87 Sample Text Messages to Customers, Message Templates 2026

This page gives you 87 text message templates that you can copy and send to customers.

Some of these are modified versions of real text messages from Mobile Text Alerts customers, while others are examples of the types of messages you could potentially send (based on our 15 years of experience in the SMS space).

After all, people send over 2 trillion text messages per year and 98% of Americans own a cell phone. So you want to take full advantage of the opportunities SMS provides.

(To use a template, copy it and replace the text in brackets with your own pertinent information! You can also check out our guide on examples by industry to see examples for your specific vertical.)

7 Best Sample Text Messages to Customers

1. Welcome Message

Here's 10% off as a thank-you for jumping on board here at [Company Name]! Claim your discount by clicking the following link, and be sure to keep an eye out for more VIP deals down the road! [Link]

2. Exclusive Offer or Discount

Hey [Name], today only for our VIP customers! 🎁 Enjoy an exclusive 20% off your next purchase with code VIP20. Offer expires soon, so don't miss out! Shop here: [link]

Note: an analysis of 12,114,932 message campaigns sent between July 13, 2026, and October 12, 2026 revealed that campaigns containing urgency words such as "now" or "don't miss" were almost twice as likely (1.9 times as likely) to result in opt-outs.

Of course, there are other factors to consider (i.e., our data seems to indicate that urgency words can be correlated to higher click-through rates, which for some businesses may offset the opt-out rate correlation in their risk assessment). Also, this figure does include messages across the entire spectrum of use cases, so it would be expected that messages with urgency words would be more marketing-oriented and therefore would be more likely to result in opt-outs.

3. Appointment Reminder

Hi [Name] - Reminder! You have an appointment for [appointment purpose] with [provider] at [time] on [date].

4. Event / Webinar Reminder

Hey [Name], don't miss out! [Webinar Name] starts in 10 minutes. Check it out here: [link]

5. Reactivation

[Name], one day only! Get 35% off your next order - no strings attached! Shop now: [link]

6. Abandoned Cart

Hi [Name], time's running out! Your cart's waiting and you can get free shipping if you check out within the next 30 minutes! Check out here: [link]

7. Sales Follow-Up

Hi [Name], you're so close to getting [benefit]! Just reply INTERESTED and you'll get a special discount code.

What Kinds of Text Messages Should You Send to Your Customers?

You can send texts to customers for at least 8 purposes: welcome, sales follow-ups, promotions, event or webinar reminders, customer care, loyalty, payment reminders, and winback.

“Welcome” Sample Text Messages to Customers

Your “welcome” message is the automated message people receive when they sign up for your texts via "text-to-join" keyword or web sign-up form.

Your welcome message should generally be succinct, friendly, and informative. It should clearly confirm and clarify what your subscriber signed up for, as well as provide instructions on how they can opt out.

Check out the below templates for some ideas.

Welcome! You will now be kept up to date with all things at [business name]! Reply 'stop' at any time to opt out

Welcome to [business name] Alert Club! Use promo code [code] to enjoy 10% off as a 'thank you' for signing up. Text Stop to stop

Hello there! You will now be amongst the first to hear the details of our special events hosted at [business name]. Reply STOP to unsubscribe

Welcome to [business name]’s VIP Text Club. You’ll receive VIP deals no one else gets! Reply 'stop' to opt out

Welcome to [business name] text alerts! Now you will get alerted every time we have a deal so you don't miss out. Hope to see ya soon! Txt stop 2 stop

Welcome to [business name] Deals! Stay tuned for announcements! Opt-out by replying with the word 'stop' at any time.

Welcome to the [business name] family! So glad you're with us. Make sure you follow us on IG [@Instagram handle or link]. Reply 'stop' to stop

Welcome to the [business name] VIP Group! You will receive EXCLUSIVE specials, discounts and promotions. Stay tuned! Text 'stop' to opt out

Welcome to text updates for [business name]! Thanks for joining! Text stop to stop

Hi there! This is [business name]’s text alert system! :) We'll be updating you about SALES, DEALS & NEW PRODUCT RELEASES. Stay tuned! Txt stop 2 stop

Sales Message Examples

Text follow-ups can be a simple and interactive way to engage with your leads and guide them through the sales process.

You can use effective sales text message examples to move leads through your sales process.

Here are some ideas to help get you thinking...

[Percentage] off your subscription if you purchase TODAY! Here’s the link to purchase: [link]

Any questions I can help clear up for you as you’re testing out your free trial? :)

I’d love to walk you through your services! Go ahead and schedule a demo here: [link]

Thanks for downloading our free guide! Try a free test account today: [link]

We noticed your free trial period is up. We hope you enjoyed testing out [product or service]! What’s holding you back from upgrading your free trial right now?

