How is a broadcast text different from a group text?

A broadcast can reach a virtually unlimited number of recipients (versus ten to fifty for group texts), and group details and individual contact information are not shared with recipients, unlike group texts where everyone can see who else is in the group.

Can I send broadcast SMS messages to anyone?

You can only send broadcasts to people who have explicitly opted in to receive your text messages, as the fines for unsolicited text messages in the US and Canada are fairly steep.

Can people reply to a broadcast text?

Yes. With a two-way SMS broadcast service like SlickText, recipients can reply directly to your message. Each reply appears as a private one-on-one conversation in your SMS inbox, where you can respond and continue the conversation.

Can I send a broadcast text from my personal phone?

A personal phone can work for very small groups, but standard texting apps aren't designed for large-scale business messaging. A text broadcast platform lets you reach larger audiences while managing consent, opt-outs, private replies, scheduling, segmentation, and message performance from one place.

What number will I use to send broadcasts?

SlickText supports toll-free numbers, 10DLC local numbers, short codes, and RCS (rich communication services). The right number depends on your audience size, sending frequency, budget, and use case. Our team can help you select the right sending number and register on your behalf.

How much does an SMS broadcast service cost?

SlickText plans start at $29 per month for 500 message credits. Paid plans include unlimited contacts, free incoming messages, rollover credits, live support, a premium sending number, and access to all platform features. Carrier fees may also apply.

Is SMS broadcasting the same as mass texting?

Yes. SMS broadcasting, mass texting, bulk texting, and bulk SMS commonly describe the same basic process: sending one message to many recipients at once. Each recipient receives the message privately rather than being added to a group conversation.

Are there limits when sending broadcasts?

As long as you have the proper sending number, you shouldn't experience volume limits—short codes are best for hundreds of thousands of messages at once, while toll-free numbers work well for lower throughput needs.

How do I send a broadcast text message with SlickText?

Create a SlickText account, grow your list through opt-ins or imports, then select your list or segment, type your message, and choose to send immediately or schedule it for later.

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Reach Millions of Subscribers

Send an SMS broadcast to all of your contacts at once, regardless of list size. Our platform supports both SMS and MMS messaging and you can easily scale up or down as your communication needs change.

Know Your Messages Are Read

Text messages are sent directly to a customer's phone, without competing with a crowded inbox or getting caught in a spam filter — making SMS broadcasts one of the most direct ways to connect with your audience.

Maximize Engagement

With our rich suite of tools for personalization, segmentation, and automation, you can easily tune your text messaging strategy to maximize engagement.

At a Glance

SlickText’s SMS broadcast service lets you send SMS or MMS messages to your entire contact list or a targeted segment at once. It’s ideal for time-sensitive alerts, flash sales, promotional campaigns, and important updates. Every SlickText user gets tools for list growth, scheduling, segmentation, and personalization to help you reach the right people, while a shared inbox keeps replies private and easy to manage. The platform also includes built-in compliance tools to help you follow TCPA, CTIA, and carrier requirements.

What Is an SMS Broadcast?

SMS broadcasting, also known as broadcast text messaging, bulk messaging, or mass texting, is the process of sending one message to multiple recipients at once. Businesses commonly use SMS broadcasts to share time-sensitive notifications, important updates, and marketing promotions.

Unlike a standard group text, each recipient receives the broadcast text message in a private conversation, so phone numbers and replies are never shared with the rest of the audience. Although SMS broadcasts are often used for one-way announcements, recipients can still reply directly to your business for a private two-way conversation if you want that functionality.

Additionally, since you can send both SMS and MMS messages, you're not limited to just text but can also send images, animated GIFs, and videos.

A young professional receives an SMS broadcast with 25% off if they purchase before midnight

How to Send a Broadcast Text Message

Wondering how to send your first text broadcast? Even if you have no experience with mass texting, SlickText makes it easy to reach millions of people in a matter of seconds. Here's how to get started.

Create a SlickText Account & Register a Sending Number

Sign up for a SlickText account and decide which type of phone number you’d like to send from: toll-free, 10DLC, short code, or RCS messaging. If you’d like to explore the platform before selecting a plan, you have the option of starting a free trial or booking a platform demo with our team. When you’re ready to register your number, we’ll handle everything on your behalf.

Grow Your List

If you already have a list of subscribers who have opted in to receive your messages, you can import them directly into your SlickText account. Managing your contact list and customer data is essential for compliance and effective targeting. In order to remain compliant with laws and carrier regulations, each person on your list needs to explicitly opt in to receive your texts.

If you don't have a list yet, we offer a number of list growth features to help you get started. Some of these include website popups, QR codes, opt-in forms, and tap-to-join links.

