HSM on WhatsApp (Meta's template)

A Meta template — called an HSM (Highly Structured Message) in older terminology — is a pre-formatted message the business submits to Meta for approval. Once approved, it can be sent at any time through the official WhatsApp API, including outside the 24-hour window and in bulk messaging.

The three categories

• Marketing: promotions, offers, launches and re-engagement.
• Utility: order confirmation, invoice, appointment reminder, delivery update.
• Authentication: login verification codes.

Service is not a template category: it is the open reply inside the 24-hour window.

What it costs

The template itself is free; Meta charges for the delivered message, by category and the recipient's country. Since October 1, 2026, utility templates sent inside the customer service window are no longer free, and service messages are charged from the 1,001st of the month on, because each number gets 1,000 free a month. Source: Meta pricing, checked in October 2026.

Variables and approval

Templates accept variables ({{1}}, {{2}}…) that the system replaces with the contact's data when sending — for example: "Hi {{1}}, your order #{{2}} is confirmed." Meta may reject a template that looks like an ad disguised as utility, contains prohibited content, or starts or ends with a variable. Review time varies; track the status on the templates screen.

Good practices

Have templates for each category approved before you need them, write utility in a transactional tone and marketing in an offer tone, and do not relabel a promotion as utility to pay less: Meta recategorizes it.