Once your account is set up and your subscriber list is ready, you’re all set to start connecting with your audience. The first step in running a successful text message campaign is learning how to create and send a message.
In this article, we’ll walk you through the entire process—from writing your message to testing and sending it—so you can start engaging your supporters and driving results right away.
Step 1: Choose Your Subscriber List
Log in to your Tatango account → Login
Select the list you want to message.
Click Create Message.
Step 2: Craft Your Message
Choose message type: SMS (text-only) or MMS (includes images, GIFs, or videos).
Enter your message content.
Keep it short, clear, and actionable.
Include your organization's name.
Add a clear call-to-action.
Add media if using MMS. (Optional)
Tips:
SMS messages have a character limit of 160 characters. If you exceed 160 characters as an SMS message, your message will be sent in SMS message parts.
MMS messages have a character limit of 5,000 characters. MMS messages can include images or videos but should follow recommended specs.
For image specifications, view our article Sending an MMS Message.
Step 3: Send Yourself a Test Message
We recommend testing every message before sending it to your list.
Once you crafted your message, click Send Test
Enter your phone number or anyone team members separated by commas
Then select, Send Test Message
Review the message on your phone
Step 4: Send or Schedule Your Message
Once you’re happy with your message:
Review your content and audience list
Choose to Send Now or Schedule for Later
Click Send Message
Step 5: Reviewing Outcome
When you view an individual message report in Tatango, you’ll see important performance metrics that help you understand how your message performed. Here’s what each metric means:
Message Delivery Status
Successful Messages: Total number of messages successfully delivered to subscribers.
Bounced Messages: Messages that were not delivered (due to invalid numbers, carrier errors, etc.).
Waiting for Carrier Confirmation: Messages still pending delivery status.
Unsubscribes
The number and percentage of subscribers who opted out after receiving this message. (Example: 146 unsubscribes, 1.4% rate)
Link Tracking If your message included a clickable link, Tatango tracks:
Total Clicks: Number of times the link was clicked.
Click-Through Rate (CTR): Percentage of delivered messages that resulted in a click.
Unique Clicks: Number of unique subscribers who clicked the link.
Unique CTR: Percentage of unique subscribers who clicked.
Donations (If Integrated) If you have donation tracking connected, you’ll also see:
Number of Donations: How many donations were made after clicking the message link.
Total Donation Amount: Total dollar amount raised from this message.
Send Cost The total cost of sending this message.
Additional Message Details You’ll also see:
Message Name
Send Date & Time
Recipient Count
Estimated Message Parts (how many SMS segments were used)
Custom Domain status (if enabled)
What’s Next
Once you’ve created and sent your first message, it’s time to connect your integrations so you can grow your list automatically and start tracking donations tied to your messages.
Continue to Step 3 → How to Connect Integrations & Track Donations