Before sending, QuickText analyzes your messages to help you avoid carrier blocking and improve deliverability. The health check runs automatically and highlights potential issues along with suggestions for fixing them.
The health check is informational only. It will never prevent you from sending. You can also disable it in Settings.
For general best practices, see the Tips for Writing Effective SMS guide.
Identical Messages Critical #
This is the #1 cause of carrier blocking. When the exact same text goes to many numbers in a row, carriers recognize it as an automated broadcast and may block your number.
Even if you are sending a legitimate message, carriers cannot tell the difference between your outreach and a spam blast when the text is identical across many recipients.
How to fix it
Use placeholders like {{first_name|there}} to personalize each message, and spintext to create automatic wording variations. Each recipient gets a slightly different version:
| Before (identical for everyone) | After (with spintext) |
|---|---|
| Hey there! Just checking in about our conversation. | [[Hi|Hey|Hello]] {{first_name|there}}, [[just checking in about|quick question regarding|following up on]] our conversation. [[Are you still interested|Have you had a chance to think about it]]? |
This single template produces dozens of unique combinations automatically.
Try the SMS Template Generator to create varied templates with spintext built in.
No Personalization Warning #
Messages without personalization look like mass broadcasts to carriers. Adding a name or personal detail makes each message unique.
Carriers track message patterns. When they see plain, identical-looking text going to many numbers, it matches the pattern of automated spam.
How to fix it
Use placeholders from your Contacts table to make each message unique:
| Without personalization | With personalization |
|---|---|
| Hi, just following up on our chat. | Hi {{first_name|there}}, just following up on our chat about {{street|the property}}. |
The |there part is a fallback value. If a contact doesn’t have a first name, the message will say “Hi there” instead of “Hi ” with an awkward space.
You can also combine spintext with placeholders for maximum variation:
| Template |
|---|
| [[Hi|Hey|Hello]] {{first_name|there}}, [[just checking in about|wanted to follow up on|quick note about]] our conversation. [[What do you think|Any thoughts|Would that work for you]]? |
To set up your contacts with names and custom fields, see the Import Contacts tutorial. Then try the SMS Template Generator to create personalized templates quickly.
Spam Keywords Warning #
Certain words and phrases are known to trigger carrier spam filters, even if your message is legitimate.
Common spam triggers to avoid
| Category | Examples |
|---|---|
| Urgency | “act now”, “hurry”, “limited time”, “last chance”, “respond immediately” |
| Financial | “free money”, “guaranteed income”, “earn extra”, “work from home” |
| Too good to be true | “100% free”, “no obligation”, “risk-free”, “you’ve won” |
| Aggressive CTAs | “click here”, “click below”, “buy now”, “order now” |
| Phishing patterns | “verify your account”, “account suspended”, “claim now” |
How to fix it
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| Act now for a FREE consultation! | Would you like to schedule a quick chat this week? |
| Click here to claim your offer! | Here’s the link if you’d like to take a look: example.com/offer |
| Limited time! Buy now! | This is available through Friday if you’re interested. |
Use the SMS Spam Checker to test your message before sending.
URL Shorteners Warning #
Short links (like bit.ly or tinyurl) hide the actual destination. Carriers often block messages containing them.
When carriers see a shortened URL, they cannot verify where the link actually leads. This is a red flag, even if your link is perfectly legitimate.
How to fix it
| Instead of | Use |
|---|---|
| bit.ly/abc123 | pythonandvba.com/your-page |
| tinyurl.com/my-offer | mysite.com/special-offer |
Message Starts with URL Warning #
Starting a message with a link is a common spam pattern that carriers filter.
Legitimate personal messages almost never start with a URL. Adding context before the link makes the message look natural.
How to fix it
| Instead of | Try |
|---|---|
| https://example.com/offer | Hi {{first_name|there}}, check out our latest update: https://example.com/offer |
Sending Delay Warning #
Sending messages too quickly from one phone number can trigger carrier rate limiting.
