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Copywriting

Write a message that gets replies

· 3 min read · Leads Fresh DB

The list decides who receives your message; the words decide whether anyone answers. A marketing text has a few seconds and a few lines to earn a reply — here is how to use them.

Know your 160 characters

A single SMS holds 160 characters in the standard GSM alphabet. Go over, and the message is sent in parts of 153 characters each, and you usually pay for every part. Use one character outside that alphabet — an emoji, curly quotes pasted from a word processor, or letters such as ã, õ or ê — and the whole message switches to Unicode: 70 characters, or 67 per part. A 140-character text with one emoji can cost you three messages instead of one.

  • Write in plain text, then paste it into your sending tool and check the part count before you send.
  • Replace curly quotes and long dashes with straight ones if you are close to a limit.
  • If the language needs accents, plan for the shorter Unicode limit from the start.

A structure that works

  1. Who you are — the company name, first.
  2. What is in it for them — one benefit, in their words, not yours.
  3. Something specific — a price, a date, a place, a number.
  4. One action — reply a word, call, or open one link.
  5. A way out — "Reply STOP to opt out".

Before and after

Before: AMAZING OFFER!!! Best prices on the market, don't miss out, click now bit.ly/x7Yq2 🔥🔥

After: GreenFix Garages: winter tyre change in Utrecht for €39 this month, done in 30 min. Reply BOOK and we'll send you times. STOP to opt out.

The second one says who is writing, what it costs, where, how long it takes and what to do next — and it fits in one SMS. (GreenFix is a made-up example.)

Words and habits that hurt

  • ALL CAPS, "!!!" and "FREE" look like spam to people and to network filters.
  • Generic link shorteners are widely used by scammers and can be filtered; a link on your own domain is more trusted.
  • Fake familiarity — "Hi John" — when you do not actually know the name. A bought list has numbers, not names; pretending otherwise backfires.
  • Pressure — "last chance", "your account will be closed" — reads as fraud.

Pick the right call to action

Reply a keyword ("Reply INFO") is the lowest effort and starts a conversation you can follow up. A link works when the next step is online — a shop, a booking page. A phone number works for older audiences and high-value offers. Use one, not all three.

Test before you scale

Write two versions that differ in one thing — the opening, the offer, the action — and send each to a few hundred numbers from the same list. Count replies and opt-outs, keep the winner, and test the next idea. Start with our guide to testing a list and the rules for each country.

Questions & answers

How many characters can one SMS have?

160 in the standard GSM alphabet, or 70 if the message contains any character outside it, such as an emoji. Longer messages are split into parts of 153 (or 67) characters.

Do emojis make SMS more expensive?

Often, yes: one emoji switches the whole message to Unicode, which cuts the limit from 160 to 70 characters, so the same text may need more parts.

Should I put a link in a marketing SMS?

Only if the next step is online. Use your own domain rather than a generic shortener, and keep one link per message.

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