Best practices for your SMS texting script


First impressions are very important, so you want to make your initial message as effective and efficient as possible. In addition to Organization IDs and Opt Out Language fields that need to be added to each initial message, there are additional best practices for engaging your contacts. Learn more about our tips below!

Remember, you pay for the messages you send, not just the ones that are delivered. It is in your business' best interest to optimize the delivery rate.


Tip 1: Avoid using links

Including a link in your initial message will dramatically increase the risk that a carrier marks your text as spam and fails to deliver it to your contact. Once a recipient responds, sending them a link is safer -- for example, your initial message could invite a volunteer to an event. If they respond that they are interested, you can include a link to an RSVP form in a subsequent message.


NOTE - If you have to include a link in your messages (initial messages or replies,) do not use a link-shortening service like bit.ly. Bit.ly, and similar link shorteners, carry a very high risk of being marked as spam because bad actors use them maliciously. We recommend using a secure link that uses https:// instead of http://, and include that prefix in your script. The best link is a shortened, secure URL for your domain name.

Our texting partners recommended avoiding the following link shorteners entirely:

  • goo.gl
  • rb.gy
  • bit.ly
  • shorturl
  • tinyurl.com
  • tiny.cc
  • lc.chat
  • is.gd
  • soo.gd
  • s2r.co
  • clicky.me
  • budurl.com
  • Bc.vc


Tip 2: Don't copy/paste into the message editor

Copying your initial message from a Word document or other external source and pasting it into the message editor can cause unintended changes to the message that your recipients see. Copy and pasting can also change the message's encoding. If your organization pays per segment, it can inflate your texting costs. Whenever possible, type your initial message directly into the message editor.


Tip 3: Keep it short

SMS messages can be a maximum of 1,600 characters, however, we recommend keeping them short and to the point. If your message is too long, it can cause some carriers/devices to break your single message into multiple ones (see message segments). It can also impact your deliverability by reducing your message throughput and may lead to message size delivery errors.


If you plan to send a long message, you may want to send it as an MMS. MMS messages have a higher rate than a per SMS segment rate, but are typically more cost effective than sending SMS messages past a certain segment count. MMS messages also count as 1 segment, which can help with message throughput.


Tip 4: Invite contacts to engage in a real conversation

ThruText enables real, two-way conversations, so try ending your initial message with an engaging question inviting your contact's response.


Tip 5: Be careful with emojis

Including an emoji will change a message's encoding and limit your SMS message segments to 70 characters (rather than 160 characters without). If you include emojis in your messaging, be aware that any message over 70 characters will be broken into multiple segments.

Relevant tips are shown during initial message creation. If links are added to an initial message, a warning will be shown, for example.


Tip 6: Avoid prohibited words and SHAFT violations

Carrier-prohibited terms can trigger carrier-level filtering, leading to your messages getting blocked, and potentially the deprovisioning of a sending phone number. Forbidden terminology include gambling-related texts, which can include references to lotteries. For example, a message about entering a lottery may be interpreted as gambling and blocked under carrier restrictions, even when sent by nonprofits.


Certain prohibited words can trigger a CTIA SHAFT violation, which also leads to keyword filtration. This includes terms related to sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, tobacco, and vaping/e-cigarettes. In addition, cannabis (or marijuana) related terms are also carrier-prohibited content and may encounter filtering regardless of federal or state legality. This also includes CBD, Kratom, or drug paraphernalia. Text messages with content connected to any of these terms have a high probability of being blocked as SPAM.


NOTE - If your organization plans to send text messaging related to cannabis/marijuana, please reach out to our support team at support@getthru.io for tips on crafting messages connected to the topic.


Tip 7: Be Careful of Letter Substitution

Carriers have recently announced that they are filtering for messages that use letter substitution (e.g., "fr33" rather than "free" or "s@ve" rather than "save.") SMS messages that use this letter replacement pattern may be subject to higher spam filtering. To monitor your delivery rate, please monitor your Message Errors.


For best practice tips when creating an MMS campaign, please check out our MMS Best Practices guide.