Here’s the thing about mass texts: nobody minds getting them. What people mind is getting bad ones.
The difference between a helpful message and one that makes someone mutter a few choice words at their phone usually comes down to four things. First, there’s timing. A text at noon hits differently than one at 6 AM on a Saturday. Second, there’s volume. One message a week is an update. Five messages a day is harassment, even if you’re selling something amazing.
Then there’s relevance, which might be the biggest stumbling block of all. When you send the same message to three hundred people, most of them won’t care about most of it. That yoga studio discount doesn’t help someone who lives two states away. That urgent deadline reminder means nothing to people who already submitted their forms last week.
Finally, there’s tone. Mass texts often sound like they were written by a robot having a very urgent emergency. Too many exclamation points! Too many emojis! Too much URGENT ACTION REQUIRED energy that makes people feel pressured instead of informed.
The good news? Once you understand what annoys people, fixing it is surprisingly straightforward. You don’t need to be a marketing genius or a wordsmith. You just need to think like someone on the receiving end, which you probably are dozens of times a week already. You know exactly what a spammy text feels like. Now you just need to make sure you’re not sending them.
Why mass texts feel spammy even when they isn’t
Think about what happens when your phone buzzes. You stop whatever you’re doing. Your brain expects something meant for you specifically. Then you read a message that could’ve been sent to anyone.
That disconnect feels weird. You were interrupted, but not for anything personal. You might not even know why you got the message in the first place. Did you sign up for this? When? The uncertainty alone can make a perfectly legitimate text feel sketchy.
Here’s the thing that surprises most people: short, vague messages often feel spammier than longer, clear ones. A text that just says “Big sale this weekend! Click here” makes you do mental work. You have to figure out who sent it, why you should care, and whether it’s safe to click. Every question mark in your head is another reason to feel annoyed.
Compare that to a message that says who you are, reminds you how they got your number, and explains exactly what they’re offering. It might be twice as long, but it answers questions instead of creating them. Less confusion means less spam feeling.
There’s also the fact that texting feels personal in a way email doesn’t. It’s immediate. It’s on the same screen where you text your family. When someone treats that space carelessly, it breaks trust fast. And once someone feels like a number instead of a person, that trust is hard to rebuild.
The worst culprit? Messages that create work for you. Replying to confirm something. Clicking to see basic information. Saving a code you didn’t ask for. Each little task makes the interruption feel less worth it.
Start with permission and clear expectations
Before you send a single text, make sure people actually want to hear from you. That sounds obvious, but it’s the step most people skip. Permission means someone actively agreed to get your messages, not just that you have their phone number.
When someone signs up, tell them exactly what they’re signing up for. Something like: “You’ll get updates about volunteer shifts, usually one or two texts per week, sent on weekday mornings.” That’s it. Now they know what to expect, and they won’t be annoyed when your name pops up on their screen.
The same goes for timing and frequency. If you’re going to text every day, say so upfront. If it’s just occasional reminders, mention that too. People hate surprises in their text inbox even more than in their email. A mystery sender who texts at random times feels like spam, even if the content is useful.
What about groups where permission feels automatic, like a soccer team, book club, or family group? You still need to check in. Send a quick message early on: “Hey everyone, I’ll be sending game reminders and schedule changes here. If you’d rather not get these, just let me know.” It takes five seconds and shows respect.
Always make it easy to stop receiving messages. Don’t bury the opt-out or make people feel guilty. A simple “Reply STOP anytime” works. When someone can leave without drama, they’re much less likely to get annoyed in the first place. It’s the digital version of leaving the door unlocked at a party.
Write like a person, not a system
The fastest way to make someone delete your text is to sound like a robot wrote it. When people get a message that feels automated and impersonal, their guard goes up immediately. They’re not reading your carefully crafted offer. They’re looking for the delete button.
Human texts use normal words. They don’t say “leverage this opportunity” or “act now to secure your spot.” They just say what they mean in the same language you’d use if you were actually talking to someone. If you wouldn’t say it out loud to a friend, don’t put it in a mass text.
Urgency is one of the biggest mistakes. Messages like “LAST CHANCE” or “ONLY 3 SPOTS LEFT!!!” might work in an email subject line, but in a text they feel pushy and desperate. Multiple exclamation points make you sound like you’re yelling. All caps makes it worse. Even one exclamation point per message is usually enough.
