WhatsApp marketing template: what it is and when it can be sent
Updated October 20, 2026
A WhatsApp marketing template is a message, pre-approved by Meta, that promotes something: an offer, a new dish, an event, or a "we miss you" note to a customer who stopped ordering. It is the most expensive WhatsApp message category, it needs the customer's opt-in, and since 1 April 2025 Meta does not deliver it to US (+1) phone numbers.
In short
- Marketing = anything promotional, including cart reminders and any order update with a promo added.
- Needs opt-in. WhatsApp's Business Messaging Policy requires permission before you message anyone.
- Costs several times a utility message: US$0.0635 to a UK number against US$0.022 for utility (Meta's rate card from 1 October 2026).
- Not delivered to US numbers. In the US, WhatsApp sends order updates (utility, about US$0.0034 each), not promotions. Use email for offers.
- WhatsApp may cap how many marketing messages one person receives from businesses.
What counts as marketing?
Meta's template categorization rules treat anything with promotional or persuasive intent as marketing, and anything that is not clearly utility or authentication. For a restaurant:
| Message | Category |
|---|---|
| "This weekend: 20% off family meals" | Marketing |
| "New on the menu: smoked brisket" | Marketing |
| "It's been a while! Here's a free dessert on your next order" | Marketing |
| "You left 2 items in your cart" | Marketing (retargeting, even if the customer asked for it) |
| Order update with a promo code | Marketing (mixed content) |
| "Your order #42 is on the way" | Utility, not marketing |
If you submit a promotional message as utility, Meta approves it as marketing, and you have 60 days to ask for a review. See the difference between marketing and utility messages.
The rules that come with marketing templates
- Opt-in first. The customer must have given you their number and agreed to get messages from you. WhatsApp recommends separate opt-ins per category, so a customer who agreed to order updates hasn't automatically agreed to offers. See WhatsApp opt-in.
- Honor opt-outs, on or off WhatsApp.
- Per-user limits. WhatsApp may limit how many marketing templates a person receives from any business, based on how much they read. Meta publishes no number. A blocked send fails with error 131049; wait at least 24 hours before trying that person again. Marketing messages sent inside an open 24-hour window don't count toward this limit.
- No US delivery. Meta's Marketing Messages documentation says marketing messages to WhatsApp users in the United States are not delivered from 1 April 2025, across every Business Messaging API. See can I send WhatsApp offers to US numbers?
- Your number's daily limit caps how many people you can reach outside open chats in 24 hours. See WhatsApp messaging limits.
What a marketing template costs
Meta charges each delivered message by the customer's country. US dollar rates effective 1 October 2026:
| Customer's number | Marketing | Utility | Marketing is… |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Kingdom | US$0.0635 | US$0.022 | ~2.9× utility |
| Germany | US$0.1365 | US$0.055 | ~2.5× |
| Brazil | US$0.0625 | US$0.0068 | ~9× |
| Mexico | US$0.0397 | US$0.0085 | ~4.7× |
| United Arab Emirates | US$0.0576 | US$0.0157 | ~3.7× |
| United States | Not delivered | US$0.0034 | n/a |
A worked example: one weekend offer
A London takeaway has 900 customers who opted in to offers. One broadcast costs 900 × US$0.0635 = about US$57. If 4% order, that is 36 orders. At a £24 average order, roughly £864 of sales for one message, with no delivery-app commission on them. The 4% response and order value are assumptions for the illustration, not benchmarks; Meta bills the restaurant, and the WhatsApp cost calculator prices your own list.
A Texas taqueria with 900 US numbers on its list can't send that broadcast at all. It can still send order updates by WhatsApp, and offers by email.
How Menuthere handles marketing templates
- Broadcasts (Pro, US$39 a month): pick an approved Marketing template, choose recipients from your customer list, typed numbers or a spreadsheet, and send now or schedule. Only templates Meta approved as Marketing appear in the list.
- Big lists over several days. If the list is bigger than today's limit, the first batch goes now and the rest at 6 PM store time each day until everyone is covered.
- STOP is respected. Customers who reply STOP go on a blocklist and never get a broadcast; replying START brings them back.
- Comeback messages use marketing templates to reach customers who went quiet, and use at most about a third of your daily limit so order updates aren't crowded out.
- Meta bills you directly. Menuthere adds no markup; the screen's estimate comes from Meta's rate card, and your real bill is in WhatsApp Manager.
What it doesn't do: it can't deliver offers to US (+1) numbers, because Meta doesn't. Menuthere has no email marketing, so US restaurants need a separate email tool for offers.
Send regulars to your own ordering page, where every order is commission-free.
Related terms
- WhatsApp utility template: order updates, the cheaper category.
- WhatsApp opt-in: the permission you need first.
- Abandoned cart reminder: a marketing message even when it feels like service.
- Win-back campaign: marketing aimed at lapsed customers.
FAQs
What is a WhatsApp marketing template?
It is a pre-approved WhatsApp Business message that promotes something, such as an offer, a new dish, an event or a message to bring back a lapsed customer. It is charged at the marketing rate, the highest of WhatsApp's four categories, and needs the customer's opt-in.
Can I send WhatsApp marketing messages to US customers?
No. Meta stopped delivering marketing messages to WhatsApp users with US phone numbers on 1 April 2025, and the send fails with error 131049. Order updates sent as utility messages still reach US numbers, so use email for offers.
How much does a WhatsApp marketing message cost?
It depends on the customer's country. From 1 October 2026 a marketing message costs US$0.0635 to a UK number, US$0.0625 to a Brazilian number and US$0.0576 to a UAE number. Meta bills the business per delivered message.
Is an order update with a discount code a marketing message?
Yes. Meta treats a template that mixes an order update with a promotion as marketing, so it is charged at the marketing rate and follows the marketing rules.
How many marketing messages can I send?
Your number's messaging limit caps how many people you reach outside open chats in 24 hours, and WhatsApp may also limit how many marketing messages each person receives from businesses. Meta does not publish that per-person number.
Sources (6)
- Meta for Developers, Template categorization (promotional or persuasive intent is marketing; mixed content and retargeting are marketing even if requested; since 9 April 2025 approved as marketing; 60 days to request review): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/template-categorization (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Per-user marketing template message limits (no fixed number; error 131049; wait at least 24 hours; messages inside the customer service window don't count): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/templates/marketing-templates/per-user-limits/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta for Developers, Marketing Messages API: Get started (marketing messages to US WhatsApp users not delivered from 1 April 2025, error 131049, all Business Messaging APIs): https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/marketing-messages/get-started (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- WhatsApp Business Messaging Policy, last updated 23 Sep 2026 (opt-in; separate opt-ins per category recommended; respect opt-out requests on or off WhatsApp): https://whatsappbusiness.com/policy/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Meta's USD rate card effective 1 Oct 2026 (marketing/utility: UK 0.0635/0.022; Germany 0.1365/0.055; Brazil 0.0625/0.0068; Mexico 0.0397/0.0085; UAE 0.0576/0.0157; North America utility 0.0034), as transcribed in Menuthere's cost calculator data; pricing page: https://developers.facebook.com/documentation/business-messaging/whatsapp/pricing/ (accessed 20 Oct 2026)
- Menuthere help: Broadcasts, Opt-outs and the blocklist, Comeback messages (https://menuthere.com/docs/whatsapp/broadcasts) (accessed 20 Oct 2026)