What is the difference between a Marketing template and a Utility template?

Every WhatsApp template belongs to a category. The category determines two things:

• The content allowed in the message.

• The price of each message. Meta bills every delivered message, not every conversation. In France, a Utility message costs more than three times less than a Marketing message.

Prices by country are listed in the article How much do WhatsApp conversations cost?

The Marketing template: sell and engage

A template is Marketing as soon as its goal is to drive a purchase or promote your brand. It can only be sent to contacts who have given their consent (opt-in).

Its purpose: sell, present an offer, follow up, build loyalty.

Examples:

• Promotion: "Hi [first name], enjoy 20% off the whole store this weekend with the code PROMO20."

• New arrivals: "Our new autumn collection has just arrived.", with a "See the collection" button.

• Abandoned cart: "[first name], you left something in your cart.", with a "Back to my cart" button.

• Back in stock: "The item you were waiting for is back in stock."

• Welcome or loyalty offer: "Thanks for signing up! Here is 10% off your first order."

The Utility template: inform after a customer action

A template is Utility when it delivers expected information tied to an action the customer has just taken. It must contain no promotional element: no offer, no discount code, no incentive to buy.

Its purpose: confirm, notify, inform.

Examples:

• Order confirmation: "Thanks for your order #[number], [first name]! We are preparing your parcel."

• Shipping: "Your order #[number] has shipped. Track it here: [tracking link]"

• Payment confirmation: "We confirm we have received your payment for order #[number]."

Variables: the items in brackets in these examples are variables. In Kanal, insert them with the "Add a variable" button. A variable typed by hand, such as {{customer_name}}, is blocked when you submit the template.

Who picks the category?

You create your templates directly in your automations and campaigns. When you submit a template:

1. Kanal's AI picks the category by analyzing your text. You only need to choose between Marketing and Utility yourself if the AI is not sure.

2. Meta has the final say. Meta reviews every template and can put it in a different category. This is common: many templates submitted as Utility are classified as Marketing by Meta. Meta can also reclassify a template that is already approved.

A template with a GIF is always classified as Marketing.

How to anticipate the category

Ask yourself: "Does my message inform the customer about something they have already done, or is it trying to convince them to do something new?"

• The customer has already done something (bought, paid) and the message contains no promotion: Utility.

• You want them to do something (buy, discover, come back): Marketing.

Watch out: a single promotional element is enough for Meta to classify the template as Marketing. For example, an order confirmation that adds a discount code for the next purchase will be billed at the Marketing rate.