10 SMS copywriting tips that will trigger customer conversion (with examples)

Did you know that more than 90% of people read a text within the first three minutes of receiving it? This is exactly why businesses cannot ignore the power of SMS. It’s one of the few communication channels where you stand a strong chance of not only reaching your customers but engaging with them.

Capture and retain your audience’s attention with excellent SMS copy. Here are 10 SMS copywriting tips, plus examples, that will help you boost conversion rate.

• Keep it short
• Use timely, emotive language
• Show your appreciation
• Use line breaks
• Speak in first and second person
• Always offer value
• Promote one idea per message
• Adjust your language depending on the channel
• Use imagery and emojis
• Speak like your customer

Keep it short

An SMS message consists of 160 characters. If you write more than that, it will be sent in separate messages. So, try and condense your content into one 160-character message – not just to improve cost efficiency but also to prevent bombarding your recipients with multiple messages.

Use timely, emotive language

Attract attention and empower your audience to act when you use timely, emotive language. For example, if there’s a sale, use phrases like this weekend only or count down to when it ends. 

Don’t miss out on our big winter sale. Plus, DOUBLE loyalty points when you spend £30 or more. Start shopping: [LINK]

Use line breaks

Walls of text can be overwhelming and lead to subscribers scan reading rather than actually engaging with your messages. So, split up your sentences with line breaks to boost readability. 

Show your appreciation

A little appreciation for your SMS subscribers can go a long way. Whether you thank them for their loyalty or share updates/promo codes that are exclusive to SMS subscribers, it can help people feel special.

Hey VIP, the big summer event is about to start and you get early access 🎉 [LINK]

Always offer value

There are few things that will make a person hit ‘unsubscribe’ faster than irrelevant and uninteresting content. So, make sure that you’re offering value to subscribers in every SMS message you send.

Think along the lines of:

• Personalised promo codes
• Loyalty rewards
• Tailored recommendations
• Previews/first access
• Exclusive news and updates

Speak in first and second person

SMS is a very personal channel – it gives you the chance to speak to customers one-on-one. Use this opportunity to not only talk directly to subscribers but also mimic the tone of voice they adopt when interacting with loved ones. 

In other words, speak in first and second person – this will help your message sound more personalised.

Hi [NAME]. Good news – the [PRODUCT] you were interested in is now on sale! 

Hey [NAME], [BRAND] here. I just wanted to share a quick update about our opening hours over the holidays. Check out the link here: [LINK]

Promote one idea per message

Avoid confusion by having a clear call to action (CTA). While you can promote multiple products in one message (just like a salesperson would bring a prospect various options), ensure you have one main CTA, whether it’s a link to your product page, loyalty program or you just want people to log into their account.

Use imagery and emojis

Images and emojis can break up copy and add a fun, personal touch to your text messages. Make sure your images are under 500kb. And don’t go overboard with emojis. Unless you’re using them in the place of bullet points, use no more than two per SMS message.

Don’t forget about your basket, [NAME]. It’s safe for now but head to checkout ASAP before somebody else nabs it! 🏃

Speak like your customer

Mimic your customer’s tone of voice and level of familiarity while staying consistent with your branding. Be wary of abbreviations unless you’re certain that your recipients will understand what you mean and/or it’s in line with what your brand stands for.

Adjust your language depending on the channel

Though it may seem like a ‘quick win’, your SMS copy should be different to the copy you write for email, social media and other communications channels. It should even be different between different mobile messaging channels. Why? Because customers sign up to different channels as they want their information delivered in varying formats.

It also allows you to take advantage of different channels for their unique features. For example, SMS is short and snappy while email allows for more details and WhatsApp allows for richer content.

Final thought: Would you engage with the message you’re sending to subscribers?

When you’re planning your SMS strategy, put yourself in your customer’s shoes and question whether you’d engage with the content you’re sending out. You only have 160 characters to play with so make every one count.

For more inspiration, check out our text template library for 50+ SMS examples you can copy and paste into your own campaigns.