Real people don’t send dozens of texts per minute. When a carrier sees rapid-fire messages from one number, it triggers automated spam detection.
Recommended delays
| Number of Messages | Recommended Delay |
|---|---|
| Under 20 | 5 seconds (default setting) |
| 20 to 50 | At least 8 seconds |
| 50 to 100 | At least 12 seconds |
| 50 to 200 | At least 20 seconds, also consider splitting |
| 200+ | Split into multiple batches |
The delay can be adjusted in Settings > Default Delay. Also enable Random Delay to add natural variation between sends.
High Volume Batches Warning #
Sending more than 50 messages at once increases the risk of carrier blocking.
Even with proper delays, sending a large number of messages from one phone in a single session can trigger carrier monitoring.
How to fix it
Use the Custom Range option on the Send Messages form to split your batch:
- Send rows 1 to 50 in the morning
- Send rows 51 to 100 in the afternoon
- Send rows 101 to 150 the next day
This mimics natural texting patterns and significantly reduces the risk of carrier blocking.
Duplicate Recipients Warning #
The same phone number appears more than once in your send list.
This is usually unintentional (a copy-paste error or duplicate contact). Sending the same person multiple messages in quick succession can also trigger carrier filters and annoy the recipient.
How to fix it
Check your Message List for duplicate phone numbers and remove the extras. If you intentionally want to send multiple messages to the same person, space them out over time.
Unresolved Placeholders Warning #
Your message contains placeholder tags that don’t match any data source and have no fallback value.
When a placeholder like {{first_name}} can’t be resolved, it disappears from the message. This produces awkward results like “Hey , just following up…” with visible gaps.
How to fix it
There are three options:
- Add the data: Create a matching column in your Contacts table (e.g., “Company Name”)
- Add to Placeholders: Define the tag in your Placeholders sheet as a global placeholder
- Use a fallback value: Add a default after a pipe character
| Risky | Safe (with fallback) |
|---|---|
{{first_name}} | {{first_name|there}} |
{{street}} | {{street|the property}} |
{{city}} | {{city|your area}} |
Placeholders with a fallback value are always safe and will not trigger this warning.
No Question Ending Warning #
Carriers track whether your number receives replies. Sending many messages without getting responses can flag your number as a one-way spam sender.
If you send hundreds of messages but barely get any replies, carriers see that as a red flag. A healthy sender-to-reply ratio signals that your messages are part of real conversations. Ending with a question is the simplest way to encourage replies.
Examples
| Without question | With question |
|---|---|
| Just following up on our conversation. | Just following up on our conversation. Would next Tuesday work for a call? |
| We have new listings in your area. | We have new listings in your area. Interested in taking a look? |
| Your appointment is confirmed for Friday. | Your appointment is confirmed for Friday. Does that still work for you? |
Long Messages Info #
Some of your messages exceed 160 characters and will be sent as multi-part SMS.
A standard SMS can hold 160 characters (using GSM-7 encoding). Longer messages are automatically split into multiple segments and reassembled on the recipient’s phone. This is not critical, but shorter messages tend to get better engagement and are less likely to be truncated on older devices.
Tips
- Keep messages concise when possible
- The character count shown is a rough estimate. Spintext is resolved to one option before counting, but placeholders and special characters may affect the final length.
- After sending, the “Chars” column in your Message List will show the actual resolved length of each message
- Multi-segment messages may occasionally arrive slightly out of order on some networks
Excessive Capitals Info #
A large portion of your message text is in uppercase.
Messages with lots of capital letters look aggressive and spammy. Think of the difference between these two messages:
| Aggressive | Conversational |
|---|---|
| CHECK OUT OUR SALE THIS WEEKEND! | Check out our sale this weekend! |
| REMINDER: YOUR APPOINTMENT IS TOMORROW | Just a reminder about your appointment tomorrow. |
How to fix it
Use normal sentence case. Capitalize only the first letter of sentences and proper nouns.
