Sending marketing text messages

Marketing text messages — promotions, discounts, announcements — are subject to stricter rules than transactional messages. Here's what you need to know before launching.

Required in every marketing message

•Brand identification — the recipient must be able to tell who sent the message, usually in the first few words

•Relevant content — the message has to match what they opted in for

•Opt-out instructions — "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" or equivalent, in every message

Marketing needs its own opt-in

Even if you already have a customer's phone number for another purpose (appointments, account alerts), you need a separate opt-in specifically for marketing. See our article on consent for details.

Tell recipients how often you'll message

You must disclose your frequency when you collect opt-in. "Up to 4 messages per month" is better than "occasional messages." If you exceed your stated frequency, recipients complain, and complaints hurt your deliverability across all your campaigns.

Best practices for AI-generated marketing

If your AI agent is writing marketing messages, we recommend:

• Have a human review the message templates

• Don't let the AI generate new marketing content on the fly without review

• Avoid the urgency language the AI learned from typical marketing copy ("Act NOW!", "Limited time!", "Don't miss out!") — carriers treat this as spam-adjacent

• Never use substitute characters ("Fr33 shipping", "S@ve big") — this will pause your campaign fast

Timing restrictions

• No sending before 8 AM or after 9 PM in the recipient's time zone (some states are stricter)

• Avoid federal holidays unless the message is specifically about the holiday

• Don't exceed your stated frequency cap