You will learn
Learn when to consider getting a short code, including why you might benefit and at what points a short code will be helpful.
Short codes can be crucial to a brand's deliverability. It all depends on your list size, business needs, and the type of text messages you want to send.
Benefits of short codesBenefits of short codes
Compared to other sending number types, short codes offer several benefits:
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Faster message delivery
Short codes deliver messages up to 10 times faster than toll-free numbers, long codes, and branded sender IDs. To put this into perspective, when it might take other number types up to 50 minutes to deliver a campaign, a short code can do it in 5 minutes. -
Appears more professional
Short codes have a strict approval process. People associate short codes with vetted brands. Behind the scenes, this means the business has followed a strict approval process, but for your audience, it helps build trust. -
Less carrier filtering
Since short codes require pre-approval, carriers trust messages from short codes more than other number types. If you have “risky” content (e.g., mentions of money), carriers will be more lenient with short codes and less likely to filter your texts. -
Brand recognition
Using a short code makes your texts stand out from other numbers. If recipients can recognize your brand, they are also more likely to read your messages. Vanity short codes can even be customized to reflect your business. -
Easy to remember
It is much easier for subscribers to remember (and text) 5–6 digits than a 10-digit toll-free or long number. This makes it easier for people to opt in and for you to grow your list.
Who can benefit from a short code
Any business with a large SMS subscriber list would be a good candidate for a short code, like large ecommerce companies or brands.
Another good use case is frequent senders. If you send more than 3,000 texts a day, even if they’re not all at the same time, a short code could be a good choice. For instance, if you’re a large hospital network, you may send many appointment reminders or test results in a day, and could benefit from a short code’s fast sending speed.
Short codes ensure that you get subscribers relevant information in a timely manner. You don't want those messages bogged down in the queue.
When to consider getting a short codeWhen to consider getting a short code
Short codes are particularly useful for high-volume senders, those with large lists, or those who want to send large MMS campaigns.
Below, we break down the milestones into 2 categories for short codes:
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Encouraged
When you may start experiencing deliverability issues if you don't have a short code. -
Strongly recommended
When you may experience frequent deliverability issues if you don't have a short code.
Encouraged
Once you reach any 1 of the following milestones, consider switching to a short code.
List size reaches 30,000+
When you have more than 30,000 SMS subscribers, you may start running into issues or need more throughput.
As mentioned above, short codes can send up to 10 times faster than toll-free numbers, long codes, and branded sender IDs.
Branded sender IDs, toll-free numbers, and long codes all have a sending speed of 10-25 messages per second. With these numbers, you can send 36,000–90,000 messages in an hour, whereas with a short code, you can send 360,000–1.44 million messages.
Campaign size is 30,000+
It’s good to have a short code with high throughput so that customers receive messages in a timely manner.
For instance, say you’re releasing a new product and want to reach out to every subscriber the moment it launches. With a toll-free number or long code, it could take almost an hour to reach all 30,000 recipients. Meanwhile, short codes have a much higher sending speed, and can cut this time down to 5 minutes.
Campaign size is 15,000+ if you send MMS during holidays (US only)
MMS throughput works vastly differently from that of SMS. Resourcing for MMS is more limited, as wireless networks simply can't handle the number of MMS like they can for SMS.
When it's the holiday season, resourcing is even more limited than it is regularly. Due to this, a short code may be helpful if you send MMS during holidays and have a campaign size of 15,000 or more.
Note that MMS is not available for Canadian short codes or in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, which is why this only applies to US numbers.
MMS throughput works vastly differently from that of SMS. Resourcing for MMS is more limited, as wireless networks simply can't handle the number of MMS like they can for SMS.
When it's the holiday season, resourcing is even more limited than it is regularly. Due to this, a short code may be helpful if you send MMS during holidays and have a campaign size of 15,000 or more.
Note that MMS is not available for Canadian short codes or in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, which is why this only applies to US numbers.
Strongly recommended
Once you reach any 1 of the following milestones, a short code is strongly recommended. Without it, you are almost guaranteed to run into issues with your SMS being delivered.
List size is 90,000+
When you reach 90,000 SMS subscribers, a short code is very strongly recommended.
The main reason is timing. A toll-free number, branded sender ID, or long code won’t be able to deliver messages in a timely manner. With this list size, it may take several hours to deliver all of your messages.
This not only means that many of your subscribers will get the information late, but can also lead to you accidentally messaging them outside quiet hours, which is a compliance risk. Due to this, Klaviyo will only send SMS within 4 hours of a campaign’s send time; any messages that have not been sent within those 4 hours will be canceled.
Campaign size is 50,000+
Similar to the list size being over 90,000, a campaign size of 50,000 or more means that your messages likely won't be delivered in a timely manner.
If a campaign reaches 50,000, it's may take several minutes for your message to reach all intended recipients. This is particularly problematic for any time-sensitive promotions or events, as recipients can get your SMS at very different times; that is, if they get your message at all.
Campaign size is 30,000+ if you send MMS during holidays (US only)
In general, MMS throughput is less than it is for SMS, but toll-free numbers are more limited than short codes in the US. During busy times and holidays, carriers also tend to prioritize MMS messages that come from short codes over ones from toll-free numbers.
Once you reach 30,000 or more and if it's a major holiday, your toll-free number likely will not be able to deliver MMS messages in a timely manner.
Note that MMS is not available for Canadian short codes or in the UK, Australia, and New Zealand, which is why this only applies to US numbers.
Additional resources
- Find out more about SMS sending numbers
- Learn more about what you need to get a short code: