Text campaigns and RCS

A text campaign in Drop Cowboy® sends one text to everyone on a list, from a phone line with a registered texting campaign. Replies land in your inbox. An RCS template is a rich card with a picture, buttons and replies that you build once and reuse.

Send a text campaign

Use this to text a whole list at once, for a promotion, a reminder or an update.

1. Open Campaigns in the left menu. Click New, then Text Campaign.
2. On Who are you texting?, fill in Campaign Name and pick a Contact List. With no list, click Create a Contact List and build a list.
3. Under Phone line, pick the line to text from. Contacts see a number from this line as the sender.
4. Only lines with a bulk 10DLC or toll-free texting campaign are listed. To add one, click Set up a phone line, then send texts from a phone line. Click Continue.
5. Write your text under Message Content. The character count shows under the box.
6. Click Personalization to add merge fields, such as the contact's first name.
7. Click opt-out text to add "Reply STOP to opt-out", so people know how to stop your texts. See How consent works.
8. On When should we send?, click Send now or Spread over time. To spread it, set the Start date, Duration (hours), Include weekends, Delivery window timezone and Sending speed. Sends follow federal and state-specific calling hours automatically.
9. Optional: open Advanced Settings. Under Phone Fields to Send, choose which of a contact's numbers get the text, for example Best Phone or Mobile Phone.
10. On Review and send, check the details. Tick each box under Terms of Use, then click Send Campaign.

Under the phone line, the wizard shows your brand's daily limit. Contacts past today's limit get the text after midnight Pacific time.

If it doesn't work:

• "Connect your carrier or verify your brand to launch campaigns." Click Trust Center and register your SMS brand. Bring-your-own-carrier teams click Carrier Hub instead.
• "No bulk or toll-free phone lines available." No line has a registered texting campaign yet. Register your SMS campaign, then attach it to a line.
• "This line has no phone numbers assigned." Add numbers to the line in Phone Numbers, or pick another line.
• "Your message contains banned keywords." Remove the flagged words and try again. Carriers reject texts with them.
• Some contacts didn't get it. Results such as Phone Line Has No SMS Campaign or Opt-in Revoked each have a fix on See campaign results. To reach them another way, follow up when a send fails.

If you don't see Campaigns or Templates, ask your account owner for access.

Create an RCS template

Use this when a plain text isn't enough. The RCS tab shows under Templates only on accounts with RCS turned on.

1. Open Templates in the left menu, then click RCS.
2. Click New. In Pick a layout, choose a layout, such as Appointment reminder or Promo card.
3. Fill in the fields the layout asks for, such as Headline, a picture under Add media, and a button under Add button. Put merge fields in the headline and body text, not in button text.
4. Under Replies, click Add unsubscribe reply so people can opt out from the card.
5. Write the SMS fallback. It's required. Phones that can't show RCS get this text instead of the card.
6. Click Activate.
   • Fix these before activating: click Back to the fields and fix each item listed.
   • Review before activating: read each warning, tick the box, and click Activate anyway.
7. Open the template from the RCS Templates list. Preview shows it on iPhone, on Android and as the SMS fallback.

To send an active template, use the API with its template id. See the developer docs and create an API key.

If it doesn't work:

• A banner with RCS Setup sits above the fields. Your RCS sender isn't ready, so sends go out as the SMS fallback. Click RCS Setup to finish in Trust Center.
• The banner shows Get a number. You have no phone line to send from. Click Get a number, then set up a phone line.
• The template sits under the Fix tab. It has a problem that blocks activation. Open it and fix the items in Checks.

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Regulations vary by jurisdiction and use case. Always consult with qualified legal counsel to ensure your specific practices comply with applicable federal and state laws.