Drawing 1 · Interactive
Type into the body and watch the limits
Fits, with 872 characters to spare.
Placeholders count as written. Never start or end with one.
Fits, with 822 characters to spare.
Filled-in values add length. Size the template for your longest real values.
Fits, with 35 characters to spare.
One variable at most.
Fits, with 22 characters to spare.
Fixed text only; no variables.
Counted in Unicode code points, so an emoji, ₹ or an accented letter counts as one character.
What is the template body?
The body is the one component every WhatsApp message template must have. It holds the message itself — the order update, the reminder, the offer — and sits below the optional header and above the optional footer and buttons. Body text can run to 1,024 characters and can use line breaks, emoji and WhatsApp formatting: *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~ and monospace (text wrapped in three backticks).
Most personalisation lives here. The body accepts multiple variables — positional {{1}}, {{2}} or named {{first_name}} — each with a sample at submission. Meta's review rules bite hardest in the body: it cannot start or end with a variable, numbering must run in order without gaps, and a body with too many variables for its length — placeholders stacked back to back with few words between them — is rejected. The values you fill in at send time add length to the template text, and a send whose finished text is too long fails with error 132005.
The body differs from the parts around it. A text header is a headline of up to 60 characters with at most one variable and no formatting; the footer is a fixed line of up to 60 characters with no variables, used for disclaimers or opt-out hints; buttons carry the actions. Authentication templates are the exception to all of this — Meta supplies their body text, the code plus an optional security recommendation, so you never write it. Meta also notes that body character and emoji limits can vary by template format, so a short, focused body is safer than one written up to the maximum.
Key takeaways
- The template body is the required main text of a WhatsApp message template, set between the optional header and footer.
- Body text can run to 1,024 characters and supports line breaks, emoji, *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~ and monospace.
- The body takes several variables, but it can never start or end with one and needs enough fixed text around them.
- Filled-in values add length: a send whose finished text is too long fails with error 132005.
- Authentication templates are the exception: Meta supplies their body text, so you only choose its options.
Specifications
The template body: key facts and limits
- Required
- Yes — every template has a body
- Length
- Up to 1,024 characters
- Variables
- Multiple; positional {{1}} or named {{name}}
- Placement
- Never first or last; fixed text around each
- Formatting
- *bold*, _italic_, ~strikethrough~, monospace
- Finished text too long at send
- Error 132005
- Authentication templates
- Body text supplied by Meta
Operating sequence
How does the template body work?
Lead with the purpose
Open with what the message is about — “Your order {{1}} has shipped” — so the first line, which shows in the chat list, already tells the customer why you are writing.
Put variables inside sentences
Place each variable between fixed words or punctuation. Never start or end the body with one, and avoid stacking two back to back, which makes the body read as mostly placeholders.
Format sparingly
Bold the one fact that matters — a date, an amount, a deadline — and use line breaks to separate steps. Strings of emoji and heavy formatting read as promotional.
Check the length with real values
Count the template text against 1,024 characters, then render it with your longest realistic values to make sure the finished message still fits and still reads well on a phone.
Leave actions and fine print to other components
Disclaimers belong in the footer and actions in buttons. A body that repeats a link already on a button, or says “tap below” when there is no button, confuses customers and reviewers alike.
Failure modes
Common mistakes with the template body
Writing right up to the limit
A template that fits 1,024 characters with short samples can overflow with real names and addresses, and Meta's limits can vary by format. Leave generous headroom.
Dangling or stacked variables
“{{1}}, your bill is due” starts on a variable and is rejected with
INVALID_FORMAT; “… for {{1}} {{2}} {{3}}” leaves too little fixed text to judge. Add fixed words: “Hi {{1}}, your bill for {{2}} on {{3}} is due.”One promotional line in a utility body
An order update that ends with “Use code SAVE10 on your next order” is mixed content, and mixed content is treated as marketing. Keep offers in a separate marketing template.
Line breaks inside variable values
Values cannot contain new lines or tabs, so an address passed as one multi-line value fails. Keep the line structure in the fixed text and send single-line values.
Reusing another template's body
A new template whose body and footer repeat an existing template's wording is rejected as a duplicate. Edit the original, or genuinely rewrite the new one.
Example: An outage notice built line by line
A Bengaluru broadband provider's outage template has the header “Outage update: {{1}} area”, the body “Hi {{1}}, we're fixing a fibre fault affecting {{2}}. *Expected restoration:* {{3}}. We'll message you when service is back, so there's no need to call.” and the footer “Reply STOP to opt out of outage alerts”. The body is under 200 characters of template text with three variables, bold on the one line customers act on, and fixed words at both ends. Rendered with the longest area name in the network, it still fits comfortably on one phone screen.
Recommended practice
Best practices for the template body
- Put the key fact in the first line; that is what the chat list preview shows.
- Bold one thing at most — if everything is bold, nothing is.
- Write for your longest name and address, not the average one.
- Read the body aloud with samples in place; if it makes sense to you, it will make sense to the reviewer.
Design intent
Why does the template body matter?
The body is what the customer actually reads and what the reviewer judges. Its wording decides the category — a single promotional sentence turns a utility update into marketing — and its clarity decides whether the template is approved at all. A tight body with variables in the right places is also cheaper to run: it renders well on small screens, copes with long names and addresses, and rarely needs another round of review.