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How to Send Your First Bulk Text Message Campaign
Sending your first bulk SMS campaign involves selecting your audience, writing a compliant message, choosing a send time, and hitting send. The platform handles carrier routing and delivery optimization automatically, so your main job is crafting a message that provides clear value and includes proper opt-out language.
Before You Send
Before launching your first campaign, make sure you have completed these prerequisites:
- Your 10DLC registration is approved and your sending number is active
- You have a subscriber list built through compliant opt-in methods
- Each contact has given express written consent to receive marketing texts from your business
- You understand SMS marketing laws including quiet hours and required disclosures
Step-by-Step: Sending Your First Campaign
Step 1: Select your audience.
Choose which contacts will receive this message. You can send to your entire list or use segments and tags to target a specific group. For your first campaign, start with a smaller segment so you can test and learn before sending to your full list.
Choose which contacts will receive this message. You can send to your entire list or use segments and tags to target a specific group. For your first campaign, start with a smaller segment so you can test and learn before sending to your full list.
Step 2: Write your message.
Keep it under 160 characters to avoid message splitting. Lead with the value or offer, include a clear call to action, and add "Reply STOP to opt out" at the end. See How to Write SMS Messages That Get Responses for detailed copywriting tips. Avoid ALL CAPS, excessive exclamation marks, and spam trigger words like "free money" or "act now."
Keep it under 160 characters to avoid message splitting. Lead with the value or offer, include a clear call to action, and add "Reply STOP to opt out" at the end. See How to Write SMS Messages That Get Responses for detailed copywriting tips. Avoid ALL CAPS, excessive exclamation marks, and spam trigger words like "free money" or "act now."
Step 3: Add links (optional).
If your message includes a URL, the platform can wrap it for click tracking. Use the full domain URL rather than a third-party URL shortener, as carriers frequently block messages containing shortened links from services like bit.ly.
If your message includes a URL, the platform can wrap it for click tracking. Use the full domain URL rather than a third-party URL shortener, as carriers frequently block messages containing shortened links from services like bit.ly.
Step 4: Choose your send time.
Schedule the campaign for a time when your audience is likely to be receptive. Avoid sending before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient's local time zone, as this violates TCPA quiet hours. Most businesses see the best engagement mid-morning on weekdays. See scheduling by time zone for more detail.
Schedule the campaign for a time when your audience is likely to be receptive. Avoid sending before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient's local time zone, as this violates TCPA quiet hours. Most businesses see the best engagement mid-morning on weekdays. See scheduling by time zone for more detail.
Step 5: Review and send.
Preview your message, verify the recipient count, and double-check your compliance elements (opt-out language, quiet hours, consent records). Then hit send. The platform routes each message through the optimal provider for each recipient's carrier automatically.
Preview your message, verify the recipient count, and double-check your compliance elements (opt-out language, quiet hours, consent records). Then hit send. The platform routes each message through the optimal provider for each recipient's carrier automatically.
Step 6: Monitor delivery and results.
After sending, check your delivery report for bounce rates, delivery confirmations, and any carrier rejections. If you included tracked links, monitor click rates and remember that bot click filtering removes automated carrier scanner clicks from your analytics.
After sending, check your delivery report for bounce rates, delivery confirmations, and any carrier rejections. If you included tracked links, monitor click rates and remember that bot click filtering removes automated carrier scanner clicks from your analytics.
Start small: Send to 50-100 contacts first. Review delivery rates and any issues before scaling up. This is especially important with a new sending number that has not built carrier reputation yet.
What to Watch For
After your first campaign, pay attention to these metrics:
- Delivery rate should be above 95%. If it is lower, check your deliverability troubleshooting guide.
- Opt-out rate under 2% is normal for the first campaign. Higher than 5% suggests your list quality or message relevance needs work.
- Reply rate shows engagement. If people are replying, consider setting up AI-powered auto-replies to handle responses.
- Click rate (if you included links) tells you whether your call to action is working. Remember to check the bot-filtered rate, not the raw rate.
Common First Campaign Mistakes
- Sending to contacts who did not explicitly opt in for SMS (this is a TCPA violation)
- Forgetting opt-out language in the message
- Using a URL shortener that gets blocked by carriers
- Sending during quiet hours in the recipient's time zone
- Sending to your entire list without testing on a small segment first
- Writing a message that sounds like spam instead of providing genuine value
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