> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.brilo.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Add a text message step

> Add an SMS step to a Brilo campaign so the people who did not answer your call get a text, and the people who did get the link you promised them.

The text step is the highest value step in most campaigns. It reaches the people who will never answer a
call, it carries a link a phone call cannot, and it costs a fraction of a call. If you add one thing to a
single step campaign, add this.

## Before you start

* A campaign with a call step. See [Build a sequence](/campaigns/build-a-sequence).
* A phone number with texting switched on. US numbers must be registered before they can send. See
  [Buy a phone number](/phone-numbers/buy-a-phone-number).
* Contacts with mobile numbers. A contact with only a landline shows as **Message not sent**.
* Ten minutes.

## Steps

<Steps>
  <Step title="Add the step">
    Open the campaign, go to **Overview**, add a step, and choose **SMS**.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Write the message body">
    Fill in **Message Body**. Keep it to one or two sentences. Say who you are, why you are writing, and
    give exactly one thing to do.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set who gets it">
    Set the condition. For a follow up after an unanswered call, tick **Went to voicemail** and
    **Couldn't be connected**. For a link after a successful call, tick **Reached a person**. See
    [Choose when each step runs](/campaigns/choose-when-each-step-runs).
  </Step>

  <Step title="Set the delay">
    At least an hour after an unanswered call, so the text does not arrive while their phone is still
    ringing. Five to fifteen minutes after a successful call, while the conversation is fresh.
  </Step>

  <Step title="Send one to yourself first">
    Add your own mobile as a test contact and read the message on a real phone. Texts look different on a
    handset than in a form field, and a message that reads fine in the browser can arrive as three
    paragraphs.
  </Step>
</Steps>

## You will know it worked when

The text arrives on your own phone, names your business in the first few words, and contains one clear
thing to do.

## Writing a text that works

```
Marston Dental here. We tried to call about your check up on Thursday.
Book or reschedule: example.com/book
```

What makes the difference:

* **Name the business in the first few words.** People read the first line in a notification and decide
  from that alone.
* **Say why you are writing.** "We tried to call about your check up" beats "Following up".
* **One action, one link.** Two links halves the chance either is clicked.
* **No pleasantries.** "I hope this message finds you well" is three lines of a notification wasted.
* **Keep it short.** Long messages split into several parts, arrive out of order, and read as spam.

What to avoid: capital letters for emphasis, more than one exclamation mark, the word FREE, and anything
that looks like a marketing blast. Carriers filter on exactly these signals and your message stops
arriving at all.

## The two texts worth sending

**After a call nobody answered.** This is the one that recovers the campaign. Around half your list will
never answer a phone, and this is the only message they will see.

**After a call somebody answered.** Send the link, the confirmation, or the quote you just promised, five
minutes later while they still remember agreeing. This is the highest converting message in most
sequences and almost nobody sets it up.

## What else you can do here

* Put contact details in the message, so it names the person and their appointment. See
  [Add your own contact fields](/contacts/add-your-own-contact-fields).
* Branch a later step on whether the text was delivered, using **Message sent**, **Message failed**, and
  **Message not sent**. See [Choose when each step runs](/campaigns/choose-when-each-step-runs).
* Let your agent text during a call instead of as a campaign step, when the caller asks for something
  then and there. See [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email).
* Handle the replies, since people do reply to these. See
  [Ways people can reach your agent](/channels/overview).

## If it did not work

**Nothing sends.** The number does not have texting enabled, or it is a US number that has not been
registered. Registration is a prerequisite, not a formality.

**Some contacts show Message not sent.** They have no mobile number on the contact record. Landlines
cannot receive texts, and that is what this status means.

**Some contacts show Message failed.** The number was rejected. Usually a wrong number, a landline saved
as a mobile, or a handset blocking you.

**The message arrived split into pieces.** It is too long. Cut it to two sentences and one link.

**Texts stopped arriving after a while.** Carrier filtering. Look at your wording for the spam signals
above, and check you are not sending the same message to a very large list in a very short window. See
[Control how fast a campaign dials](/campaigns/control-how-fast-it-dials).

**Replies are going nowhere.** Make sure an agent is handling texts on that number. See
[My messages are not sending](/channels/my-messages-arent-sending).

## FAQ

<AccordionGroup>
  <Accordion title="Can a Brilo campaign send a text message automatically?">
    Yes. Add an **SMS** step, write the message, and set the condition for who gets it. The most common
    setup is a text to everybody whose call went to voicemail or could not be connected.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How do I text only the people who did not answer?">
    Set the SMS step's condition to **Went to voicemail** and **Couldn't be connected**. Contacts who
    answered skip the step.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Why are my campaign texts not sending?">
    Most often the number has no texting capability, or it is a US number that has not been registered
    yet. After that, check whether the contacts have mobile numbers, since a landline shows as **Message
    not sent**.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="How long should a campaign text be?">
    One or two sentences and one link. Longer messages split into several parts, can arrive out of order,
    and are more likely to be filtered.
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Can I include the contact's name in the message?">
    Yes, using details held on the contact record, so each person gets their own name and appointment
    time. See [Add your own contact fields](/contacts/add-your-own-contact-fields).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="What happens if somebody replies to a campaign text?">
    The reply comes back to the number that sent it, and an agent set up for texts on that number can
    answer. Expect replies, because a good campaign text gets them. See
    [Ways people can reach your agent](/channels/overview).
  </Accordion>

  <Accordion title="Should I text before or after calling?">
    After, in most cases, because a call that reaches somebody is worth more than a text. The exception is
    appointment reminders, where a text first and a call to the non responders works better.
  </Accordion>
</AccordionGroup>

## Related

* [Build a sequence](/campaigns/build-a-sequence) for where the text step fits
* [Choose when each step runs](/campaigns/choose-when-each-step-runs) for who gets it
* [Add an email step](/campaigns/email-step) for the longer message
* [My messages are not sending](/channels/my-messages-arent-sending) for delivery problems
* [Send a text or email](/actions/send-a-text-or-email) to text during a call instead