Postscript provides default message content for both automations and campaigns. You can use this messaging as a starting point and further build out messages that reflect the voice of your brand.
Why You Should Customize Your Messages
- Customization showcases the voice of your brand.
- Use GIFS and photos to showcase your brand personality and products.
- Personalize messages for the recipient with first and last name tags and direct links to products they've viewed or abandoned.
- Increase customer engagement and click-through rates.
Message Types
You can create and send two types of messages: SMS and MMS. Each message type differs in character count, multimedia, and costs.
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SMS: Stands for Short Message Service.
- Single SMS messages have a maximum of 160 plain text characters. Adding emojis will change the character limit to 70.
- Multi-part SMS messages, or SMS messages that exceed the 160 character count limitation, have a maximum of 153 plain text characters. Adding emojis will change the character limit to 67.
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MMS: Stands for Multimedia Message Service.
- Maximum of 1,600 characters.
- Can include an image or GIF.
SMS vs. MMS Performance
We often get asked if MMS messages perform better than SMS messages, so our Data Science team dug into the data of all customers who ran A/B tests with SMS and MMS messages.
| Message Type | Click-Through Rate | Conversion Rate |
|---|---|---|
| SMS | 8.90% | 1.07% |
| MMS | 8.10% | 1.06% |
You'll notice SMS performed better in both click-through and conversion rates. However, certain situations might benefit from an MMS message:
- New product drops or launches
- Big promotions such as BFCM or your annual sale
- Image-heavy, branded content
- Educational texts that use infographics (i.e., 5 meditation tips, 3 healthy eating tips, etc.)
Add an Image or GIF
You can add an image or GIF to campaign messages and one or more messages included in an automation series.
- Select the blue Add Photo or GIF button above the message field.
- You can choose a file from your device or drag and drop the file into the yellow field. File size must be less than 500KB.
- Your image or GIF will automatically upload once selected or dropped.
- You can view your image or GIF in the dynamic phone preview on the right side of the page.
- To remove an image or GIF, simply select the X to the far-right of the MMS Media box above the message field.
- JPGs work best, but PNGs are sendable as well.
- Keep a 9:16 aspect ratio. As you scale an image down to the phone size, the aspect ratio is the most important.
- Start with dimensions of 640x1138 and scale down as needed.
- Keep essential information out of the top and bottom 130 pixels.
- If you are including a GIF in your text, you'll want to be sure that it's below 500kb with a minimum width of 400px. You can resize your GIF here.
- Square or portrait dimensions work best with GIFs:
- 480x480 or 640x640
- 480x640 or 480x720
- GIFs will also work best if you keep the frame speed above 1/4 second.
Use Emojis in Messages
Emojis are a fun and effective way to add some personality to your message if it's appropriate for your brand.
- Place your typing cursor where you want the emoji to go in the message.
- Select the emoji icon in the bottom-right corner of the message field.
- You can search for your desired emoji by scrolling, selecting a category, or typing the name of the emoji.
- Select your desired emoji and it will appear in the message field.
- You can preview how the emoji will display to your subscriber in the dynamic phone preview on the right side of the page. Please note that emojis will display differently depending on the device and platform a recipient uses. You can learn more about how each emoji may display at Emojipedia.org.
Emojis and Character Count
Each emoji counts as 2-4 characters of your message, depending on the emoji. For example, facial expression emojis are usually 2 characters, while flag emojis are usually 4 characters. This is because of how emoji characters appear in the Unicode standard.
You can use the character counter and message total beneath the message field to see how many characters you are using.
Keep in mind that if you include emojis in a single SMS message (a message without an image or GIF within the 160 plain text character limit), your available characters drop from 160 to 70. If you include emojis in a multi-part SMS message (a message without an image or GIF that exceeds the 160 plain text character limit), your available characters drop from 153 to 67. You can learn more about emojis, special characters, and total character count here.
Add a Message Tag
Message tags are placeholders that, upon sending, Postscript replaces with customer-specific or store-specific information. Examples include a customer's first name or a product link. It's an easy and effective way to personalize your messages.
- Place your typing cursor where you want the tag to go in the message.
- Select the blue More button above the message field, then select Add Tag from the options listed.
- Choose the tag you wish to insert from the white drop-down list, then select the blue Insert Tag option.
