Template Pacing vs. Portfolio Pacing – Key Differences Explained
Meta has introduced two mechanisms to manage the quality and speed of WhatsApp template messaging: Template Pacing and Business Portfolio Pacing. Although they may seem similar, they operate in different ways and serve different purposes.
This article breaks down the differences so that DoubleTick customers know what to expect when running campaigns.
1. Scope — What They Apply To
Applies To
Individual template
Entire business portfolio
Affects
Only the single template being used
All template messages across all numbers
Trigger Level
Template-level
Portfolio-level
2. When They Trigger
New Template Usage
✔ Yes
✔ Sometimes
High Negative Feedback
✔ Yes
✔ Yes
High Campaign Volume
✖ Not necessary
✔ Key reason
Low Historical Volume
✖ Not relevant
✔ Below 500,000 templates/year
Template Pausing History
✔ Impacts
✖ Not relevant
In short:
Template Pacing is feedback-triggered Portfolio Pacing is scale-triggered
3. What They Are Evaluating
Template Quality & Engagement
✔ Primary
✔ Secondary
Customer Experience
✔
✔
Spam/Policy Risk
✔
✔
Overall Sending Behavior
✖
✔ Primary
Audience Reaction Patterns
✔
✔
4. What Happens to Messages
Both pacing mechanisms may:
Hold messages temporarily
Wait for feedback
Decide to release, slow down, or drop messages
But the difference is where and how this happens:
Holds Messages
✔ Light batch hold
✔ Larger batch hold
Drops Messages
✔ If template low quality
✔ If portfolio flagged
Slows Delivery
✔ Slight
✔ Significant
Blocks Entire Campaign
✖ On template only
✔ On entire portfolio
Portfolio pacing can stop multiple templates and numbers even if only one campaign causes the issue.
5. Who Gets Impacted
One Phone Number
✔
✔
Multiple Phone Numbers
✖
✔
All Templates
✖ Only template
✔ All templates
Template Creation
✖
✔ May be restricted
Portfolio pacing has wider business-level consequences.
6. Duration & Recovery
Duration
Feedback-dependent
Monitoring window
Auto-Recovery
✔ If feedback positive
✔ If indicators improve
Manual Fix Needed
✔ Template edits
✔ Fix portfolio patterns
Pausing Risk
High
Very High
Portfolio pacing may require strategic changes (targeting, segmentation, frequency, etc.)
7. Example to Make It Simple
Template Pacing Example
You create a new marketing template and send 10,000 messages. Meta sends 500 first → waits for feedback → then decides.
Portfolio Pacing Example
Your brand sends multiple campaigns across multiple numbers. Meta detects high blocking or low engagement → slows down everything.
One Line Summary
Template Pacing = Meta tests the template. Portfolio Pacing = Meta tests the business behavior.
What DoubleTick Customers Should Care About
Template Pacing
You may notice: ✔ Delays ✔ “held_for_quality_assessment” ✔ Template paused
Usually linked to: → content, tone, relevance
Portfolio Pacing
You may notice:
✔ Larger delays
✔ Campaign-wide holds
✔ Templates failing with 132015
✔ Restrictions on new campaigns/templates
Usually linked to: → sending frequency, scale, audience quality, block/report rates
How To Avoid Both
✔ Send to warm/engaged audiences ✔ Avoid low-value promotional blasting ✔ Keep blocking/report rates low ✔ Use segmentation instead of mass sends ✔ Maintain high-quality templates
Final Chart – Difference at a Glance
Level
Template
Business
Scope
One Template
All Templates
Trigger
Quality
Volume + Signals
Risk
Template Pause
Portfolio Restriction
Drop Reason
Low Quality Template
Negative Feedback + Risk
Recovery
Edit template
Improve sending patterns
Applies To
Marketing + Utility
All Template Types
Impact Size
Small
Large
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