SMS marketing frequency: How many texts are too many?

SMS campaigns are becoming a major driver of ecommerce marketing. But if you don’t get the SMS marketing frequency right, your brand can end up either losing current customers or failing to attract new ones. Both are negative outcomes that all brands want to avoid. 

The challenge is to identify the right SMS message frequency. Unlike with email campaigns, brands can’t re-engage with inactive SMS lists, so once a subscriber chooses to opt out, there’s no going back unless they opt back in. 

This article lays out established SMS frequency benchmarks. It explains how to determine the best time to send SMS messages to your subscribers, how to set the frequency by program type, how to find the right cadence for your audience, and what signs to look for if you’re sending too many or too few messages. 

Why SMS frequency matters more than email frequency

In 2025, SMS click rates more than doubled year over year, prompting brands to invest more in SMS marketing. As a result, SMS volume grew 40% in the same year. As brands send more and more SMS messages, however, the need for structured message frequency becomes that much more necessary. 

Most brands use the same marketing calendar to plan their campaigns for different channels, particularly emails and SMS. While that’s common practice, timing remains crucial, and frequency should be applied to each channel individually. Unlike email marketing, SMS marketing is defined by three different factors:

Recommended SMS marketing frequency benchmarks 

SMS sending cadence can vary significantly across brands, but there are common benchmarks you can use to start building your SMS strategy. At the same time, keep in mind that these benchmarks are general estimates meant to provide educational context. Use them as guidelines to set up your SMS campaigns. 

Promotional campaigns

• For general ecommerce, two to four SMS campaigns per month are the sustainable baseline for most brands. Sending six or more per month can increase opt-out rates without proportional increases in revenue.
• For peak seasons (BFCM, Prime Day): The key here is that this window is clearly defined, so sending 6-10 SMS messages during these campaigns is acceptable, as subscribers expect higher message frequency.
• For flash sales: It’s widely accepted to send one to two messages per flash sale event: one to announce the sale and another to serve as a reminder. Sending more may be seen as salesy and can have the opposite effect of pushing customers away. 

Automated messages

• Welcome series: Two to three messages over seven to 10 days, not all on day one. Space out your messages over a period to inform consumers without spamming. 
• Abandoned cart: One to two messages within 24 hours of abandonment, first a reminder and, after that, a follow-up at the end of the 24 hours with a special offer or a discount.
• Post-purchase: One to two messages to provide shipping confirmation and a review request. Post-purchase SMS is almost always transactional, so keep the post-purchase messages clear and to the point. 
• Winback: One to two messages maximum before sunsetting inactive contacts from your SMS lists. 

Combined benchmark

Most subscribers can tolerate four to eight SMS messages per month in total (campaigns + automations) before opt-out rates climb. And since campaign messages and automation texts all go toward the same monthly send number, it’s important to consider what information you choose to include in your messages. 

Signs you are sending too many SMS messages

1. Rising opt-out rate: A healthy SMS opt-out rate sits below 0.3% per send. If it’s climbing toward 0.5% or higher and message relevance hasn’t changed, frequency is the most likely cause.
2. Declining click-through rate over time: If CTR trends downward across consecutive campaigns with no change to offer or targeting, subscribers are opening out of habit and finding nothing relevant — a frequency and relevance problem combined.
3. Engagement concentrated on the first message of the month: If the first SMS campaign each month significantly outperforms the ones that follow, sends are likely going out past the point of subscriber attention.
4. Increasing carrier filtering: High complaint rates from over-sending can trigger carrier-level filtering, where messages stop arriving before subscribers ever see them.
5. Revenue per send declining: BMO Media generated $1.5 million more revenue while sending 387,000 fewer messages through smarter segmentation. When revenue per send drops as volume increases, frequency has passed the point of diminishing returns.

Signs you are sending too few SMS messages

1. Low revenue contribution from SMS: If SMS drives less than 15–20% of marketing-attributed revenue despite a healthy list, the channel is likely under-utilized. Divatress generates 54% of its revenue from automated SMS — a useful benchmark for a fully utilized program.
2. High list growth but flat revenue: A list that keeps growing without a matching lift in revenue suggests subscribers are opted in but not hearing from the brand often enough to convert.
3. Engagement rate higher than industry average: Counterintuitively, very high engagement can signal under-sending — subscribers only hear from the brand when a message is exceptional, leaving routine revenue opportunities untapped.
4. Subscribers forgetting they opted in: If opt-out rates spike after long gaps between sends, subscribers may no longer recognize the brand — a sign the gaps themselves are too long to maintain recall.

