Send a text message campaign

SMS campaigns go out through your own Twilio account, so the number and the cost are yours. Text messages are read quickly, which makes them good for reminders and short offers, and easy to overuse.

Steps

1. 1

   Open SMS campaigns

   On: /sms/campaigns

   Type "sms" in Find a page… and choose SMS.

   You should see: The SMS campaigns page, or "Connect Twilio to send SMS campaigns".

2. 2

   Connect Twilio

   On: Settings

   If asked, follow Go to Settings → Text messaging and connect your Twilio account there. Enter the keys yourself; never share them in a chat.

   You should see: Back on SMS campaigns, the New campaign button is available.

3. 3

   Create the campaign

   On: /sms/campaigns

   Press New campaign. Type a Name for your own reference and the Message. Start with Hi and the first-name placeholder shown in the box to greet each person by name.

   You should see: A window titled "New SMS campaign" with your message.

4. 4

   Choose who it is from and who gets it

   On: SMS campaign

   Open the campaign. Under Send from choose your phone number or messaging service. Under Audience tick the Lists or Segments to text; Exclude lists leaves people out.

   You should see: A sender and at least one list or segment are chosen.

5. 5

   Test, then send

   On: SMS campaign

   Set the Campaign timezone. Use Test send: to text yourself first, then press Review & send. Repeat this campaign sends it again on the days you choose.

   You should see: "Queued — sending starts within a minute.", or the campaign shows its schedule.

6. 6

   Check results and opt-outs

   On: /sms/analytics

   After it sends, open Analytics for delivery results. Opt-outs lists everyone who replied to stop; they are skipped automatically.

   You should see: Delivery numbers for the campaign.

Tips

• Keep messages short and say who you are in the first words.
• Follow the texting rules of the recipient's country. Many require prior consent and a way to opt out.

Troubleshooting

"That doesn't look like a valid number — use E.164 like +14155550100."

Type the number with a plus sign and the country code, and no spaces.

"Test-send limit reached for today (5 per campaign) — try again tomorrow."

Each campaign allows five test sends a day.

"This send is over your plan's monthly SMS limit."

Send to a smaller list or segment, or upgrade the plan.