Thanks for your interest in [product or service]! Here are some tutorials to help you get started: [link]

Hi there! How are things going with your free trial? :)

We noticed you haven’t [done step in the sales process] yet. What can I do to help?

Promotion Sample Text Messages to Customers

What better way to drive customer engagement with your promotions than texting them directly on their personal phones?

View some example templates below.

FLASH SALE! Everything [percentage] off for the next [period of time] ONLY! Shop here: [link]

Don’t miss out on our [holiday] sale this weekend! [Percentage] off! Visit in-store or online: [link]

CLEARANCE! While supplies last! [Percentage] off all [product or service]. Hurry, don’t miss it! [Link]

Buy one get one [FREE, HALF OFF, etc.] - all [type of product or service]! [Period of time] only. Purchase here: [link]

Text club exclusive - [percentage] off everything! [Period of time] only! Click here to shop: [link]

FREE GIVEAWAY - We’re giving away [free product or number of free products] today! [Action customer must take] for a chance to win.

Let’s make a DEAL - [percentage] off any purchase this weekend! Happy shopping!

Now’s the perfect time to spring for that [product or service] you’ve been wanting. Why? Because all [product or service] are [percentage] off [period of time] ONLY. Stop by or shop online: [link]

NEW! Introducing [new product or service]. To celebrate, we’re giving [percentage] off any orders that include the new [product or service] for [period of time] ONLY. Here’s the link to shop: [link]

Don’t miss out on all we have going on [period of time; i.e. today, this week]! [List of activities, items, specials, etc.]. See you soon!

Event Sample Text Messages to Customers

Want a better turnout to your event (whether digital or in-person)?

Sending text reminders can help get more people to show up.

Thus, you’ll have a greater opportunity to showcase the product or service you’re promoting!

DON’T FORGET! Our [webinar or other event] is today at [time]. See you there!

(Click here for more info on SMS reminders for Zoom webinars and meetings.)

Our webinar is in 5 minutes! Click here to join: [link]

You won’t want to miss our [event name] tomorrow at [time]! Be there or be square!

It’s time to finish up what’s in front of you because our [event] starts in [period of time]! Here’s the link to join: [link]

Now’s the time! Your [webinar or other event] starts in T minus [length of time]. (Trust me, you don’t want to miss it!) Click the link and say hi once you’re in: [link]

Hello [event] registrants! Just a reminder that the [event] begins on [day] at [time]. Don’t be late! Excited to see you there!

DON’T FORGET! Our [event name] is [day] at [time] - Catered by [caterer] at [location]. We’ll have [event activities]! See you there.

Don’t forget about [event] starting at [time] tonight at [location]! Please [event instructions]. Hope to see you there!

Unfortunately, due to [reason], the [event] has been cancelled. Sorry, folks! Enjoy some extra time with your friends and family!

Customer Care and Information Sample Text Messages to Customers

Texting just feels a lot more personal than social media posts or emails.

This means that texting gives you a way to really connect with and care for your customers. For example, hotels often send guests text messages upon check-in or arrival to share critical information and welcome customers. Or ecommerce stores could send follow-ups after a purchase to make sure the customer is satisfied.

A greater connection with customers means customers are more likely to stick with you - to purchase from you again.

Which, of course, is good news for you and your business!

Use these SMS templates for customer service to check in with customers and share updates.

Hi there! [Representative’s name] from [business name] here. Just following up on your recent purchase - Did everything go smoothly for you?

Hi there! This is [representative’s name] from [business name]. I wanted to check in to see how you’re liking your new [product or service]?

[Business name]: Thank you for your order! Order #[number] is confirmed. We will text you when it ships.

We’d love to get in touch and see how we can serve you! Can we chat for 10 minutes? Book a call here: [link]

Thanks for your purchase! We’d love to get feedback on your experience. What is one thing we could do to better serve you?

Don’t forget your appointment with [business name] today at [time]! See you soon.

Unfortunately, due to [reason], your appointment with [name or business name] must be canceled today. You can reschedule here or call [phone number]: [link]

Now that you’ve been using your [product or service] for a little while now, how are things going? Any questions or concerns I can help you with?

You’ve got the basics down. Ready to learn more about how to take full advantage of your [product or service]? Here are some ideas: [link]

[Business name] will be closed on [day] due to [reason]. (We’ll be back to normal operations the following day.) Sorry for any inconvenience!

Loyalty Follow-up Sample Text Messages to Customers

Do you offer some sort of loyalty program to incentivize repeat purchases?

If not, you should consider it!

Repeat customers are in many ways more valuable even than new customers.

That kind of repeat loyalty creates more consistency and reliability for your business and is usually the backbone of your revenue.

How can you boost this kind of loyalty via texting?

