How to write a marketing text people actually click

The shape of a good text

Most marketing texts that work follow the same four-part shape:

1. Who it's from. Start with your brand name. People ignore texts they can't place, and many countries require you to identify yourself.
2. The one thing on offer. One offer, one reason to act. “20% off everything this weekend” beats a list of three deals.
3. One action. A single link, or a single reply keyword such as “Reply YES”.
4. The way out. “Reply STOP to opt out”, or the wording your country expects. It's required for marketing, and it builds trust.

Put the most important words first. The lock screen preview often shows only the opening line, so “Maple & Co: 25% off ends tonight” earns the tap that “Hi there! We hope you're having a lovely week” doesn't.

Length and characters

One SMS holds up to 160 standard characters. Longer messages are split into parts and joined on the phone, and each part is charged as a separate SMS.

• Emoji and some symbols switch the whole message to a different encoding, which cuts the limit to 70 characters per part. One smiley can double your cost.
• Hindi, Tamil and other non-Latin scripts also use the 70-character limit.
• Curly quotes and long dashes pasted from a document can trigger the same switch. Straight quotes are safer.

Aim for one part where you can. If the message genuinely needs two, that's fine; just make sure the extra cost buys something.

Links and calls to action

Every link should go straight to the thing you promised: the sale page, the booking slot, the cart. A homepage link wastes the click.

• Use a branded or tracked short link. It saves characters, and click tracking tells you who engaged, which is the strongest signal you get from SMS.
• Avoid generic public shorteners. Carriers in several countries filter them, and in India links must be registered before they'll deliver.
• Use verbs. “Book your slot”, “Shop the sale”, “Reply C to confirm”. Tell people exactly what happens next.
• Make replies easy. One-letter or one-word keywords work best on a phone keyboard.

Timing and frequency

Texts get read quickly, so timing matters more than it does for email.

• Send in the recipient's time zone, during waking hours. Late-evening texts get complaints, and some countries limit marketing hours, for example 10am to 9pm in India.
• Match the moment. Lunch offers before 11am, weekend sales on Thursday or Friday, reminders a day before the appointment.
• Say how often you'll text when people sign up, then stick to it. A few useful texts a month keeps opt-outs low; daily promotions don't.

Before and after

A weekend sale:

A win-back message:

The “after” versions name the sender, lead with the offer, give one link with a deadline, and fit into a single SMS.

Briefing the AI writer

An AI writer is only as good as its brief. Give it the same things you'd tell a copywriter:

• The goal: “Fill Friday's empty tables” or “win back customers who haven't ordered in 60 days”.
• The offer and deadline: “15% off, until Sunday”.
• The audience: new subscribers, repeat buyers, people who clicked but didn't buy.
• The tone: friendly, premium, playful or straight to the point.

Then read the draft as a customer would. Check that the offer is right, the link works and nothing promises more than you'll deliver.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Consent, identification and opt-out rules differ by country; see our country pages for the details.