8 Best Practices for Writing Effective Text Messages

Did you know that SMS has a 98% open rate? That’s five times better than email. And of those messages, 95% are read within three minutes of being received.

With such a high open rate, SMS has quickly become one of the most effective tools for businesses to connect with their audience quickly and directly. Wondering how to write a text message that engages your audience and incites action? This guide will help.

Whether you’re promoting a sale, reminding clients of appointments, or sending out alerts, effective SMS communication can significantly boost engagement and responses. However, like any other tool, you must use it correctly. Otherwise, you risk seeing little success at best. At worst, you could alienate the very people you want to connect with, or even find yourself on the wrong side of the law.

Unsure what an effective text message might look like?
Unclear on the legalities of SMS marketing?

We’ve got you covered. Let’s dive into some essential best practices to help you write powerful, engaging text messages.

1. Understand Your Audience

Curious about how to write text messages that really resonate with your recipients? Before you hit “send,” you need to know who your audience is. This goes deeper than knowing that you’re texting Joe Smith in Akron, Ohio.

• Who is Joe?
• Has he interacted with your brand before?
• What does he like to do in his spare time?
• What does he do for a living?
• Is he a college grad? A trade school grad?

You need to drill down into your audience and get to know them as people. These aren’t just faceless prospects. They’re real people and you need to be authentic when you interact with them. Developing a good understanding of their needs, motivations, and pain points helps you do that.

Segment your contacts by age, interests, location, or purchasing behavior so that your messages feel relevant and personal. For example, if you’re targeting young adults, a casual tone with emojis might work well, while a professional audience may prefer more straightforward language.

Tip: Use tools to gather insights into your audience’s preferences. This can help you tailor your messages effectively.

How to Write a Text Message Example:

• Less effective: “Buy our new product now!”
• More effective: “Hey Sarah, based on your last purchase, we think you’ll love our new product. Check it out here [link].”

2. Keep It Short and Sweet

Shakespeare said, “Brevity is the soul of wit”. That’s as true today as when the Bard first penned it. And it’s doubly true when it comes to SMS messages. Sure, text messages can be longer today than a few years ago. However, that doesn’t mean that you need to go on and on. The most compelling text message gets right to the point. It’s concise, engaging, and actionable.

Text messages should be brief and to the point. Most SMS platforms limit characters to 160, so aim to convey your message clearly within that space. Avoid jargon or unnecessary information—stick to the essentials.

Not sure if you’re hitting the mark when it comes to brevity? Here are a few tips to help you pare them down.

1. Eliminate anything unnecessary. Mercilessly edit your texts to remove content that isn’t essential to increasing engagement and click-throughs. Ask yourself, if I were receiving this text, would I read it all the way through or would I delete it?
2. Tailor your length to your audience segment. Younger recipients often prefer shorter messages. Older demographics may prefer longer messages (along with correct capitalization and punctuation).
3. Keep it shorter than you think necessary. Shoot for around 150-155 characters to leave room for extra characters.

Tip: If your message needs to be longer, use a shortener tool to condense phrases or URLs. DialMyCalls offers a free message shortener to help keep your texts concise.

How to Write a Text Message Example:

• Too long: “Our store is having a big sale this weekend with a lot of amazing products at discounted prices. Don’t miss out on this fantastic opportunity!”
• Short and sweet: “Big sale this weekend! Up to 50% off. Don’t miss out! Shop now: [link]”

3. Use a Friendly, Conversational Tone

Quick, which of these two messages would be the most effective:

1. Hello Mr. Williams, we would like to offer you a discount on your next purchase. Just click the link to claim your ten percent off offer.
2. Bill, click the link to save 10% on your next purchase!

Why is the second one more effective? It’s all about tone. The first one is stiff, stilted, and unnatural. The second one is relaxed, informal, and direct. Getting your recipients to take the action you want is all about telling them what’s in it for them but doing so in a personable way. Your messages need to be approachable and conversational.

Your message should feel like it’s coming from a friend, not a robot. A friendly, conversational tone can make recipients feel more comfortable and increase engagement rates. Just make sure it aligns with your brand’s voice.

How to Write a Text Message Example:

• Formal: “Please be informed that your appointment is scheduled for tomorrow.”
• Conversational: “Hey there! Just a reminder—your appointment’s tomorrow at 3 PM. See you then!”

4. Include a Clear Call-to-Action (CTA)

Your audience’s time is valuable. Don’t waste it by sending messages that aren’t actionable. Every single text message should have a few specific components: a personalized message, an offer, and a call to action (CTA).

Your call to action is exactly what it sounds like –– instructions telling your recipient what you want them to do. Examples include “click here”, “call now”, “shop now”, etc. A CTA should be based on your marketing goals. Do you want to get more followers on social media? Sell more products? Get them to download a new report? Offer a discount?

