submit; otherwise it lists what to fix.
The Preview panel shows the message as customers will see it, updating as you type.

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Variables and example values

Variables are numbered placeholders: {{1}}, {{2}}, and so on. When you send a campaign you map each one to a customer field or a fixed value. Meta’s rules, which the editor checks as you type:
  • Number them 1, 2, 3 in order with no gaps. Named placeholders such as {{name}} are not accepted.
  • The body cannot start or end with a variable, and two variables cannot sit next to each other.
  • Up to 10 variables in the body. The body cannot be only a variable.
  • Every variable needs an example in Example values for variables so Meta’s reviewers can read the message.
  • A text header can hold at most one variable, and it must be {{1}}. The footer cannot contain variables.
Header (pick one): Image, Video, Document, or Bold title (text, up to 60 characters, no line breaks). Media is uploaded from your computer, 5 MB maximum. Footer: a short note up to 60 characters, no variables, no line breaks. Buttons: click Add buttons for actions and choose what the first button does, then Add another button for more. Labels are limited to 25 characters and cannot contain emoji or line breaks. A template can have up to 10 buttons in total.

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Card carousels

A carousel is a message followed by 2 to 10 swipeable cards, each with its own image or video and buttons. Click Add a card carousel; the editor starts with two cards and hides the header, footer, and top-level button sections, because a carousel template is body plus cards only.
  • Card media: Image or Video. Every card uses the same format; switching the format clears the media on all cards.
  • Card buttons: WhatsApp shows the same buttons on every card. Set the button type and its label once under Card buttons (Open a link, Quick reply, or Call us, up to 2 per card), then give each card its own link or phone number below it.
  • Each card can have optional text of up to 160 characters. If one card has text, every card needs text.
  • Card text cannot contain variables.
  • Add card and Remove card change the count; Remove carousel returns to a normal template.
Card links are tracked the same way as top-level link buttons.

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Category

Marketing, Utility, and Authentication are Meta’s categories. Your purpose pre-sets one; the Draft with AI helper also tells you when your content looks like a different category and offers Switch to it. Meta reviews the category during approval and may change it: the editor then shows Meta reclassified this template from … to …, and the list shows a Reclassified badge. A reclassified template still works, but delivery and WhatsApp pricing follow the new category. If you need the original category, create a new template whose content matches it.

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Statuses

The status filter on the templates list has these values. Status changes arrive from Meta automatically; you do not need to refresh anything in Popcorn.

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Edit, duplicate, delete

  • Only a Draft can be edited. Once submitted, the editor shows This template is … and can’t be edited. Click Duplicate to get an editable draft copy, change it, and submit that. Duplicating from the list works the same way through the row menu.
  • Delete removes the template from your Popcorn account and from WhatsApp. This cannot be undone.