Anything with promotional intent lands in this category when Meta reviews the template: discount offers, new-product announcements, abandoned-cart nudges, win-back campaigns, event invitations. Since July 1, 2025, each delivered marketing template is billed individually, with rates set per recipient country; unlike utility and authentication templates, marketing has no volume-discount tiers.
Consent comes first. Marketing templates may only be sent to users who have opted in to receive messages from the business on WhatsApp. Meta also monitors engagement signals — blocks and reports feed a quality rating, and templates or numbers that perform poorly can be paused or restricted.
When marketing messages are free. Inside a free entry point window opened by a Click-to-WhatsApp ad, marketing templates cost nothing for 72 hours, which is why many brands concentrate promotional sequences at the top of CTWA funnels.
What works. Segmented sends tied to observed behavior consistently outperform broadcast blasts, and because each delivered message is billed, poor targeting is penalized in the budget as well as in the quality rating.
Why it matters for brands
WhatsApp reaches customers in a personal channel with attention email cannot match, but it is priced accordingly. Treating marketing templates as a precision instrument — right segment, real value, respectful frequency — is what keeps the channel both effective and affordable.