An SMS blast is one text message sent to a large list of mobile numbers as a single campaign. You write the message once, supply the list, and the same text goes out to everyone on it. People also call it a text blast, bulk SMS or a mass text. The names change from one industry to the next; the mechanics do not.
That simplicity is the point. A blast is not a chat inbox, a customer-service line or an automated drip sequence. It is the texting equivalent of a flyer through every door on the street, except that it lands in a pocket within moments and only reaches people who asked to hear from you.
What an SMS blast is, and what it is not
Every recipient gets the same core message. Some campaigns add a simple merge field such as a first name, but the offer, the call to action and the opt-out line are identical across the list. That is what separates a blast from the other things businesses do over text:
- One-to-one texting is a conversation between a person on your team and a customer. It does not scale to tens of thousands of people.
- Transactional messages such as login codes, delivery updates and appointment confirmations are triggered by something the customer did. They follow their own rules and are usually built into other software.
- Automated sequences send different messages to different people based on timing or behaviour. They need a platform, an integration and someone to maintain them.
A blast is the right shape when you have one thing to say to a lot of people at roughly the same time.
How a managed send works
There are two ways to run a blast. The first is a self-serve texting platform: you set up an account, register your brand and number, import contacts, build the campaign and pay per message or per month. That suits teams who text every week and want the controls.
The second is a managed send, which is how Smarterblast works. You bring the list and the message, and we handle the sending. In practice it runs like this:
- Choose a package based on how many contacts are on your list.
- Pay for the campaign. You do not need to have your list ready at this point.
- Upload your list and message. Once payment is confirmed, we email you a private link for the upload. Please do not email a contact list.
- We prepare the campaign and agree the launch timing with you.
- We send, then email you a delivery report.
Before you upload, have three things ready: a list of people who agreed to receive your messages, with one mobile number per row; a message that fits in a single 160-character text and names your business; and a clear next step for anyone who responds, whether that is a reply keyword your team will act on or a link to a page that works on a phone. Our guide on how to write a text blast that gets replies covers the message itself in detail.
When an SMS blast is the right tool
Text works best when the message is short, the action is simple and timing matters. Typical examples:
- A sale, offer or event that ends soon: tonight's special, this weekend's open house, the last day of enrolment.
- A reminder people will thank you for: a food drive on Saturday, a service lane opening early, a renewal coming up.
- News your existing customers, members or supporters genuinely want, such as new stock, a new location or a change in hours.
- A large list where per-message platform pricing would add up quickly.
It is the wrong tool when the message needs paragraphs of explanation, when the goal is a long back-and-forth conversation, or when the list is people who never agreed to hear from you. It can also be the wrong price point: if your list is under about 10,000 contacts, a pay-as-you-go texting app will usually cost less than a campaign package.
Consent and opt-out basics
In the US, marketing texts are governed by the Telephone Consumer Protection Act, and the core rule is consent. Recipients need to have agreed to receive marketing texts from your business, and you need to be able to show how and when they agreed. That consent belongs to your business; it does not come attached to a purchased or rented list, which is why we cover texting a purchased list separately.
The other basics are straightforward:
- Identify yourself. Put your business name in the message so a stranger reading it on a lock screen knows who sent it.
- Offer a way out. End with a short line such as "STOP to opt out", and treat any reasonable request to stop as an opt-out, whatever the exact wording.
- Act on opt-outs quickly and keep the suppression list permanently, across every future campaign.
- Respect quiet hours. Send between 8am and 9pm in the recipient's local time, and check states with narrower windows. Our post on the best time to send a text blast works through time zones.
- Avoid restricted content. Carriers filter sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and tobacco content heavily, often summarised as SHAFT.
Our SMS compliance guide goes further into written consent, opt-out handling and registration.
What an SMS blast costs
Texting platforms price in several ways: per message or per segment, monthly subscriptions with message credits, plus phone number and registration fees. That is fine for steady weekly sending and harder to predict for a one-off campaign.
Smarterblast charges once per campaign, with no monthly plan:
- Bronze: $449 for up to 100,000 texts, which works out at $4.49 per 1,000 at full volume.
- Silver: $699 for up to 500,000 texts, about $1.40 per 1,000. Silver adds priority sending.
- Gold: $999 for up to 2,000,000 texts, about $0.50 per 1,000. Gold adds a dedicated account manager.
The per-1,000 figures assume you use the whole package. A list of 60,000 contacts still sits in Bronze at $449, which is roughly $7.48 per 1,000. Package capacity is a ceiling, not a promise that every message will be delivered; numbers that are disconnected or no longer in service will not receive a text whoever sends it. For a fuller comparison of pricing models, see how much bulk SMS costs.
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One-time packages from $449. Bring your list and your message; we handle the send.
See SMS packages →Frequently Asked Questions
Is a text blast the same as bulk SMS or a mass text?
Yes. SMS blast, text blast, bulk SMS and mass text all describe the same thing: one message sent to a large list of mobile numbers as a single campaign. The names differ by industry and region, not by how the send works.
Do I need my own texting software for a managed SMS blast?
No. With a managed send you supply the contact list and the message, and the provider prepares and sends the campaign. There is no platform to learn and no monthly plan. Registration requirements can still apply depending on the campaign.
Can I send an SMS blast to a list I bought?
No. Marketing texts need consent from each recipient for your business, and that consent does not come with a purchased or rented list. Use contacts who agreed to hear from you.