Bulk SMS Best Practices

Message customers2 min readUpdated 2026-03-12

Follow these guidelines to maximize delivery rates, avoid carrier filtering, and get better engagement from your bulk SMS campaigns.

Message Content

Keep it short. Aim for one SMS segment (160 characters). Shorter messages get higher read rates and lower costs.
Lead with value. State the benefit or action item in the first line — recipients decide in seconds whether to read further.
Personalize. Use {{first_name}} and other variables. Personalized messages have higher engagement and lower opt-out rates.
Include a clear CTA. Tell the recipient exactly what to do next (click a link, reply YES, call a number).
Avoid ALL CAPS and excessive punctuation. Carriers flag messages with spam-like formatting.
Use your brand name. Start with your business name so recipients know who's texting.

Respect quiet hours. Don't send before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient's time zone (TCPA requirement).
Best send times: Tuesday–Thursday, 10 AM–12 PM and 2 PM–4 PM local time.
Use scheduling. Set campaigns to send during optimal windows rather than sending immediately.

Don't blast everyone. Segment by interest, purchase history, or engagement level.
Remove inactive contacts. Recipients who haven't engaged in 90+ days drag down delivery rates.
Clean your list. Remove invalid numbers, duplicates, and opted-out contacts before each campaign.

Verify consent. Every recipient must have opted in.
Include STOP language. "Reply STOP to opt out" should appear in every marketing message.
Match your 10DLC registration. Campaign content must align with your registered use case.
Log everything. Keep records of opt-in source, date, and method for each contact.

Avoid public URL shorteners (bit.ly, tinyurl.com) — carriers flag them as spam.
Don't include phone numbers in message text — some carriers filter messages containing phone numbers.
Warm up new numbers. Start with small volumes and increase gradually over 2–4 weeks.
Monitor delivery rates. If rates drop below 95%, investigate immediately.

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