A quick text can reach someone before Sunday is even over. Here's how to send one, what each tool in the message builder does, and how credits are counted.
On a legacy plan? The credit details in this video and article reflect our current pricing. If your account is on a legacy plan, your messages are counted differently:
One message per person holds up to 460 characters.
Adding a photo counts as two messages per person.
Start a new message
You can start a message from anywhere in your account. Click the New Message button in the top toolbar, or click Messages on the left side of the screen.
Click New Message, then Create New Message.
Choose Text Message.
Add a title if you'd like. Only your team sees it, so you can leave it blank or use it as a note about why you're sending the text.
Click Begin.
Choose who gets it
Pick between Groups or People. When you select a group, you'll see how many people are in it, so you always know how many people your message will reach.
Click Next to open the message builder.
Write your message
Start with a greeting, then open Message Variables and choose First Name. Each person will see their own name in the text.
This does two things. It tells the person you're thinking of them. It also helps phone carriers recognize your texts as individual messages instead of one message sent to a crowd.
As you type, watch the character count at the top of the builder. It also shows how many message segments you're using.
How credits work
A message segment holds 160 characters. One segment sent to one person uses one credit.
1 segment sent to 100 people uses 100 credits.
You can write up to 10 segments in one message. That's 10 credits per person.
Adding a photo turns your text into an MMS. An MMS always uses 3 credits per person, no matter how long the message is.
So if your message is long, a photo can save you credits. A 10-segment text costs 10 credits per person. The same text with a photo costs 3.
Incoming messages are always free. When people reply, enjoy those conversations. Only the messages you send count toward your credits.
Tools in the message builder
Emojis. Add as many as you like. Just know that an emoji counts as a special character. The builder highlights special characters at the top and tells you how many you have.
Any special character cuts the characters you get per segment in half.
Media. Add a photo to your text. Remember, this makes it an MMS at 3 credits per person.
Links. The Links tab holds the Connect Cards and Pages you've built in your account. There's also a Shortened Links tab. Use our link shortener instead of TinyURL or Bitly, since links from those services can get blocked by carriers.
Templates. If you send the same words often, or want a signature at the end of your texts, add a message template at any point. To create one, go to Settings and then Message Templates.
Send or schedule
When your message looks good, click Next.
If your account has more than one phone number, choose the one you want to send from. Then decide whether to schedule your message for later or Send Now.
Once you hit send, you're all set.
Next steps
Want to reach people another way? Check out our other videos on sending Emails and Voice Broadcasts.