How to Create and Get Approval for RCS Message Templates

If you want to send promotional messages, notifications, or alerts to your customers using RCS Business Messaging, you need pre-approved message templates. Just like WhatsApp Business templates, RCS templates must be reviewed and approved before you can use them for outbound messaging — and getting them wrong means delays, rejections, and missed opportunities.

The good news: once you understand exactly how RCS message templates work, what makes them get approved (and rejected), and how to write them correctly, the approval process becomes straightforward. Most well-written templates get approved within 24-72 hours.

In this comprehensive guide, we'll cover everything — from understanding what RCS templates are and why they need approval, to writing your first template, submitting it, and handling rejections. We'll also include 20+ real-world template examples across different industries that you can adapt and use immediately.

An RCS message template is a structured, pre-approved message format that businesses use to communicate with their customers at scale. Templates are required for any outbound business-initiated RCS messaging — meaning messages that your business sends first, rather than replies to customers who messaged you.

Templates ensure that business messages are professional, relevant, and compliant with carrier and platform policies. They prevent spam, protect users, and help businesses maintain brand consistency across all customer communications.

Why Are RCS Message Templates Required?

●  Protect users from spam and unsolicited messages

●  Ensure business messages meet content and formatting standards

●  Allow platforms to verify that messages are legitimate and non-deceptive

●  Give carriers confidence that RCS is used responsibly by businesses

●  Maintain the trust and quality of the RCS ecosystem overall

RCS Templates vs WhatsApp Templates vs SMS

RCS Business Messaging supports several distinct template types, each designed for different use cases. Understanding which type to use for your message is the first step to a successful approval.

1. Transactional Templates

Transactional templates are triggered by a specific customer action or event. They are the easiest to get approved because they're always relevant and expected by the recipient.

●  Examples: Order confirmations, shipping updates, payment receipts, account alerts, OTP codes, booking confirmations

●  Approval difficulty: Easy — highest approval rate

●  Personalization: High — variables for names, order numbers, amounts

2. Promotional / Marketing Templates

Promotional templates are used to send offers, discounts, product announcements, and sales campaigns. They require explicit user opt-in consent and are reviewed more strictly.

●  Examples: Sale announcements, new product launches, discount codes, loyalty reward notifications

●  Approval difficulty: Medium — requires clear opt-in disclosure and opt-out option

●  Personalization: Medium — can include names and custom offer details

3. Utility / Service Templates

Utility templates cover service-related messages that aren't strictly transactional but provide value or information to the customer.

●  Examples: Subscription renewal reminders, service maintenance alerts, policy update notices, monthly statements

●  Approval difficulty: Easy to Medium

●  Personalization: Medium

4. Authentication Templates

Authentication templates are used for one-time passwords (OTPs), verification codes, and account security alerts. They have the highest approval priority and fastest review times.

●  Examples: Login OTP, password reset codes, two-factor authentication alerts, new device login notifications

●  Approval difficulty: Very Easy — fastest approval

●  Personalization: High — dynamic code variables

5. Interactive / Rich Card Templates

These templates include rich media elements — images, carousels, quick reply buttons, and call-to-action buttons. They require that all media assets meet platform specifications.

●  Examples: Product showcase carousels, appointment booking cards, feedback surveys, location-based offers

●  Approval difficulty: Medium — media assets reviewed separately

●  Personalization: High

Writing a good RCS message template is part art, part compliance. Follow these rules strictly and your approval rate will be significantly higher.

The Golden Rules of RCS Template Writing

●  Rule 1 — Be Clear and Specific: State exactly what the message is about in the first sentence. Reviewers should immediately understand the purpose.

●  Rule 2 — Use Variables Correctly: Dynamic content must be placed in double curly braces: {{customer_name}}, {{order_id}}, {{amount}}. Never hardcode information that changes per recipient.

●  Rule 3 — Include an Opt-Out: For promotional templates, always include a clear opt-out mechanism: 'Reply STOP to unsubscribe' or a dedicated opt-out button.

