Add an SMS message to an automation

Add a text message as a step in an automated journey so subscribers receive SMS at the right moment — a welcome text, an appointment reminder, or a nudge after an email goes unopened.

Before you begin

• Confirm SMS is enabled on your account and that you have a sending number or sender ID provisioned. (Confirm the exact steps in your account.)
• Make sure subscribers in the journey have a valid mobile number and the consent required to receive SMS in their region.
• Have an existing automation (journey) open, or create one, so you have a canvas to add the step to.
• Draft your message copy. SMS is short — keep it to a single, clear call to action, and remember links and opt-out text count toward the length.

Steps

1. Open the automation and select the point in the flow where the SMS should go — after a trigger, a delay, or a branch condition.
2. Add a new step and choose the SMS (text message) action from the available step types. (Confirm the exact label in your account.)
3. Choose the sending number or sender ID the message should come from.
4. Enter your message text. Insert personalization tokens (for example, the subscriber's first name) so each text feels individual, and preview the merged result.
5. Confirm the opt-out/STOP handling required for your region is applied.
6. Save the step, then connect it to the following step (or the journey exit) so the flow continues correctly.
7. Activate or publish the automation, and send yourself a test through the journey if your account supports it.

Result

Subscribers who reach that point in the journey receive your text message automatically. Delivery and reply activity appear in the automation's reporting alongside its other steps, so you can see sends, failures, and opt-outs.

Related

• Send an SMS broadcast
• Personalization tags reference
• Manage the suppression list
• Metrics dictionary

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Canonical terms: Author, Edition, Folder (Project Folder), Broadcast. See the Glossary.