Benefits and use cases

What problems does it solve?

• Less message clutter: Consolidates multiple offers into one structured, swipeable message.
• Higher engagement: Uses rich visuals and interactive elements to capture attention.
• Easier comparison: Lets customers swipe through options without leaving WhatsApp.
• Faster conversions: Built-in buttons (e.g., “Buy now,” “Book now”) drive quicker actions.
  
   

Common use cases

• E-commerce cross-selling or upselling: Showcase related or complementary products using SleekFlow’s Shopify integration.
• Service package promotion: Highlight multiple service tiers (beauty, fitness, education, etc.) with CTAs linked to WhatsApp Flows.
• Product catalog updates:  Display new arrivals, seasonal items, or curated collections in one message.
• Event or course enrollment: Share multiple sessions, speakers, or workshop options with quick registration actions.

Accessing “WhatsApp template manager” page

You can follow the steps below to access the “WhatsApp template manager” page:

1. Click on the icon in the left navigation bar to go to the “Channels” page
2. In the “Channels” page, click on “WhatsApp Business API” on the left panel to go to the “WhatsApp Business API” channel settings page
   
3. In the “WhatsApp Business API” channel settings page, click on the “Template manager” tab
   
4. Once you have landed on the “WhatsApp template manager” page, you will be able to see WhatsApp message templates associated with different WhatsApp Business account

Learn more about navigating in “WhatsApp template manager” page in this Help Center article.

Creating WhatsApp Carousel templates

You can follow the steps below to create your WhatsApp Carousel templates:

1. In the “WhatsApp template manager” page, click on the “Create new template” button
   
2. In the “Create new WhatsApp message template” page, fill in the basic details:
   1. Template title: Template titles can only contain lowercase letters (a-z), numbers (0-9), and underscores (_), and cannot contain any spaces or other special characters
   2. Category: Select “Marketing – Carousel”
   3. Language: Define what language you will be using in this message template
   4. Message body: Add the main text that introduces the carousel. Use this space to set context or highlight what the cards contain. Variables are supported if you want to personalise the message.
3. Next, you’ll need to configure the Carousel format settings. These settings will be applied to the entire template you’re creating:
   
   1. Header type: The header format must stay the same across all cards.
   2. Button settings: Choose Quick reply or Call to action, then specify button text, URL, or phone action. You can fill in up to 20 characters for each button.
4. Add carousel cards for your template. Each carousel must include at least 2 cards and can have up to 10 cards.
   
   1. In the Carousel cards section, select “Card 1”, “Card 2”, or click + to add a new card.
      
   2. Upload your card media in the “Sample image” field.
       
      1. Upload an image or video for the card
      2. To change the file, click “Replace”
      3. To remove it, click “Delete”
   3. Write the card body message in the “Card body message” field. This message will appear below the media
      
      1. You can include variables like {{1}} or {{2}} if you want to personalise the content.
      2. The character counter helps you keep within the 1024-character limit
   4. Once you have filled in your card body message, you will need to add sample for your variable content. This helps Meta review your template.
      
      1. In Sample for variable content, provide an example value for each variable.
      2. {{1}} → e.g., “Jenny”
      3. {{2}} → e.g., “Hong Kong branch”
      4. These samples won’t appear in the final message.
   5. Set up buttons for your card in the Button section. 
      
      1. You can choose the button type (e.g., Quick reply button)
      2. Enter the Button text (e.g., “Learn more”)
      3. Repeat if the card supports multiple buttons
5. Click “Submit for review” once all required fields are filled.

Once you have submitted your Carousel template to Meta for review, the status will update to “Paused” in the WhatsApp template manager page. Meta typically takes around 24 hours to complete the review. During this time, your template will appear as “Paused”, and you won’t be able to use it in Inbox or Broadcasts until it has been approved. Once approved, the status will automatically update to “Active”, and the template will become available for use.

Using your WhatsApp Carousel template

Send a Carousel template from Inbox

WhatsApp templates are required when you need to message a customer outside the 24-hour conversation window. If a customer has not replied within the past 24 hours, WhatsApp only allows businesses to reach out using an approved message template, such as a Carousel template.

Inside the 24-hour window, you can reply freely without templates.

You can follow the steps to send a Carousel template in Inbox:

1. There are two possible starting points depending on the conversation window status:
   1. If the 24-hour conversation window is still open
      1. Go to “Inbox” by clicking the icon in the left navigation bar
      2. Locate a conversation that you want to send a WhatsApp Carousel template to
      3. In the message textbox, click on the icon at the bottom left of the message textbox
         
      4. Click on “Insert message template”
         
   2. If the 24-hour conversation window has ended
      1. Go to “Inbox” by clicking the icon in the left navigation bar
      2. Locate a conversation that you want to send a WhatsApp Carousel template to
      3. In the message textbox, click “Choose template”
         
2. A pop-up modal will appear. Select the WhatsApp template you would like insert
   
3. The template will be automatically inserted to the message textbox
4. Upload the card media for each card and adjust any editable text fields if needed.
   1. Note: Media uploaded during template creation is for Meta review only. You must re-upload media each time you send the template.
5. Click “Send” to send the message to your customer

Send a Carousel template via Broadcasts

You can also use your approved WhatsApp Carousel templates in Broadcasts to reach a larger audience.

For steps on creating and sending WhatsApp broadcast campaigns, please refer to this article.

Managing your WhatsApp Carousel templates

You can view, edit, filter, and track the approval status of all your WhatsApp Carousel templates in Template Manager. This includes checking whether a template is approved, paused, or rejected, as well as searching for specific templates by category or name.

For a full guide on managing templates, including how to search, filter, edit, or duplicate them, refer to this Help Center article.

FAQ & Troubleshooting

Q1. I can’t submit my WhatsApp Carousel template. What should I check?

Before Meta can review your template, all mandatory fields must be completed. Make sure you have:

• A valid template title, category, language, and message body
• At least 2 cards, each with uploaded media and card text
• At least 1 button with all required fields filled:
  • Button type
  • Button action
  • Button text
  • URL or phone number (if applicable)

The “Submit for review” button will stay disabled until every required field is completed.

Q2. My card content disappeared after I changed the header type or button type. Why?

Changing the header type or button action type resets all cards or button fields to keep formatting consistent across the carousel.

• You’ll see a confirmation message before the reset happens.
• Once confirmed, previous content (images, card text, button settings) cannot be restored.

Q3. My Carousel template doesn’t appear in Inbox or Broadcasts.

Check the following:

• The template status is Approved (not Pending Review or Rejected)
• Your WhatsApp Business API channel is connected and active
• You have filtered by Marketing – Carousel in the template picker

Q4. Can I use product catalog data directly in Carousel templates?

Not yet. Carousel templates currently require manual upload of all media and text.

Support for automatic product catalog imports will be available in future updates.

Q5. Why do I need to re-upload media every time I send the template?

Media uploaded during template creation is used only for Meta’s review process.

WhatsApp requires you to re-upload media when sending the template to ensure it meets current compliance and freshness standards.