Send Your Broadcast Text Message

Once you've built your list, you can start SMS broadcasting. All you have to do is select the list or segment that you want to communicate with, type out your message, and choose whether you want to send immediately or schedule it to be sent later. When creating your broadcast message, remember that it should be concise, clear, and include a call-to-action, such as a link to buy or a reply to confirm. To maximize engagement, consider using personalization, segmentation, emojis, and/or MMS marketing to stand out in people's inboxes.

An SMS subscriber receives a text broadcast delivered by SlickText SMS marketing software

Ways to Use Broadcast Text Messaging

Since text broadcasting gives you the ability to communicate immediately with large groups of people, there's plenty of application potential. Here are just a few ways you can take advantage of text messaging at scale.

Time-Sensitive Alerts

Need to get an urgent message out fast? Whether it’s a reminder, a last-minute event announcement, or critical information for employees or customers, SMS broadcasting delivers your message instantly. Your entire list receives your message in seconds, ensuring no one misses out.

Example of a time-sensitive broadcast text message sent through the SlickText platform

SMS Marketing

Take your SMS marketing strategy to the next level with broadcast text messaging. SMS broadcasts are highly effective for promotional campaigns, such as limited-time offers and flash sales, allowing you to reach your audience instantly. Send exclusive promotional messages and marketing messages to targeted audiences, promote in-person flash sales, announce new product launches, and more. Whatever your message, SMS ensures it’s seen by the right people at the right time, driving engagement, traffic, and results.

Three consumers receive personalized text alerts from an ecommerce store

One-on-One Support

With SlickText's broadcast SMS service, you can connect directly with your subscribers through our shared inbox, personalizing the mass-message experience. While a personal phone can be used for small-scale broadcast text messages, businesses should transition to dedicated SMS marketing platforms like SlickText as their contact lists grow, ensuring scalability and compliance. If one of your contacts responds to a message, it'll automatically generate a private text thread where you can send responses and answer any questions.

One-on-one customer support conversation using the SlickText shared inbox

IMPORTANT FEATURES

Key Features to Look for in a Text Broadcasting Service

Not every text message broadcasting service is created equal, so you should carefully select one that satisfies your specific needs. Here are a few key features to consider before making your final decision.

List Growth Tools

A growing list is the key to your broadcast messaging success. The service you choose should have a number of list building tools so you can utilize multiple opt-in methods, including text to join keywords, scannable QR codes, and custom popups.

A User-Friendly Mobile App

Unfortunately, not all providers offer a mobile app for their platform. If you want to manage and send broadcast text messages on-the-go, make sure the service you choose offers a mobile app.

Automations & Workflows

Text automation can include anything from scheduling out your messages to building two-way conversations based on specific triggers, like abandoned carts or specific link clicks. If you pick a platform with the right automations and workflows, you can significantly reduce the amount of manual work on your end.

Fast & Friendly Support

Whether you need help troubleshooting a question or want expert advice on your text broadcasting strategy, a dedicated support team can play an integral role in your success. Make sure the service you choose has a customer support team that can respond quickly when a question or concern comes up.

Segmentation & Personalization

With segmentation, you can use data you've collected, like order info, location, date subscribed and more, to create subsets of your audience. Then, send targeted broadcasts to subscribers who meet your criteria. Ideally, the platform you choose should offer segmentation as well as personalization, which allows you to include customer-specific information like names, birthdays, last order dates, and more.

Tracking & Analytics

In order to refine your SMS broadcast strategy, you'll need to analyze how your messages are performing, which links are being clicked, and which offers are being redeemed. Make sure you choose a platform that allows you to track clicks and other engagement analytics for each message you send. This will enable you to fine-tune your campaigns and optimize your conversion rates.

Text Broadcasting & Compliance

When sending broadcast messages, it's crucial to ensure you're following the proper laws and guidelines. At the federal level, the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) establishes important rules for sending texts, while the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA) publishes messaging best practices designed to protect consumers from unwanted messages.

One of the most important parts of staying compliant is getting the right level of consent before you send a message. Consent requirements depend on the type of broadcast you send. Informational texts, such as reminders or service alerts, generally require prior express consent. Consent for informational messages can be provided verbally, by text, through a form, or through another clear opt-in action.

Marketing or promotional messages require prior express written consent, which should be documented and specifically authorize the recipient to receive those types of texts. Written consent can be collected electronically, such as through a web form or by having someone text a keyword to join your list. Your opt-in should clearly identify your business, explain what subscribers are signing up to receive, state how frequently you plan to message them, and tell them how to opt out.

SlickText includes built-in opt-in tools and Opt-Out Intelligence to help you manage consent and automatically process requests to stop receiving messages. Compliance is ultimately the sender’s responsibility, so make sure your messaging program follows the requirements that apply to your organization and audience.

Check Out Our SMS Compliance Guide

Example of SlickText opt-out intelligence that unsubscribes a contact based on chat sentiment

WHY CHOOSE US

Why You Should Choose SlickText as Your Text Broadcast Platform

SlickText goes beyond basic text broadcasting with tools to target, personalize, automate, and improve your messaging.