Your SMS should always include a clear and actionable next step. Whether it’s asking users to reply, click a link, or call a number, make sure the CTA is straightforward and easy to follow.

How to Write a Text Message Example:

• Without a clear CTA: “We have a new product available.”
• With a clear CTA: “Check out our new product here [link]. Reply YES to learn more!”

5. Personalize Your Messages

Once upon a time, marketing was pretty generic. Companies used the same message and collateral to get the word out about their offerings, regardless of who was receiving the message. You can still see that in some old-school advertising, like magazine ads and billboards.

However, digital marketing can’t afford to be generic. Generic is forgettable and unrelatable. And today’s consumers expect more from the businesses they support. They expect you to remember them and to take steps to build a relationship. That means treating them like individuals with personalized marketing.

Personalization goes a long way in SMS marketing. Wondering how to write a text message this way?

Using names, purchase history, or location-based information can make your messages feel more tailored, which can lead to higher engagement. With better engagement, you get better outcomes (more people take the actions you want) and your customers feel better about the relationship with your business.

Best of all, personalization is one of the simplest SMS best practices to put into action.

How to Write a Text Message Example:

• Generic: “We have a new offer for you!”
• Personalized: “Hi Alex, based on your last purchase, we thought you’d love this new offer. Check it out: [link]”

6. Format for Readability

Are you not seeing the ROI you expect from your SMS marketing? It might be that your messages are coming through, but your audience members struggle to read them. Readability is a big factor in success here, but it can be challenging to ensure your messages are as readable as possible.

Although SMS doesn’t allow much formatting, you can still enhance readability. Use line breaks, bullet points, and even emojis where appropriate to make your message easy to read and engaging. Just be mindful not to overdo it—too many emojis or symbols can make your message feel cluttered.

Here are a few additional tips to maximize your readability and click-through:

• Write to your audience demographic (some audience members may not get slang terms, abbreviations, or appreciate texts without correct punctuation).
• Ask yourself: is my message clear? Is there anything I can remove that would make it easier to read?
• Use simple, clear language that conveys your message.
• Cut out any ambiguous wording or emojis that might be distracting your reader. However, supporting emojis are fine and may actually help improve readability by drawing attention to your key message.

How to Write a Text Message Example:

• Hard to read: “We’re excited to announce our latest offer, which you can find more about on our website.”
• Easy to read: “🎉 New Offer Alert! 🎉 Save 20% on your next order. Tap to shop: [link]”

7. Test and Optimize

So, you’ve created a catchy text that you think is both personalized and compelling. Before you let it out in the wild, it’s important to take one more step: test it. Ideally, you’ll have several different texts that you can test at the same time. Why? Simply put, it helps you weed out the duds.

Not every message will be a hit, and that’s okay. A/B testing different variations of your texts can help you find what resonates most with your audience. Experiment with different wording, and CTAs, and even send times to see what gets the best results.

As you test, record your results. Use that information to optimize your texts and even your overall SMS strategy. Wondering how to write a text for A/B testing? Here are a couple of examples, as well as a hypothetical result from the testing.

How to Write a Text Message –– A Hypothetical A/B Test:

• Version A: “Hey [Name], don’t miss out on our weekend sale! Up to 30% off! Click here: [link]”
• Version B: “Weekend Sale! 30% off selected items. Shop now: [link]”
• Result: Version A had a 15% higher open rate, likely because of personalization.

8. Stay Compliant with Regulations

We mentioned legal compliance early on in this guide. Now it’s time to talk about it. It’s essential that you don’t overstep the bounds here, whether that’s federal law or other regulations.

One of the most critical aspects of SMS marketing is compliance. Make sure you have explicit consent from recipients before sending messages. That consent must be explicit, too.

Familiarize yourself with regulations like the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) in the U.S. to avoid hefty fines. Doing so will also protect your organization. Few things are as damaging as being labeled a spammer.

Tip: Always include an option to opt out, like “Reply STOP to unsubscribe.” And when someone unsubscribes, make sure to follow through and remove them from your list.

SMS Marketing Success Is Within Reach

Crafting effective SMS messages isn’t just about writing—it’s about strategy. By understanding your audience, keeping messages concise, using a friendly tone, and including a clear CTA, you can create texts that drive action and enhance your communication strategy. Don’t forget to personalize, test, and always stay compliant.

With the right strategy and a commitment to personalization and building positive interactions, you can use SMS marketing to its full advantage. Don’t forget to go beyond basic personalization, however. Different demographics resonate with different SMS formats – emojis or no emojis, slang or no slang, etc.

Ready to take your SMS marketing to the next level? Check out DialMyCalls and explore our mass texting services. Schedule a free demo to see how we can help you craft and send messages that engage and convert! It’s never been easier to reach your audience, engage them, and create meaningful relationships.

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