Start by saying who you are and why you’re texting. Not in a stiff way, just clearly. “Hi, this is Maya from the yoga studio” works better than launching straight into your announcement. People appreciate knowing why their phone just buzzed.
A quick acknowledgment goes a long way too. Something like “Sorry to interrupt your day” or “Thanks for letting us reach you this way” shows you understand you’re in someone’s personal space. You don’t need to grovel, just show a little awareness that texting isn’t a right, it’s a courtesy they’re extending to you.
The goal is simple: sound like an actual person who respects the fact that someone gave you their phone number.
Be specific about what you want people to do
Nothing creates confusion faster than a text that leaves people wondering what happens next. When someone reads your message, they shouldn’t have to text back asking “wait, what am I supposed to do?” That’s annoying for them and creates extra work for you.
The fix is simple: tell people exactly what you need from them, if anything. Say what’s happening, whether they need to take action, and when it needs to happen. If there’s a link, explain what it is before you drop it in the message. Nobody likes clicking mystery links that could be spam or phishing attempts.
For example, compare these two messages. First: “Hey, event update, check the link.” Versus: “The Monday meeting moved to 3pm. No RSVP needed, same Zoom link as before.” The second one answers every question before someone has to ask it.
If you do need action, make it crystal clear. “Reply YES by Friday to reserve your spot” is much better than “let us know if you’re interested.” One action, one deadline, done.
And here’s something people forget: if no action is needed, say that explicitly. “Just a heads up, no response needed” stops people from wondering if they’re supposed to reply. It sounds like a small thing, but it removes mental clutter.
When you include a link, add context. Instead of just pasting a URL, write something like “Here’s the registration form (takes 2 min to fill out)” or “Full details on our website.” People are much more likely to click when they know what they’re clicking and why it matters.
Decide whether replies are welcome and say so
Nothing feels quite as awkward as replying to a text and hearing nothing back. When someone sends you a message, your brain assumes it’s a conversation. So when you reply with enthusiasm or a question and get total silence, it feels rude even when it wasn’t meant that way.
The person who sent the mass text probably isn’t ignoring you on purpose. They just didn’t expect fifty replies and can’t keep up. But you don’t know that. You just know you were left hanging.
The fix is simple: tell people upfront whether you want replies or not. If you do want them, say where they should go. Something like “Reply here with your answer” or “Text me directly at this number if you have questions.” If you don’t need replies, say that too. “No need to reply, just wanted you to know” stops people from feeling obligated to respond.
Group threads are their own special nightmare. When fifteen people all reply “thanks” or “sounds good,” everyone’s phone buzzes nonstop. People get annoyed fast and start muting the conversation, which means they’ll miss anything important you send later.
If you’re using a group thread and need responses, give people a simple way to reply that won’t flood everyone’s phone. Ask them to react with a thumbs up emoji instead of typing. Or tell them to reply only if they can’t make it, so silence means yes. You can also direct replies to just yourself rather than the whole group. Just be clear about what you’re asking for, and people will actually do it instead of creating chaos.
If you mess up, fix it without making it worse
Everyone sends the wrong message eventually. You paste in last week’s date, send the soccer team update to the book club, or write “Fun Run on Sadurday.” The question isn’t whether you’ll mess up. It’s what you do next.
Most mistakes fall into two categories: the kind that actually confuse people, and the kind that don’t really matter. If you sent the wrong meeting link or told everyone the potluck is Thursday when it’s actually Friday, you need to fix that right away. People are already adding it to their calendars.
But if you wrote “looking forward to seeing everone” with a missing letter? Let it go. Sending a second message just to fix a tiny typo makes people check their phone twice for nothing. They figured out what you meant the first time.
When you do need to send a correction, keep it incredibly short. “Correction: the link is [correct link]” works perfectly. Or “Sorry, event is Friday the 12th, not Thursday.” That’s it. People just want the right information.
What they definitely don’t want is a long explanation of how the mistake happened, how bad you feel about it, or a joke about needing more coffee. That second message is already a small interruption. Make it count, then stop.
The worst thing you can do is accidentally send the same message twice while trying to fix something minor, then send a third message apologizing for the duplicate. Now you’ve interrupted people three times. If your mistake didn’t actually create confusion or cause someone to do the wrong thing, leave everyone’s phone alone and move on.