●  Rule 4 — No Misleading Content: Templates must be honest and accurate. Exaggerated claims ('Best deal EVER!'), false urgency ('Only 1 left!' when untrue), or deceptive offers will be rejected.

●  Rule 5 — Match Category to Content: Submit your template under the correct category. A promotional message submitted as 'Transactional' will be rejected.

●  Rule 6 — No Sensitive Data: Never include full credit card numbers, passwords, national ID numbers, or other sensitive personal data in templates.

●  Rule 7 — Professional Language: Use professional, clear language. Avoid ALL CAPS for entire messages, excessive exclamation marks, or informal slang unless your brand voice specifically calls for it.

Variable Placeholder Format

Most RCS platforms use double curly braces for variables. Here are the common variable types and correct formatting:

Here are real-world template examples across different industries and categories. These are formatted correctly with proper variables and opt-out language where required. Adapt them for your business and submit for approval.

Transactional Templates

Authentication Templates

Promotional / Marketing Templates

Utility / Service Templates

Rich Card / Interactive Templates

The exact submission process varies slightly by platform (Google RBM, Twilio, Sinch, etc.), but the general workflow is the same across all major providers. Here's the complete process:

Understanding why templates get rejected is just as important as knowing how to write good ones. Here are the most common rejection reasons and exactly how to fix each one:

Rejection Reason 1: Wrong Template Category

Submitting a promotional message as 'Transactional' is the single most common rejection reason. Reviewers are trained to catch this immediately.

●  How to identify: Does your message promote a product, offer a discount, or announce a sale? → Promotional. Is it triggered by a customer action? → Transactional.

●  Fix: Resubmit under the correct category. If your message has both transactional and promotional elements, split it into two separate templates.

Rejection Reason 2: Missing Opt-Out for Promotional Templates

Every promotional template must include a clear, easy opt-out mechanism. This is non-negotiable.

●  What's required: Either 'Reply STOP to unsubscribe' text in the message body, or a dedicated [Unsubscribe] quick reply button in the template.

●  Fix: Add 'Reply STOP to unsubscribe.' at the end of all promotional templates. For rich cards, add an [Unsubscribe] button.

Rejection Reason 3: Misleading or Exaggerated Claims

Superlatives and unverifiable claims trigger rejections. 'The best deal in India,' 'Guaranteed to lose 10kg,' or '100% risk-free' are red flags for reviewers.

●  Fix: Replace superlatives with specific, verifiable facts. Instead of 'Amazing discount!', write '40% off all electronics — today only.'

Rejection Reason 4: Vague or Unclear Variable Names

Variables named {{var1}}, {{text}}, or {{data}} give reviewers no context about what the final message will contain — and are rejected.

●  Fix: Use descriptive variable names: {{customer_first_name}}, {{order_total_amount}}, {{delivery_date_formatted}}.

Rejection Reason 5: Non-Compliant Media Assets

Rich card templates with images that are the wrong dimensions, too large in file size, or not accessible via public HTTPS URL will be rejected.

●  Fix: Images must be HTTPS URL, 16:9 ratio, minimum 1440x810px, maximum 5MB. Test your image URLs are publicly accessible before submitting.

Rejection Reason 6: Sensitive Information in Template

Templates containing full credit card numbers, social security numbers, passwords, or other personally identifiable information are immediately rejected.

●  Fix: Never include sensitive data in templates. For accounts, use only last 4 digits: 'Your card ending in {{last_4_digits}} was charged.'

Rejection Reason 7: Template Too Similar to Spam

Messages with excessive exclamation marks (!!!), all-caps words (URGENT! FREE! CLICK NOW!), or that offer unrealistic rewards trigger spam filters.

●  Fix: Write in a professional, conversational tone. One exclamation mark maximum per template. Avoid words that trigger spam filters: FREE, WINNER, URGENT, ACT NOW, CLICK HERE.

