How do I set up the message template for a messaging ad?
The message template is what people see in the chat after tapping your click-to-message ad. In the ad's Message template section, choose Create new, click + Create, write a greeting and add customer actions such as frequently asked questions, quick replies or buttons, then click Save and finish. Saved templates can be reused in later ads.
The message template is the first thing a person sees inside Messenger, Instagram Direct or WhatsApp: a greeting from your business and a few things they can tap instead of typing. Meta treats the template as part of the ad, so you build it in Ads Manager while creating the ad, and you can save it to reuse later.
Where do you find the message template?
At the ad level of any ad that clicks to Messenger, Instagram or WhatsApp. Meta’s steps put it after the creative: select or upload your media, choose Send message as the call to action, then go to the Message template section.
How do you create a new template?
- In the ad creative section, select or upload your media and click Done.
- Under Call to action, choose Send message from the dropdown.
- In the Message template section, choose Create new.
- Click + Create.
- Write your greeting and add your questions or prompts.
- Click Save and finish.
What can a Start conversations template contain?
Meta’s Start conversations article lists these parts:
| Part | What it does |
|---|---|
| Greeting message | The first message people see when the chat opens |
| Frequently asked questions | Suggested questions people can ask, with automated responses; may not be available to you yet |
| Quick replies | Short prompts such as “I’d like to learn more”, with automated responses when tapped |
| Buttons | Send people to your website or another destination outside Messenger |
| Call invitation | In Messenger, invites people to call your Page |
Before you save, name the template and tick Save template if you want to use it in future campaigns.
Which template types does each app offer?
| Destination | Template types Meta lists |
|---|---|
| Messenger | Start conversations, Automated chat (a question-and-answer flow that collects information), Customized experience (advanced setup) |
| Start conversation (greeting plus suggested questions or messages), Collect info with a form in WhatsApp (built with WhatsApp Flows; may not be available yet) |
Which ones you see also depends on the objective you chose.
How do you reuse a template you already made?
- Create the ad with the Engagement, Sales, Traffic or Leads objective.
- In the ad creative section, choose Send message as the call to action.
- In the Message template section, choose Use existing from the dropdown.
- Select the saved template you want.
For WhatsApp ads with the Leads objective, Meta says Use existing also lets you edit or duplicate an existing template.
FAQ
What should my greeting say?
Meta’s best practices say the greeting sets the tone for the whole interaction and suggest choosing one that shows you are available and ready to engage. Meta also suggests adding a follow-up message to the template, for example to remind people to book an appointment or to use a promotion you are running.
Do quick replies answer automatically?
Yes. In the Start conversations template, quick replies show short prompts, and Meta says you provide automated responses that are sent when people tap a prompt. Frequently asked questions work the same way with full questions, and in Messenger a question can also be set to invite a call.
Should I change my template after launch?
Meta recommends tracking campaign performance in Ads Manager and adapting your welcome message and quick replies to get more conversations started. It also suggests testing different ad creative and post-click experiences to find the best combination for your business.
Sources
- Create a new template for ads that click to message (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Select an existing template for ads that click to message (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- How to create ads with the Start conversations message template in Ads Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Create ads that click to Messenger in Meta Ads Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Create ads that click to WhatsApp in Ads Manager (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
- Best practices for ads that click to message (Meta, checked 2 Oct 2026)
Drafted with AI and checked claim by claim against the pages linked under Sources. Found a mistake? Tell us via the corrections policy.