SMS Best Practices

April 16, 2026

SMS fosters 4x better applicant engagement than email. This article will cover how to get the most out of your SMS messaging.

When creating and sending SMS text messages via Fountain, it is essential to follow these best practices to increase the likelihood of SMS deliverability, deliver a polished applicant experience, and increase applicant engagement and conversion.

SMS Message Specifics

• Be clear and concise
  SMS stands for “Short Message Service” and this should be taken into consideration when formatting a text message. Message applicants in the same way you would message a friend. Don't send unnecessarily long messages. For a better applicant experience, Fountain recommends sending messages with no more than 160 characters.

• Avoid Message Segments
  Did you know that SMS messages are always sent in 160-character message segments? This means that SMS messages longer than 160 characters may be split into multiple text messages, which looks odd to the applicant. If you include emojis in SMS messages, those messages have to be sent using the UCS-2 encoding. Messages containing one or more UCS-2 characters can contain up to 70 characters in a single, non-segmented message. Because of this, we suggest using emojis sparingly, if at all.

• Use emojis sparingly
  Remember emojis add characters to your SMS message. Use these sparingly, if at all.

• Use natural language
  When crafting an SMS message, use natural language. Do not use non-standard spellings. For example, “H! h0w ar3__you do1ng?” is a nonstandard spelling and should be avoided.

• Include the business name
  When possible, use your company's name in the SMS message. This ensures that the applicant knows who they are interacting with and won't assume the message is spam.

• Avoid URL redirects
  If you include an external URL link in an SMS message, ensure it does not have a redirect to another URL. URL redirects can cause confusion for the applicant because they are unsure which website they are actually on. For some mobile providers, this may result in a suspension of service.

SMS Code of Conduct, Forbidden Content, & S.H.A.F.T

• Be aware of words that violate SMS Code of Conduct
  Research SMS Codes of Conduct to avoid words that might be in violation. For example, using any words related to cannabis might create an issue. T-Mobile guidelines tend to be the most strict. Fountain recommends reviewing S.H.A.F.T. Guidelines and Forbidden Content per 10dlc.

• S.H.A.F.T. is an acronym that stands for Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco. It outlines the categories of text messages specifically regulated due to moral and legal issues and is monitored and enforced by the CTIA and the mobile carriers.

• 10DLC stands for 10-digit Long Code, which is a type of phone number that businesses use to send text messages to customers in the United States. 10DLCs are governed by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) and the Cellular Telecommunications Industry Association (CTIA).

• Avoid URL Shorteners
  Do not use URL shorteners like bit.ly (don’t worry, Fountain automatically shortens URLs in SMS messages).

• Don't sound like a scam!
  Do not make your message sound like it may be a scam or phishing attempt. For example, don’t say “hurry up! enter your details ASAP to get activated and make money quickly!”.

Bulk Messaging Applicants

• Move applicants in batches to ensure automated SMS communication is sent
  Move no more than 10,000 applicants at one time. Fountain also recommends spacing batches by at least 10 minutes. This will allow the system to send any automated communication associated with moving applicants to a new opening or stage without getting overloaded.

• Send bulk messages outside of the hour mark
  At the Carrier level, many companies try to send marketing campaign messages at the top of the hour (such as 9 am). Avoiding sending near these times and instead, sending bulk messages at a different time such as 9:05 am drastically increases the likelihood of deliverability. Generally, choose a time to send bulk SMS messages that are not on the hour.

• Be aware of bulk message errors
  Phone numbers can be flagged if too many errors occur at one time which may result in the phone number being blocked and/or requiring a petition from the applicant. Bulk messaging increases the likelihood of phone numbers being flagged.

Final Thoughts

Fountain has found that the time applicants spend in a stage is negatively correlated to the percentage of actionable SMS (or email) messages received in that stage. This proves that when applicants reach out and message for help, it will move them forward faster in the application process.

Remember:

• Conversion follows engagement.
• Engagement follows communication.
• Communication with applicants should go both ways and be meaningful.
• Meaningful communication involves the heavy involvement of recruiters.

Need more help? For guidance on creating SMS messages, SMS Message Templates, or bulk messaging, reach out to support@fountain.com or the Customer Success team. For more on SMS best practices, review T-Mobile’s Code of Conduct, S.H.A.F.T. Guidelines, and Forbidden Content per 10dlc.