Quick Answer
Media Card Carousel Templates are WhatsApp-approved marketing templates that bundle 2–10 horizontally swipeable “cards,” each with a single image or video, text (with optional {{variables}}), and 1–2 interactive buttons, so businesses design once and reuse the rich experience across Live Chat, Campaigns, Automations, and APIs.
1. Why Carousels Matter
They solve four common problems: difficulty promoting multiple items in one message, low engagement with plain text, time wasted re-creating rich messages, and lack of governance over what agents send. Companies see higher engagement because users swipe multiple rich cards instead of staring at a static post, and a single approved template scales from 1:1 chats to mass campaigns and backend automations.
- Higher engagement: multiple cards invite swipes and taps.
- Scalability: one template powers chats, bulk sends, workflows, and APIs.
2. Core Concepts
Carousel Template: a WhatsApp marketing template whose card count and media type are fixed at creation.
Card: one slide containing exactly one image or MP4 video, body text (≤160 characters recommended), optional title (≤80 characters), and 1–2 CTAs.
Variables: placeholders such as {{1}} and {{2}} that are filled by agents, campaigns, automations, or APIs—messages must not be sent if a required variable is empty.
Buttons: URL, phone number, or (where supported) quick-reply buttons driving actions like website visits or calls.
3. Limits & Constraints
- Card count: minimum 2, maximum 10; number locked at creation.
- Media per card: exactly one header; all cards use the same type—either all JPG/PNG images or all MP4 videos; mixing types is not supported.
- Image limits: JPG/PNG up to 5 MB each, ~1.91:1 aspect ratio recommended.
- Video limits: MP4 up to 16 MB each.
- Text limits: body ≤160 characters; title ≤80 characters.
- Buttons per card: minimum 1, maximum 2; schema must be consistent across cards.
- Template-level rules: exact card count, shared media type, and button structure are declared up front; any change requires WhatsApp re-approval.
- Validation: all variables must be filled; URLs and phone numbers must be valid; oversized or unsupported media is rejected.
4. Lifecycle & Usage
- Creation: Navigate to Templates → Create → type Carousel → add name, language, category, use-case → build cards (media, text, variables, buttons) → preview → submit for WhatsApp approval.
- Approval & Synchronization: WhatsApp reviews; approved templates sync into the library, including any created directly in WhatsApp.
- Channels: Live Chat (agents insert and fill variables), Campaigns (marketers broadcast with static or mapped values), APIs (developers send programmatically).
- Tracking: Creation, send, and interaction events are flagged as Carousel in analytics so you can compare performance versus non-carousel sends.
5. Functional Flows
Template Creation Flow
- Metadata form → choose Standard / Marketing / Carousel.
- Carousel builder with add, edit, delete, duplicate for cards.
- Device-style preview lets you swipe through all cards.
Live Chat Flow
- Agent selects a customer chat → Use Template → filter Carousel.
- Variable mapping dialog shows only cards with variables; agent fills values → send.
- Status indicators show sent, delivered, read.
Campaign Flow
- Create campaign → channel WhatsApp → message type Carousel Template.
- Select approved template → map variables (static or audience fields).
- Preview with sample data → schedule/launch → monitor delivery, read, click, conversion metrics.
API Flow
- Create template API: payload describes cards, media URLs, body text, variables, buttons → response returns template_id, approval_status.
- Send template API: request has recipient, template_id, variable values → validates approval status, variables, media availability → response includes message_id or explanatory errors (e.g., missing variables, invalid phone, card count mismatch).
6. Technical Considerations
Data Model:
| Entity | Fields |
|---|
| Template | id, name, language, category, type=CAROUSEL, card_count, media_type, approval_status |
| Card | index, media_reference, body_text, variables, buttons |
| Button | type (URL | PHONE | QUICK_REPLY), label, value |
Validation Pipeline
- Creation-time: enforce 2–10 cards, media on every card, consistent media type, text/button limits.
- Send-time: confirm approval, variable completeness, URL/phone formats, media availability.
Error Handling
- Template not approved or disabled.
- Missing variable values.
- Invalid phone number formats.
- Payload card count mismatch.
- Missing or inaccessible media.
The system must return descriptive codes so users can correct issues quickly.
7. Analytics & KPIs
- Number of carousel templates created/active.
- Share of carousel vs non-carousel messages.
- Delivery and read rates per template.
- Click-through rate per card/button.
- Conversion uplift for campaigns using carousels.
8. Best Practices & Design Guidelines
Content
- Use when showcasing multiple related items (products, plans, FAQs).
- One clear topic per card; write short, benefit-oriented text.
- Action-based button labels like “Buy now” or “Know more”.
Visual
- Maintain ~1.91:1 aspect ratio across all media for consistency.
- Keep framing, style, and branding uniform.
- Always test in preview to prevent cropping of key elements.
Keywords
carousel template, whatsapp marketing, media card, swipe cards, whatsapp buttons, variable placeholders, live chat template, whatsapp campaign, myoperator api, image size limit, video limit, kpi carousel