Every WhatsApp template you submit gets reviewed by Meta and placed in one of four billing categories. The category determines two things: how much each conversation costs to start, and how strictly Meta enforces opt-in. Pick the wrong category and you'll either overpay, fail review, or get a template re-classified mid-flight when Meta notices the content doesn't match the declared category.
This is the field guide.
The four categories
Marketing
What it covers: promotional content, product launches, offers, sales, brand-awareness messages, abandoned-cart nudges, re-engagement campaigns.
Pricing: highest of the four. Around $0.025–0.050 per conversation depending on country.
Opt-in rule: users must have explicitly opted in to marketing from your business. A generic "we may message you" checkbox does not count.
Examples: "20% off your first order", "New collection just dropped", "We miss you — here's a coupon".
Utility
What it covers: transactional messages tied to an existing customer relationship — order confirmations, shipping updates, appointment reminders, payment receipts, account alerts.
Pricing: mid-tier. Roughly half the Marketing rate per conversation.
Opt-in rule: relaxed. The user's existing transaction with you provides implied consent. Spam-flagged users are still tracked.
Examples: "Your order #1234 has shipped", "Your appointment is tomorrow at 10am", "Your invoice is ready".
Authentication
What it covers: one-time codes, login verifications, account recovery codes.
Pricing: lowest of the four. Around $0.004–0.012 per conversation in most markets.
Opt-in rule: the user initiated the auth flow, so consent is contextual. Standard templates have a fixed format Meta provides.
Examples: "Your verification code is 482910. Don't share with anyone."
Service
What it covers: messages sent within the 24-hour window after a user messages your business. Customer support replies, FAQ answers, free-form text inside an open conversation.
Pricing: often free, depending on country and the Meta promotional period. Service conversations don't require templates at all — you can send free-form within the window.
Opt-in rule: none — the user initiated.
Examples: "Hi, how can I help?" after a user opens a support thread.
The reclassification trap
Meta categorises at template approval, but they also re-classify in production based on actual content and user reactions. A common pattern:
You submit a template as Utility: "Your order has shipped. Also, 15% off your next order — use code SHIP15."
Meta approves it as Utility because the order language dominates.
Over time, recipients flag it as promotional. The user-report rate climbs.
Meta reclassifies the template to Marketing, mid-flight, retroactively. Your next invoice has a jump you can't explain.
The rule: keep your categories pure. Promotional content goes in a separate Marketing template, not in a Utility one. The cost difference compounds at volume.
The most common rejection reasons
1. Mismatched category
"Your appointment is confirmed — and here's a 10% discount on your next visit" submitted as Utility. Reviewer reads two sentences, sees a promotion, rejects.
2. Missing opt-out instructions on Marketing templates
Marketing templates must include an opt-out path. "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" or similar. Templates without it fail review consistently.
3. Misleading placeholder use
Templates with placeholders that don't make sense in context — like "Your {{1}} code is {{2}}" where {{1}} is unbounded — get flagged as potential phishing vectors.
4. Promotional language in Utility
"Special", "limited time", "last chance", "exclusive offer" — any of these in a Utility template is a fast rejection.
5. URLs from untrusted domains
If the template includes a URL placeholder, the eventual URL must point at a domain associated with your verified business. New domains, short-link services, and tracking redirects all fail review.
How to pick the right category
Ask: did the user do something that prompts this message?
They placed an order → Utility (shipping, delivery, receipt)
They asked for a verification code → Authentication
They messaged you in the last 24 hours → Service (no template needed)
None of the above and you're trying to start a conversation → Marketing
If the message contains any promotional language, default to Marketing. The cost of overpaying on a Marketing-category send is small; the cost of having a template reclassified mid-flight is much larger.
For EnoSend customers running mixed flows, we recommend separate templates per category even when the content is similar — a "Utility delivery update" and a "Marketing repeat-buyer nudge" should never share a template, even if they could.
