Introduction
When creating WhatsApp campaigns in Bookboost, your message templates must be approved by Meta before they can be sent to guests. Occasionally, you may notice that a template shows a "NOT SENT" status — meaning the template was never actually submitted to Meta for review. This article explains what this status means, why it happens, and how to resolve it.
Main Concept or Feature Explanation
The "NOT SENT" status indicates that although you have attempted to submit a WhatsApp message template for approval (by clicking "WhatsApp Approval" inside a campaign, or through the "Publish in Review" or "Publish" options), the template was not successfully sent to Meta.
This happens because Meta's policies include strict content guidelines for WhatsApp message templates. If any element of the template violates these guidelines, Meta's system will block the submission before it even reaches the review queue.
Use Cases
You've created a new WhatsApp template and clicked "WhatsApp Approval", but the template remains stuck on "NOT SENT"
You attempted to publish a campaign and noticed the template was never submitted for Meta review
You are troubleshooting why a campaign is not progressing to the approval stage
Configuration and Setup
If your template shows "NOT SENT", first click on the "NOT SENT" status to see if it updates to "PENDING". If nothing changes, follow these steps to identify and fix the issue:
Open the campaign containing the affected template in Bookboost.
Review the template content carefully — look for any elements that may violate Meta's WhatsApp policies (see the section below for common causes).
Edit the template to remove or adjust the problematic content.
Re-submit the template for approval by clicking "WhatsApp Approval" again, or by using the "Publish in Review" or "Publish" options.
Check the status — if the template was successfully submitted, the status will update from "NOT SENT" to a pending or approved state.
Known Issues or Limitations
Meta does not always provide a specific reason why a template was blocked from submission. You may need to review your content against Meta's general WhatsApp Business Policy guidelines.
Common reasons Meta may block a template from being sent for approval include: prohibited content, overly promotional language without proper opt-in context, missing or incorrect template variables, or use of restricted words or phrases.
Simply re-clicking the approval button without making changes to the template will not resolve the issue — the content itself must be adjusted first.
Conclusion
The "NOT SENT" status is an early signal that something in your WhatsApp message template does not align with Meta's content policies. By carefully reviewing and adjusting your template content before re-submitting, you can ensure your campaigns move smoothly through the approval process and reach your guests without delays. 🎯
Support
Please contact us through the 'Talk to Us' option on the left menu in the platform, or through the Bookboost Support email at support@bookboost.io if you have questions or need additional support.