Different RCS platforms have slightly different processes, interfaces, and requirements. Here's a quick guide for each major platform:

Google RCS Business Messaging (RBM)

●  Access: Google Cloud Console → Business Communications → your RCS agent → Content

●  Template name: Must be unique within your agent, lowercase, underscores only (e.g., order_confirmation_v1)

●  Review: Google's own team reviews templates — typically 1-3 business days

●  Tip: Google is particularly strict about promotional templates — ensure opt-out is prominent

Twilio Messaging

●  Access: Twilio Console → Messaging → Content Template Builder

●  Template types: Twilio uses 'Content Types' — Text, Media, Call-to-Action, Quick Reply, List Picker

●  Review: Automated + manual review, typically 24-48 hours for standard templates

●  Tip: Twilio's Content Inspector tool shows a live preview — always use it before submitting

Sinch

●  Access: Sinch Dashboard → Channels → RCS → Message Templates

●  Visual builder: Sinch has a drag-and-drop template builder — easiest interface for beginners

●  Review: Typically 24-72 hours

●  Tip: Sinch offers pre-built industry templates you can use as starting points — browse these first

Gupshup

●  Access: Gupshup Dashboard → Channels → RCS → Templates

●  Supports: Text, Rich Card, Carousel, and List templates

●  Review: 24-48 hours with Gupshup's approval team

●  Tip: Gupshup's template library has 500+ pre-approved industry templates — starting from one of these saves significant time

MessageBird (Bird)

●  Access: Bird Dashboard → Channels → RCS → Content → Templates

●  Multi-channel: Templates created in Bird can be simultaneously submitted for WhatsApp, RCS, and SMS

●  Review: 24-48 hours

●  Tip: Bird's omnichannel template approach is ideal if you're managing campaigns across multiple messaging platforms

Tip 1: Build a Template Library

Don't create templates only when you need them. Build a library of pre-approved templates for every common scenario in your business: welcome messages, order stages, payment notifications, support responses, and promotional formats. Having approved templates ready to use means zero lead time on future campaigns.

Tip 2: Version Your Templates

Name your templates with version numbers: order_confirmation_v1, order_confirmation_v2. This makes it easy to A/B test different versions of the same message, track which version performs best, and submit improvements without replacing approved templates that are already in use.

Tip 3: Use a Template for Every Customer Journey Stage

Map your customer journey and create a template for each stage: welcome → purchase confirmation → shipping update → delivery confirmation → review request → retention offer. Having a template ready for each touchpoint lets you automate your entire customer communication workflow.

Tip 4: Test With Yourself First

Before submitting any template for approval, send it to your own phone as a test message. Check: Does it read naturally? Are variables rendering correctly? Are buttons working? Does the rich card image display properly? Catching issues before submission saves the 24-72 hour approval wait time.

Tip 5: Monitor Your Approval Rate by Template Type

Track which template types and categories have the highest approval rates on your platform. If your authentication templates get approved in 24 hours but promotional templates take 72 hours, factor this into your campaign planning. Over time, you'll understand your platform's review patterns.

Tip 6: Keep a Rejection Log

Every time a template is rejected, document the template, the rejection reason, the fix you made, and the outcome. This rejection log becomes an invaluable reference — after a few months, you'll recognize patterns in what gets rejected and write templates that avoid those issues from the start. 

Here are the most common questions businesses ask about RCS message template creation and approval:

Getting your RCS message templates approved doesn't have to be a frustrating, slow process. With the right approach — correct category selection, proper variable formatting, clear opt-out language, and professional content — most templates are approved on the first submission within 24-72 hours.

Here are the key takeaways from this guide:

●  Know your template types: Transactional, Promotional, Utility, Authentication, and Rich Card templates each have different approval criteria — always select the correct category.

●  Write correctly from the start: Use descriptive {{variable_names}}, include opt-out for promotional templates, make specific claims, and keep content professional.

●  Use the 20+ examples: Adapt the ready-to-use templates in this guide as your starting point — they're formatted correctly and ready for submission.

●  Submit early: Plan for 5 business days between submission and campaign launch to allow for potential revisions.

●  Build a template library: Pre-approve templates for every stage of your customer journey — so you're never waiting for approval when you need to send.

The businesses that invest time in building a robust, well-organized library of approved RCS templates gain a significant competitive advantage — the ability to launch personalized, rich, automated customer communications at any moment, with zero approval delays.