TABLE OF CONTENTS



What is the difference between MMS and SMS?
MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) allows you to send pictures, gif files, or short videos over text. MMS messages include both a multimedia file and text. 
SMS (Short Message Service) is used for text-only messages, or those with emojis.

Pricing

MMS and SMS are billed at different rates. To check your rates:

  1. Go to Organization Settings. 

  2. Open the Pricing page. 

The MMS rate includes both the media and up to 1600 characters in a single message. Unlike SMS, MMS messages are not billed by segment. The MMS rate includes both the media file and up to 1600 text characters included in the message. MMS messages are not billed by segment.
Note: Only Organization Owners are able to access the Pricing page. 



Scale To Win Text will automatically convert a SMS message into a MMS message if the text is over 3 segments long. This feature prevents you from being charged for more than 3 segments.



Character Limit

SMS

SMS messages are measured and billed in units called segments:

  • An SMS segment consists of 160 characters when using standard keyboard characters (A-Z, numbers, a few special characters). 

  • If a message exceeds 160 characters, it is split into 153 character segments. 

Example: 

A message containing 161 characters is sent as two segments: 

  • Segment 1: 153 characters

  • Segment 2: 8 characters 

Note: If a message contains unicode characters, such as emojis or accents or non-English language characters, it causes the first segment to contain just 70 characters. Once you pass the 70 character limit, the segment size shrinks down to 63 characters. So a message with an emoji and 71 characters would be sent as two segments of 63 and 8 characters, respectively.

Standard characters (each counts as 1 character)

A B C D E F G H I J K L M N O P Q R S T U V W X Y Z a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q r s t u v w x y z 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 : ; < = > ? ¡ ¿ ! " # ¤ % & ( ) ' * + , - . / Ä Ö Ñ Ü § ä ö ñ ü à @ £ $ ¥ è é ù ì ò Ç Ø ø Å å Δ _ Φ Γ Λ Ω Π Ψ Σ Θ Ξ Æ æ ß É

Standard characters (each counts as 2 characters)

€ ^ { } [ ] ~ |

Unicode characters which shrink segment lengths 

¢ ¦ ¨ © ª « ¬ ® ¯ ° ± ¹ ² ³ ´ µ ¶ · ¸ ¹ º » ¼ ½ ¾ À Á Â Ã È Ê Ë Ì Í Î Ï Ð Ò Ó Ô Õ × Ù Ú Û Ý Þ á â ã ç ê ë í î ï ð ó ô õ ÷ ú û ý þ ÿ, any emoji




MMS

  • MMS messages have a maximum character limit of 1600 characters per single message. 
  • MMS messages are not split into segments like SMS.


How to send MMS

You can send MMS messages from either toll-free or local (10DLC) phone numbers.

Step 1: Write Your Message

In the Initial Message step of your campaign, enter the text that will accompany the image.



Step 2: Add a Media File

Click the Upload Media File button beneath the text box and select an image, video, or GIF to upload. Then, click Save And Continue.
Note: media file must be under 500 KB.




Step 3: Finalize & Send

Review your text campaign details, make any necessary adjustments, and send! 



MMS FAQs

How long does it take for MMS to deliver?

Typically, MMS will deliver in 5 minutes or less. During October & November of the on-year elections (2024, 2026, 2028), MMS may take up to an hour due to MMS files being larger.

Best Practices for Sending MMS Campaigns

We recommend sending a text text to yourself and necessary stakeholders to ensure everything looks as you’d hope.
Note: texting vendors cannot control whether the image shows up on top or bottom of the text. This is up to the type of phone and mobile carrier your audience uses. 

How large should my image be? 

Image and media files cannot exceed 500kb, as mobile carriers have size limitations for MMS messages.

What type of image do I need to use? 

We support .jpg, .gif, .png, and .mp4 formats.

Can I send a video? 

Yes, but the video must:

  1. Be 500kb or smaller

  2. Be an .mp4 file

  3. Be 10 seconds or shorter 

If you can’t get your video to 500kb or less, consider sending a message with a link to your video instead. 

Best practices for MMS length? 

We recommend keeping text minimal and focusing on the image to maximize engagement. 

I’ve uploaded my image - what’s next?

We recommend sending a Text Preview to yourself and a few others. This ensures the image displays correctly on different devices and doesn’t require contacts to scroll to view the full image.

Is it better to use portrait or landscape for my images? 

Since most phones are in portrait dimension (meaning tall, not wide), we recommend:

  • Portrait format, or square format

  • Common dimensions: f600x600px (square) or640×1138 px (portrait)  

If I include text inside the image, where should it go? 

Generally speaking, we recommend you avoid placing text at the very top or bottom of the image, as it could be cut off in the preview on some phones. That being said, feel free to test this by using the test text feature!

Can I pick the numbers used to send MMS on 10DLC?

Yes! With 10DLC, you can choose which phone number is used for an individual text campaign. Learn more about adding and selecting numbers on 10DLC here.

Note: Some area codes may have limited availability due to popular demand or scarcity. If you’re unable to access a specific area code, please reach out to support@scaletowin.com for assistance.