---
title: "How can I prevent my SMS messages from going to spam?"
description: "Follow best practices to reduce the risk of your SMS messages being classified as spam by carriers and phones."
url: https://help.sarbacane.com/en/articles/432-how-can-i-prevent-my-sms-messages-from-going-to-spam
collection: "Frequently Asked Questions about text messages"
updated: 2026-10-13
language: en
alternates: [fr, es]
---

# How can I prevent my SMS messages from going to spam?

Follow best practices to reduce the risk of your SMS messages being classified as spam by carriers and phones.

Operators and smartphones are strengthening their spam filters: an SMS that is too generic, poorly identified, or sent too frequently may be classified as unwanted. This classification is made by the operator, the phone, or the recipient's anti-spam app, not by Sarbacane, which can neither know about it nor prevent it. With Sarbacane Campaigns, a few best practices regarding the sender, links, and content can reduce this risk.

## Prerequisites

-   A Sarbacane Campaigns license.
    
-   Recipients who have agreed to receive your SMS messages.
    

## Steps

1.  **Clearly identify yourself.** In the **Message** step, in the panel on the right, under **Sender**, if you choose **Custom**, use your brand name without all caps: for example, “MyStore” rather than “PROMO123”. Also mention your company name in the message text.
    
2.  **Make sure your links are in order.** To add a link, in the toolbar below the message, click the **Insert a link** chain icon. Use this Sarbacane shortener rather than an external one. Point the link to your own domain or a domain associated with your brand, and check that it works. For details, see the article [How to add a link to an SMS campaign in Sarbacane?](https://help.sarbacane.com/fr/articles/434-comment-ajouter-un-lien-a-une-campagne-sms-dans-sarbacane.md).
    
3.  **Take care with your content**: keep your message short (160 characters maximum if possible), get straight to the point, and use a conversational rather than commercial tone. Avoid excessive capitalization, repeated symbols ($$$, !!!, \*\*\*) and aggressive or sensationalist wording (“FREE”, “URGENT”).
    
4.  **Target and personalize.** Send a message tailored to each segment of your list, using personalization fields (first name, purchase history, etc.) rather than sending the same message to your entire list.
    
5.  **Only write to contacts who have given their consent**, at a reasonable frequency, while respecting sending times and the STOP opt-out instruction (see [What rules should you follow when sending marketing SMS messages?](https://help.sarbacane.com/fr/articles/431-quelles-regles-respecter-pour-envoyer-des-sms-marketing.md)).
    
6.  Before sending, in the **Review** step, click **Send a test**, then check on your phone that the SMS arrives in your usual messages.
    

**Best practice**: if a customer doesn’t receive your SMS messages, ask them to check their spam folder and mark your number as legitimate. These reports improve the delivery of your future messages.

## Expected result

Your test SMS arrives in your phone’s regular messages, not in spam.

## Troubleshooting

### My test SMS arrived in spam

Test one element at a time, in this order:

1.  **Sender** : under **Sender**, choose **Standard number**, then send another test. If the SMS no longer goes to spam, your custom sender is the cause (for example, a protected name).
    
2.  **The link** : temporarily replace your link with a neutral address (for example, https://google.com), then send another test. If the SMS no longer goes to spam, your link is the cause. Check that it does not go through an external URL shortener, and check its domain: in the toolbar, open the “•••” menu, then **URL domain**.
    
3.  **The content** : remove risky words and phrases, repeated symbols, and uppercase letters. Some messages are closely monitored by operators, for example, those that look like delivery notifications.
    
4.  Mark the SMS as not spam on your phone, then send another test.
    

### My SMS has been going to spam since I put it in an automated campaign

The type of campaign has no influence on spam classification. Check the sender, link, and content as indicated above.

## Related articles

-   [How do I create an SMS campaign in Sarbacane?](https://help.sarbacane.com/fr/articles/52-comment-creer-une-campagne-sms-dans-sarbacane.md)
    
-   [What rules should I follow when sending marketing SMS messages?](https://help.sarbacane.com/fr/articles/431-quelles-regles-respecter-pour-envoyer-des-sms-marketing.md)
    
-   [Why didn't my SMS arrive?](https://help.sarbacane.com/fr/articles/433-pourquoi-mon-sms-n-est-il-pas-arrive.md)
    
-   [How do I add a link to an SMS campaign in Sarbacane?](https://help.sarbacane.com/fr/articles/434-comment-ajouter-un-lien-a-une-campagne-sms-dans-sarbacane.md)