Get FREE and discounted [products or services] by being a part of our loyalty club! Sign up here: [link]

Thanks for joining our loyalty text club! Enjoy a [free item or discount] just for signing up! Redeem here: [link]

CONGRATS! You’ve earned [number] loyalty stars which means you get a FREE [insert reward]. Show this text to claim your prize!

SO CLOSE! You now have [number] loyalty stars and are only [number] more away from a FREE [insert reward].

Hey you! Yes, you! :) As a valued loyal customer, we’re giving you an EXCLUSIVE [percentage] off your next purchase. Because we so appreciate you and we know saving money makes you feel good inside! Show this text on your next visit or purchase here: [link]

Congratulations on making your [number, i.e. 10th, 50th] purchase with [business name]! As a thank you, please take [percentage] off your next purchase! Click here to redeem: [link]

You’ve been a customer for [length of time] now! Wow, time flies! We appreciate you and want to give you a FREE [item] as a thank you. Redeem here: [link]

Since you’re a member of our loyalty club, we’re giving you a [free or discounted item], just because! :) Enjoy!

Dunning and Payment Reminder Sample Text Messages to Customers

Dunning, the process of contacting customers to collect payment, is never fun! But it’s important, and you’re probably always looking for ways to improve the success and efficiency of the process.

Why not utilize texting?

After all, people pay close attention to their texts. Probably even more so than phone calls in this day and age!

And let’s be honest - Automated dunning texts can save you and your employees from the awkwardness and hassle of having to call customers for payment collection.

Hint: you could consider using a branded link so that your SMS doesn’t seem like a scam.

Payment was declined for your [service]. Please login and update the card on file to avoid service disruption. Reply with any questions. [Link]

Your [product or service] will be [disabled / canceled] in [number] days if you don't update the card on file. Reply with any questions. [Link]

Hi there! We noticed your invoice was past due. Did you have any questions I could help clarify regarding your order? You can view the invoice here: [link]

We miss you! Please update card info to continue with your [product or service] - [link]

A friendly reminder that your payment is due on [date]. You can view your invoice using the following link, and let us know if you have any questions: [link]

Your payment is scheduled to process automatically on [date]. Let us know if you have any questions!

Churn Winback Sample Text Messages to Customers

Nothing hurts a businessperson quite as much as losing a customer.

Or, like we call it in the business world, “churn."

But texting can help with this too!

Here are some examples of how.

We miss you! We’d love to hear your feedback. What could we have done to keep you around?

We want you back SO BAD that we’re going to give you [percentage] off just for returning! Want to give us a try again today?

Did you change your mind about wanting to [insert benefit your product or service provides]? It’s not too late to restart services! Here’s your link to get back up and running: [link]

Psst! Don’t tell anyone, but TODAY ONLY, we’ll give you a [percentage] discount if you restart your account. How does that sound?

Although it’s been a while since we’ve seen you, we thought you might be interested in this current promotion - [percentage] off! Check it out here: [link]

We miss you! We're just checking in to see if you knew about our new [product or service]? Interested in giving that a try?

Internal Office Sample Text Messages

Did you know that you can use text alerts not only to boost sales and revenue with your customers but also to help improve efficiency and communication within your own business?

Because nobody likes to waste time on missed emails, forgotten meetings, and inconvenient phone calls!

Using text alerts helps free up stress and hassle.

Don’t forget about the staff meeting at [time] in [room]. (We’ll be discussing some important changes with [meeting topic], so make sure to be there!)

ANNOUNCEMENT - Policies have changed regarding [subject]. To view new updated policies, please see the following link and contact [name, phone number, or email address] with any questions: [link]

ALERT - Offices are closed [today, tomorrow, or a specific date] due to the inclement weather. Stay home and stay safe!

OFFICE HOUR CHANGE - Due to [reason], our office hours [today, tomorrow, or a specific date] will be [timeframe]. Hours are expected to return to normal on [day].

Employee of the Month: Congratulations to [employee name] for [reason]. Your hard work has not gone unnoticed! Keep it up!

We need someone for [shift time] this week. Reply 'available' if you’re able to help!

Reminder: Offices are closed on [date] for the holiday. Enjoy some time with your friends and family!

Today’s meeting will be via Zoom at [time]. Here’s the link to join: [link]

[IT or maintenance item] is currently down until further notice. In the meantime, please [instructions].

Bonus: Professional Text Message Examples

In addition to all of the examples given above, here are some general professional text message examples.

These are examples of how to go about texting in a variety of professional settings.

Good afternoon, [Name], This is a reminder of your upcoming job interview with [Company Name] on [Date] at [Time]. Please reply YES to confirm your attendance. Thank you.