How to find the right SMS frequency for your audience

Finding the right SMS frequency depends on several factors: audience segmentation, separating campaign messages from automated messages, and testing, all of which require dedicated effort. 

Here’s a breakdown of the four main steps that will walk you through identifying the best SMS sending frequency for your business. 

Step 1: Start small and increase gradually

Send two campaigns per month and measure opt-out rate and revenue per send after each send. Increase by one message per month if the opt-out rate remains below 0.3% and revenue per send holds steady. 

Step 2: Segment by engagement level

High-engagement subscribers tolerate higher SMS message frequency than low-engagement ones. Segment your audience and send more messages to your most engaged segment while sending fewer to recent opt-ins and re-engaged contacts. A good example is Vagari Bags — this brand achieved six to seven % SMS click rates as a result of a well-segmented audience receiving the right message cadence. 

Step 3: Separate campaign and automation frequency

Track campaign and automation sends separately. A subscriber who receives two campaigns and three automation messages in a month receives a total of five messages. Plan SMS marketing messages carefully so you don’t exceed the recommended monthly frequency. 

One consideration when planning your monthly message frequency is that automated SMS costs $0.74/send, compared to $0.15 per send for campaigns. 

Step 4: A/B test frequency directly

Split your list into two equal segments. Send one group two campaigns per month, and the other — four campaigns. Measure opt-out rate, CTR, and revenue per send across both. Agencies that test regularly see 192% higher revenue. 

SMS frequency and compliance

Setting the right SMS marketing frequency is important for any business, but it’s also necessary for ensuring compliance. First, all brands should obtain explicit consent from their recipients to receive SMS messages at the opt-in stage, in accordance with the Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA). 

Moreover, brands need to be clear, including information such as “up to X messages per month” to set expectations. Sending at a frequency significantly above the specified limit is a compliance risk.

Additionally, some brands allow subscribers to set their own frequency preference at opt-in — monthly, weekly, or event-triggered only. Respecting these preferences reduces opt-outs and demonstrates intent to comply. If you also choose to include this option, make sure to set up your systems to align with consumer preferences. 

Finally, automated messages are included in the total frequency. So, if your welcome series sends three messages in week one, that’s three messages toward your disclosed frequency.

Start optimizing your SMS frequency with Omnisend 

Identifying the right SMS frequency requires brands to analyze and segment their audience, track engagement levels, measure revenue per send, and then test different frequencies to find the best one. 

Omnisend is an email and SMS marketing software provider that offers advanced segmentation and personalization features. While services like Klaviyo, GetResponse, and ActiveCampaign offer SMS only to the USA, Canada, UK, and Australia, Omnisend provides international SMS support.

Our solution offers extensive customization and is built for busy marketing teams who need to get started right away without a steep learning curve. Moreover, our services offer exceptional ROI — our customers get $79 back for every dollar spent, resulting in one of the highest returns on investment in marketing. 

Some tools may be less expensive, but they often lack the features that drive results. Omnisend provides an excellent set of features at a smarter price. Its biggest competitor, Klaviyo, is nearly twice as expensive for similar features.

SMS marketing FAQs

How often should I send SMS marketing messages?

For most brands, the common SMS marketing frequency for sending promotional campaigns is around two to four messages per month. In addition to these messages, automated messages are sent based on customer behavior. Overall, you should be looking at four to eight SMS messages per month. Going over this threshold can risk subscribers opting out. 

What happens if I send too many SMS messages?

Communication is key, but when there’s too much of it, particularly from one direction, the receiving party can simply cut ties. In marketing, this is typically when subscribers opt out due to information overload. Besides this, there’s a risk of triggering carrier-level filtering, which can prevent SMS messages from being delivered altogether. 

Do automated SMS messages count toward my frequency limit?

That’s right. All messages, whether they’re automated flows like welcome series, abandoned cart, post-purchase, or winback, count. This simplicity can be both helpful and limiting, so make sure to plan your messages not just to communicate the same information, but to support the overall campaign message in a meaningful way. 

How do I know if my SMS frequency is too high?

To know whether you’re sending too many SMS messages to your subscribers, keep an eye on your click-through rates and revenue per send. If you see them declining, that’s a clear indication that your SMS sending frequency may be too high. 

Can subscribers choose their own SMS message frequency?

It’s possible — some brands give their subscribers the option to set their desired SMS marketing frequency once they opt-in, such as receiving communications monthly, weekly, or only after certain actions.