Scale to Win

Here are some helpful strategies to improve your outreach with Scale To Win by maximizing engagement, boosting replies, and increasing conversions. 

Deliverability
To comply with wireless carrier policies, we require that every initial message identifies your organization as the message sender and include opt-out language such as "Stop to opt out". 

Carefully review your messaging content to ensure it does not include sensitive, violent, or flagged language. Review our Error Codes, SHAFT Violations, and Filtering in Text Campaigns article for further information.

Send a Preview Text to yourself and a few others prior to sending to your entire list. Our Preview Text feature allows you to send previews of your initial message(s), so you can see exactly what your texts will look like.

Use our Script Variant feature to add more than one initial message to your campaign. The more you can vary your scripts, the more insight you can gain into whether specific content is engaging your audience, triggering filtering, etc.  

Content, Voice, and Clarity
Keep your messages short and sweet. Brief texts that end in a question tend to spark the most responses.

Use response scripts strategically to continue conversations. These are great for sending more information without overwhelming the first message.

Keep things fresh. Don’t just rely on plain text. Include visuals like custom GIFs, graphics, or video clips to keep recipients engaged.

Timing
Longer texts take longer to send, especially when sent to large lists. If you’re sending out lengthy messages to large lists, start earlier in the day to allow time for full delivery.

Emojis are engaging but slow things down—they double delivery time. Use them wisely to balance personality with performance.

MMS (Multimedia Messaging Service) allows you to send pictures, GIFs, or short videos over text. Due to MMS files being large, they can also take longer to deliver. Typically, MMS will deliver in 5 minutes or less. During election season we recommend sending MMS campaigns earlier in the day, about 4-5 hours before 9pm local time. Read more here.

Dos and Don’ts
Do respond quickly! Data shows that responding within 20 minutes can increase follow-up engagement by 20%. Use keyword autoresponders to stay responsive, even during peak hours.

Don’t use URL shorteners. Carriers are quick to flag shortened URLs as spam. Stay clear of these commonly blocked domains:

• bit.ly
• tinyurl.com
• goo.gl

Do utilize our custom shortlink feature instead. Link shortening allows you to convert long URLs into shorter links. Shortlinks are easier to include in your text campaigns and can provide powerful insights by tracking link clicks.

Don’t write like a robot. Texting should feel natural and conversational, not like reading a formal email. Be casual, concise, and real.

Do be aware of message segmentation limits. Long texts, emojis, or special characters can convert your message into multiple segments. Check Scale To Win's guidelines if you're unsure how segments are calculated.

Don’t forget to add Texters to your account. Once a Texter creates an account, they can only access conversations via a Texter Link for a specific campaign.

FAQs
When is the best time of day to send texts?
Late afternoons (3-6 PM) are a good timeframe. Late mornings are also generally good times. Avoid early mornings or late nights. Texting between 9 PM and 9 AM local time is nonoptimal and can be an FCC violation. 

What is the best day of the week to send texts?
Weekdays are generally best to reach contacts. Thursday, Friday, and Saturday typically offer higher conversion rates. Avoid Mondays due to lower response rates and weekends unless highly relevant (e.g., election day reminder).

Note: There is no one-size-fits-all answer, and experimentation is key to finding the best timing for your specific text messaging campaigns.