Overview
HSM templates (Highly Structured Messages) are WhatsApp message models approved by Meta. They are required to start a conversation outside the 24-hour window — for example, in a campaign to a contact list.
Many templates have variables (placeholders like {{1}}, {{2}} or named ones like {{name}})
that are filled with each contact's data. In ConversaLabs, you fill these variables with the
variable picker ({{var}}), and the value is resolved for each recipient at send time.
Prerequisites
- A connected WhatsApp inbox.
- Approved HSM templates on the inbox (approval is handled with Meta).
- Contacts with the data you intend to use in the variables (for example, the name).
Step by step
- In a WhatsApp campaign (or when sending a message that requires a template), select the inbox and choose the template.
- Select the template language (and check the category, set during approval).
- For each template variable, provide the value:
- type fixed text; or
- use the variable picker (
{{var}}) to insert a dynamic field (such as the contact's name), which will be substituted per recipient.
- Review the template preview with the filled values.
- Complete the send (or schedule the campaign). The platform resolves the variables per contact at send time.
Settings & options
- Template: the approved model that will be sent.
- Language: the language version of the template.
- Category: the template's purpose, set at approval (for example, marketing or utility).
- Variables: the
{{...}}placeholders in the template, filled with fixed text or the variable picker. - Variable picker ({{var}}): inserts dynamic fields (contact, account, etc.) that are resolved individually for each recipient.
- Preview: shows how the message will look with the values applied.
Use cases
- Personalize the greeting with the contact's name in a bulk send.
- Send a specific code or link per contact inside a template.
- Reuse the same template across several campaigns, changing only the variable values.
Tips, limits & best practices
- Fill all the template variables — empty fields can block the send to that contact.
- Use dynamic variables with reliable data; if a contact lacks the data, prefer a fixed fallback value so the message isn't left incomplete.
- Remember the template content is fixed (approved by Meta) — you only change the variable values, not the model's text.
- Variables are resolved on the server, per recipient — you don't need to build a different message for each contact.
Troubleshooting
- The template doesn't appear: confirm it is approved and on the correct inbox.
- The send fails for some contacts: check whether any variable was left without a value for those contacts.
- The name (or other data) doesn't show: confirm the field exists on the contact and that the right variable was selected in the picker.