Every plan includes access to the full platform, along with unlimited contacts and users, rollover message credits, free incoming texts, and live support from real messaging experts. That means you can take advantage of more advanced capabilities without paying extra to unlock the features you need.

Scheduling a text broadcast campaign to send now, later, or on a recurring schedule

Schedule Your Messages

Once you've drafted your message, you can schedule it to send at whatever day and time is best for your needs. If you have messages to send on a regular basis, you can set them up on a recurring schedule.

Campaign delivery report and opt-out intelligence in SlickText

Built for Reliable Message Delivery

SlickText combines number registration support, carrier relationships, compliant messaging tools, and delivery reporting to help you send broadcasts reliably at scale.

Two-way text conversation in the SlickText shared inbox

Manage Private Replies

Keep responses organized in a shared inbox where teammates can assign, review, and answer conversations. If you don’t want to manage replies, disable the inbox and set an automated message letting subscribers know responses aren’t monitored.

Number registration confirmation for RCS, short code, 10DLC, and toll-free numbers

Get Number Registration Done for You

Our support team is one of the biggest reasons why people choose SlickText. From registering your phone number to helping you follow the best practices for SMS marketing, our team is here to help with any and all questions.

Abandoned cart workflow built in the SlickText automation builder

Cut Manual Tasks with Automations

With our automated workflows, you can put your marketing on autopilot. Create messaging flows for lead nurturing and engagement, abandoned cart sequences, data collection, chat bots, and more.

Integrate with Your Current Software

Our platform supports 17+ native integrations, including Salesforce, Shopify, Mailchimp, Meta, Pinterest, Slack, and HubSpot, as well as 7,000 more integrations through Zapier and Make. These integrations make it easy to manage your marketing strategy in one place.

Common Text Broadcast FAQs

Even though sending text message broadcasts has become more popular in recent years, we find that people still have questions about various parts of the process. Here are the most frequently asked questions we receive by people looking to send text messages at scale.

What is an SMS broadcast?: SMS broadcasting, also called broadcast text messaging or mass texting, is the process of sending a single message to a large number of people at once, most often used for notifications and marketing promotions.

How is a broadcast text different from a group text?: A broadcast can reach a virtually unlimited number of recipients (versus ten to fifty for group texts), and group details and individual contact information are not shared with recipients, unlike group texts where everyone can see who else is in the group.

Are broadcast text messages legal to send?

Yes. Businesses and organizations can legally send broadcast text messages when they follow applicable consent, disclosure, opt-out, and other texting requirements.

The type of consent you need depends on the message. Informational texts, such as appointment reminders, order updates, account alerts, or service notifications, generally require prior express consent. That consent does not necessarily have to be in writing and may be provided verbally, by text, through a form, or through another clear action showing the recipient agreed to receive the message.

Promotional texts are subject to stricter requirements and generally require prior express written consent. Your opt-in should clearly identify your business, explain what subscribers are signing up to receive, state how frequently you plan to message them, and tell them how to opt out.

Can I send broadcast SMS messages to anyone?: You can only send broadcasts to people who have explicitly opted in to receive your text messages, as the fines for unsolicited text messages in the US and Canada are fairly steep.

Can people reply to a broadcast text?: Yes. With a two-way SMS broadcast service like SlickText, recipients can reply directly to your message. Each reply appears as a private one-on-one conversation in your SMS inbox, where you can respond and continue the conversation.

Can I send a broadcast text from my personal phone?: A personal phone can work for very small groups, but standard texting apps aren't designed for large-scale business messaging. A text broadcast platform lets you reach larger audiences while managing consent, opt-outs, private replies, scheduling, segmentation, and message performance from one place.

What number will I use to send broadcasts?: SlickText supports toll-free numbers, 10DLC local numbers, short codes, and RCS (rich communication services). The right number depends on your audience size, sending frequency, budget, and use case. Our team can help you select the right sending number and register on your behalf.

How much does an SMS broadcast service cost?: SlickText plans start at $29 per month for 500 message credits. Paid plans include unlimited contacts, free incoming messages, rollover credits, live support, a premium sending number, and access to all platform features. Carrier fees may also apply.

Is SMS broadcasting the same as mass texting?: Yes. SMS broadcasting, mass texting, bulk texting, and bulk SMS commonly describe the same basic process: sending one message to many recipients at once. Each recipient receives the message privately rather than being added to a group conversation.

Are there limits when sending broadcasts?: As long as you have the proper sending number, you shouldn't experience volume limits—short codes are best for hundreds of thousands of messages at once, while toll-free numbers work well for lower throughput needs.

How do I send a broadcast text message with SlickText?: Create a SlickText account, grow your list through opt-ins or imports, then select your list or segment, type your message, and choose to send immediately or schedule it for later.

Join the 124,000+ text message programs already using SlickText.

Get started for free