Sending links in a text message can cause increased message filtering from the mobile carriers. Filtering costs you money and time and can jeopardize your ability to continue sending messages in the long run. 

There’s no magic formula to prevent filtering on messages with links, particularly if the link is in your first message, but following these best practices can help mitigate the impact.

Use proprietary, branded links

When sending links, especially shortlinks, aim for them to be both proprietary and branded. In other words, your link should use a dedicated custom domain that belongs to your business. And the domain would ideally align with the message sender identified in the message. 

Why? AT&T and T-Mobile consistently block messages that include public link shorteners such as:

9qr.de
alturl.com
app.link
bc.vc
bit.do
bit.ly
bitly.com
bitly.ws
budurl.com
clicky.me
cutt.ly
is.gd
lc.chat
linki.la
lnkd.in
minm.xyz
ow.ly
rb.gy
rebrand.ly
s2r.co
serveirc.com
shrtco.de
soo.gd
t.ly
tiny.cc
tinyurl.com

Since it includes a generic shortlink from the list, this message would run a high risk of getting filtered:

Hi, it’s Meg from Scale to Win. Please contact your representatives today to let them know you care about voting rights. For more info: bit.ly/1234xyz - Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Whereas this message contains a link that is both proprietary and branded, and would run far less risk of filtering:

Hi, it’s Meg from Scale to Win. Please contact your representatives today to let them know you care about voting rights. For more info: scaletowin.com/1234xyz - Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Keep links out of your initials on unregistered numbers

Unless you are sending from a registered toll-free or 10DLC number, we suggest keeping links out of the first message of a campaign. Campaigns with links in the initial message, especially links generated from free link shortener services, can experience filtering at rates as high as 100%. 

Why not include links in the initial? The mobile carriers don’t give us direct insight into why they block your SMS traffic. Content (any resemblance to known spam) and volume (how many messages you’re sending) both play into their filtering process. And there’s a wealth of evidence that campaigns with links in the initial message will experience filtering - we see it all the time.

What about links in my scripted replies?

We see no reason not to include links in subsequent responses. A link in a scripted reply gets sent far fewer times vs. a link in your initial message, and so we don’t see the links in replies getting flagged in the same way as links in the initial message.

Tips and tricks around messaging with links

Again, while there’s no magic formula to prevent filtering, there are some best practices that can help improve deliverability.

Vary your initial messages.

When you vary your initial messages, it can help against getting flagged for sending too many of the same message. Spoke has a built-in Script Variants feature to make it easy to add several variants of your initial message to your campaigns.

Avoid using the same message for a long period of time.

If you continue sending the same initial message over the course of several days, it increases the likelihood that your message will be flagged. Try to finish sending on campaigns within a day.

Avoid public link shorteners.

We recommend never including a bit.ly or other public link shortener in any messages you send out. Mobile carriers are especially sensitive to this - including a bit.ly or other public link shortener can cause your text campaign to be filtered out completely. Consider using a custom rebrandly link or building a shortlink based on your web domain. 

Avoid Actblue pages in your initial message.

Unless you're using toll-free, including a full Actblue link in your initial message can cause your text campaign to be filtered out completely. If you need to send an Actblue in your initial message, we recommend a Rebrandly link or building a shortlink based on your web domain.

Use secure links.

Sending a link without https:// in front of it is considered an “insecure link” and can cause increased filtering. To avoid this, always include the https:// in front of your link. After you add this, be sure to check that the link still works! 

Avoid sending Google Docs.

This is another type of link that can result in increased message filtering. Whenever possible, utilize a web page hosted by your domain instead of a google doc. 

Check your messages for typos.

Carriers do filter messages that resemble existing spam, so making sure your messages don’t contain typos is a general good practice.