Hi [Name], just letting you know that I've successfully submitted the proposal for [Project Name]. You can view the submission here: [link]

Hi [Name], this is [Name]. Thanks for connecting on LinkedIn! Wanted to just reach out and see if you were still interested in connecting via call to discuss [topic]?

Hello, I am running into issues on the website. [Explain specifically the issues you are experiencing.] Can you help?

What Makes a Good Sample Text Message to Text Customers?

Some general criteria for good sample text messages include the following:

• Brief
• Attention-grabbing
• Strategic

Brief

Upon analyzing 12,392,211 campaigns sent from Mobile Text Alerts accounts between July 13, 2026, and October 12, 2026, the average message length was found to be just 135 characters.

Text messages aren't meant to read like a novel. You don't want to read paragraph after paragraph.

The best text message to customers keeps things brief.

Technically, the maximum limit for a single text message is 160 characters. But you're not actually limited to that amount, because messages longer than that are simply sent into two or more segments - which most phones concatenate into a single message block when the message is delivered.

However, the "160 characters" can be a good rule of thumb, if for no other reason than it saves you money since you don't have to use as many message credits for shorter messages.

Therefore, the best sample text messages to customers will preferably be brief - even as short as 160 characters.

(Note that if you include emojis or special characters, this reduces the number of characters per message down to 70 instead of 160.)

Attention-Grabbing

While it's true that all marketing initiatives need to be attention-grabbing, it's particularly true for text messages, especially when you consider that by one account 100% of text messages are "viewed" and 55% are "read" - which means 45% of SMS are viewed but not fully opened.

And what that means is that a good chunk of your audience will only see the message* preview*. The preview typically shows around 40-86 characters.

So you want to make sure that the first 40 characters of your message are particularly attention-grabbing.

Strategic

SMS in particular should be used but not overused. Instead, your message should be created strategically to maximize your impact.

How this might translate into message content would be that your messages will not be slipshod, overly frequent, or unintentional. Your messages will have a specific purpose, will be sent at a specific point in your audience's journey, and will have specific calls-to-action.

If you don't go about SMS marketing in this strategic fashion, it may lose a lot of its effectiveness.

Best Practices to Make Full Use of Your Best Sample Text Messages

Having a high quality message isn't quite enough, unfortunately.

You also need a proper execution of your SMS campaign for texting customers.

How?

Here are some best practices...

1. Test with Your Own Audience

The message copy and approaches that work for one audience may not work for another, because your situation is unique.

You can do continuous testing with your own audience to see what best resonates with them in order to get a better idea in regards to what will actually be successful for you.

2. Follow Mobile Carrier Compliance

Mobile carrier compliance rules are always changing.

But if you don’t follow them, your SMS campaigns could be dead in the water before they even begin, because the mobile carriers may filter out the messages as spam.

Make sure to...

• Fill out SMS registration forms
• Identify your brand in messages
• Let people know how to opt out
• Refrain from sending early in the morning or late at night

3. Be Conservative in Your Frequency

Would you want to receive multiple weekly SMS from brands? If you're like most, probably not.

Well, neither does your audience.

So be careful about how frequently you're sending SMS. You don't want to overdo it and wear your audience out.

Sending 2-4 text messages per month is a good guideline.

How to Save a Text Message Template for Easy Use

So how can you actually use this list?

Step 1: Create an Account on an SMS Platform

Before you can do anything with your SMS marketing, you need to first create an SMS marketing platform account.

You can opt for the free trial if you just want to test it out.

Step 2: Navigate to the “Manage Templates” Tab

Once your account is set up, you can navigate to the Message Templates tab.

Then click “Add Message Template” on this page.

Step 3: Copy and Paste the Message Template

To save a preset message from the list of text message marketing examples here on this page, you can copy any of the examples from above.

Then paste them into the “Message to Send” content box here, give your message a name, and click “Save Template.” If you want to include an image you can do that by clicking the paper clip icon to attach a file - you can use content creation apps to help you come up with engaging visuals.

Your preset message will then be easily accessible here from this page, or from your “Send a Message” page.

Try a Texting Platform Free

It's been quite a journey as we've reviewed all the in's and out's of text message examples!

We've gone over 87 example text messages, plus some general tips and best practices regarding what types of messages to send and how to go about it. Plus, we've reviewed how to set up message templates within the Mobile Text Alerts dashboard.

Are you worn out? :)

But it's worth it, because you could be getting more sales - with texting.

And you can try it for free! Just get your free trial here (no credit card needed).

Author Bio

Sam Pelton is the content director for Mobile Text Alerts, an SMS service that gives businesses an easier way to reach customers and audiences. He has 12 years of experience working with the texting platform in the areas of customer support, quality assurance testing, content creation, copywriting, and marketing strategy. He’s also a father of 7 and loves a good (bad) dad joke. Connect with him on LinkedIn.