Overview

Achieving a high SMS delivery rate is essential for effective outreach. At 8020REI, we consider a delivery rate of 90% or higher acceptable, and with the right approach, you can consistently reach 95%.These best practices are designed to help you increase your message deliverability, maintain carrier compliance, and boost your engagement with sellers.

Key Recommendations

Rotate Prospecting Templates

Ensure your Action Plans rotate prospecting templates for initial outreach.

  • All initial messages must be dynamic, using Merge Fields such as owner name or property address.

  • Static templates should not be used for prospecting—they significantly reduce deliverability.

Create Unique, Conversational Messages


While 8020REI provides default templates, we highly encourage you to create your own after a few days of use.

Do:

  • Write like you speak – natural, direct, and relevant

  • Be purposeful in your outreach

  • Make your message about helping, not apologizing

Don’t:
Avoid "cold" language or intros that may get flagged by carriers. Examples to avoid:

  • “Any chance this is…”

  • “Sorry to disturb…”

  • “I know we haven’t met…”

  • “Apologies for this text…”

  • “Pardon my text…”

  • “Are you the owner of…”

Use Dynamic Templates + Merge Fields

Use Merge Fields to create high-variation, dynamic messages. Follow these rules:

  • Use 3–4 parts per template

  • Include 8–12 variations per part

  • Avoid repeating keywords like “interested” or “buying” in more than 10–15% of variations

SMS Sending & Response Guidelines

  • Buy enough numbers:

    • Max 70 texts per number/day

    • We recommend keeping it under 60/day

    • Example: For 5,000 messages/day → you need 90+ numbers

  • Respond within 5 minutes:
    Fast replies help build number reputation with carriers

  • Personalize the message ending:
    Include owner’s first name or property address at the end of messages to avoid pattern detection

Message Length, Style, and Frequency

  • Ignore the 160-character myth:
    Messages up to 320 characters are safe and may look more authentic

  • Include a clear Call to Action:
    Example: “Would you be open to a quick offer?”

  • Avoid over-contacting:

    • Minimum 7 days between two prospecting messages to the same prospect

    • Let your Action Plan manage frequency intelligently

Words and Patterns to Avoid

Do NOT include links in initial messages.
Avoid these spammy elements:

  • Words: “Offer”, “Cash”, “$”, “Sell fast”, “Deal”, “Random”

  • ALL CAPS or overly promotional language

  • Typos or stylized spellings like: “Ca$h”, “De4l”

  • Your company name in the first message

Weekly Maintenance

  • Monitor your Template Health Report weekly

  • Adjust templates proactively to maintain high performance

Final Tip

Treat every SMS like a one-on-one conversation. Carriers are watching for spam indicators, but they also reward high engagement, good formatting, and thoughtful sequencing.

By following these best practices, you’ll ensure higher deliverability, better reputation, and stronger seller responses.

For additional support, contact support@8020rei.com or your Customer Success Manager.


Delivery rate of 90% or more is acceptable by our high standards. If you follow our recommendations you can achieve 95%+ on 8020REI.