- You can see the tag in the message field and can preview how it will display to your subscriber in the dynamic phone preview on the right side of the page.
Which tags appear in the More drop-down for an automation will depend on the automation trigger you've selected. For example, a shipping notification automation with a trigger of Order in Transit will have shipping-related message tags available.
Here are some example message tags:
- Shop Name | {shop_name}. Populates with your store’s name, e.g. “The Stuff Shop.”
- Shop Link | {shop_link}. Links to your store’s homepage. Postscript automatically shortens all links.
- First and Last Name | {first_name} {last_name}. Populates with the first or last name of the message recipient.
- Abandoned Cart Link | {abandoned_cart_link}. Links to the recipient's shopping cart checkout page. Postscript automatically shortens all links.
- Shipment Tracking Link | {shipping_link}. Populates with a link to the tracking details page for the recipient's order.
- Tracking Company | {tracking_company}. Populates with the name of the shipping carrier (e.g., UPS, FedEx, etc.).
Add a Discount Link
Adding a discount link is a great way to insert Shopify coupons in your message. With a Shopify coupon, you can link to your general store or a specific product.
- Place your typing cursor where you want the link to go in the message.
- Select the blue More button above the message field, then select Add Discount Link from the options listed.
- Enter your Discount Code and URL.
- You can see the link in the message field and can preview how it will display to your subscriber in the dynamic phone preview on the right side of the page. Postscript automatically shortens all links.
Locate a Shopify Collection ID
If you want to apply a discount to a Shopify collection, you'll need your collection ID. You can locate this information in Shopify.
- Select Products in the side menu of your Shopify dashboard, then select Collections.
- Locate and select your desired Collection.
- Your collection ID is in the URL. In the above example, the collection ID is 73617932346.
Learn more about using Shopify coupons in your Postscript messages here.
Add a Postscript Coupon
Postscript coupons allow you to include unique, one-time offers in your messages. You can include a coupon for free shipping, a percentage off, a dollar amount off, or a coupon that applies to a specific collection of products.
- Place your typing cursor where you want the coupon to go in the message.
- Select the blue More button above the message field, then select Add Coupon from the options listed.
- Choose the type of coupon from the white drop-down list. For Percent or Dollar, enter the amount.
- If you wish to apply the coupon to a collection, select Collection and enter the Collection ID.
- Once done, select Insert Coupon.
- You can see the coupon in the message field and can preview how it will display to your subscriber in the dynamic phone preview on the right side of the page.
Postscript coupons are only available for automations. If you wish to apply a coupon in a campaign, you can do so using a Shopify coupon.
Learn more about Postscript coupons here.
Add a Product Link
If you're dropping new products, teasing your BFCM sale, or sending a campaign to a specific segment, you might consider including a product link.
- Place your typing cursor where you want the link to go in the message.
- Select the blue More button above the message field, then select Add Product Link from the options listed.
- Choose a specific item from the Product drop-down, then select a Variant. These variants might be size or color.
- Enter a quantity, then select Add Product.
- You can see the link in the message field and can preview how it will display to your subscriber in the dynamic phone preview on the right side of the page. Postscript automatically shortens all links.
A specific product link is perfect if you are reaching out to a particular customer segment using a filter that looks into past purchase history. For example, say we want to send a product link for our coats in size large. We can create a segment of customers who have previously bought coats or outwear in size large.
If you want to direct recipients to the general product page without variants attached, then you can paste the product page link in the message field. Postscript will automatically shorten the link.
Add a Contact Card
Contact cards make it easy for subscribers to add your store as a contact on their mobile device. You can create a contact card in your account settings.
- Select the blue More button above the message field, then select Add Contact Card from the options listed.
- Your contact card will appear above the message field. You can edit it by selecting Edit. This will take you out of the message and to your account settings page.
- You can preview your contact card in the dynamic phone preview on the right side of the page.
Postscript can only send contact cards to US and Canadian subscribers. Contact card messages count as an MMS message.
Include an Opt-Out Opportunity
You can include opt-out language in both campaigns and automations. If you send regular campaigns, then we encourage you to include opt-out language at least once a month.
On the message details page, simply select the Add "Reply STOP to unsubscribe" checkbox below the message field. Doing so adds the opt-out language to your message.
Get Support
Have questions? Please feel free to reach out to our wonderful Support team at support@postscript.io or via live chat. You can also submit a support request here!
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