You will learn
Learn how to create and send an SMS campaign in Klaviyo. Note that the process is almost exactly the same for MMS campaigns. The only difference is that you add an image or GIF during the content creation stage.
An SMS campaign is a one-time text message to a list or segment of subscribers, notifying them of events such as product launches, flash sales, or other promotions. You can set an SMS campaign to send either immediately or at some point in the future.
Before you begin
Before sending an SMS campaign, you must have:
- Turned on SMS
- Collected SMS consent
- Note: having someone's phone number does not count as consent; someone must have explicitly agreed to receive SMS marketing messages
You should also have a list or segment of those who you want to send to, such as everyone who is subscribed to SMS.
| Campaigns | Flows |
| 1-time sends that are manually scheduled | Automated and ongoing sends |
| Sent to a specific list or segment | Triggered by customer actions or profile properties |
| Content is more broad with limited personalization | Content is more specific and can be highly personalized |
SMS vs. email send options
Note that unlike with email, you cannot use the following send options for SMS or MMS campaigns:
- Determine recipients at send time
- Smart Send Time
Create an SMS campaign
- Head to the Campaigns tab.
- Click Create Campaign in the upper right.
- Select SMS and then Create Campaign.
- Name your campaign.
- Under Recipients, select the list(s) or segment(s) you want to send to.
- Click Continue to Content.
- Write your content in the Message box at the upper left-hand corner of the screen.
- Note that SMS content is limited to 160 characters or (if you have an emoji or special character) 70 characters.
- Add a link to your message so that Klaviyo can track the message.
- Do not uncheck the Automatically shorten links box.
- Do not uncheck the Automatically shorten links box.
- Note: disabling the options in the Compliance tab is not recommended.
- Optional: Add media to your message to turn it into an MMS.
- The image or GIF must be under 600 KB.
- MMS is not available in all countries.
- MMS increases the character limit 1600.
- MMS costs more credits under the Klaviyo billing plan.
- MMS is not recommend during holiday seasons.
- Optional: Preview the message as a certain profile.
- Click Save & Continue to Review.
- On the review page, check that the campaign is:
- Is sending to the right audience.
- Can be tracked.
- Does not exceed the credits in your SMS billing plan.
- Click Schedule or Send on the bottom right when the campaign is ready to go out.
- Select whether you want to send now or at some point in the future.
- Note that you should not send a campaign before 9 a.m. or after 8 p.m. in the recipient's local time.
- Click either Schedule or Send Now.
Additional resources
Learn more about SMS in the Help Center: