Texting is one of the fastest and most effective ways to reach voters. Vottiv makes it easy to send compliant, personalized SMS (text-only), MMS (text with images), and 4K Video Texting messages while meeting current texting regulations, including 10DLC requirements.

Before you can send any text messages, your account must be registered and approved through 10DLC. A one-time $200 registration fee is required as part of this process.
Vottiv provides a separate, complete guide that walks through the entire registration process step by step.

➡️ See: Getting Registered for 10DLC Texting (required before sending messages)

Texting Basics: SMS, MMS, and 4K Video

Once your account is approved for texting, you can send:

• SMS – text-only messages

• MMS – text messages that include images (JPEG, PNG, and other supported formats)

• 4K Video Texting – a full HD or 4K video delivered by text: the complete video plays in the message, and every recipient gets a personal link that streams at up to 4K when their device and connection support it (see Sending Video: 4K Video Texting below)

Messages can include dynamic fields (such as a voter’s first name) and optional images to increase engagement.

Voter Contact Package — Messaging Rates

When you subscribe to the Voter Contact Package, you receive our lowest usage-based messaging rates. You only pay for what you send — there are no minimums or long-term commitments. Credits are purchased through your dashboard and deducted as you use them.

Credits are charged when Vottiv submits each message to the carrier. If the carrier later marks a message as failed, those credits are not automatically refunded.

Subscriber Rates (with Voter Contact Package)

• SMS (text messages): 3.5¢ per message

• MMS (picture messages): 6¢ per message

• 4K Video Texting: the MMS rate plus a small per-message video surcharge (the exact surcharge is shown in the composer before you send)

• Phone calls: 5¢ per minute

Managed Service Fee

If you use our managed messaging service (scheduled sends, automated campaigns), there is an additional 1¢ per message fee on top of the base rate.

Compliance Overview

Current texting regulations require that:

• Each message is sent with human interaction (not fully automated)

• Campaigns are registered and approved through 10DLC

• Messages avoid misleading or spam-like language

• Opt-out language is included when required (for example, “Reply STOP to opt out”)

Vottiv is built to support these requirements while keeping the process fast and intuitive.

Before You Start

Before sending messages, make sure:

• ✅ Your account is approved for texting through 10DLC

• ✅ You are subscribed to the texting service

• ✅ You have a voter group ready to message

• ✅ Your message is clear, friendly, and compliant

If you have not completed 10DLC registration yet, you must do so first.
➡️ Read: Getting Registered for 10DLC Texting for the complete setup guide and FAQs.

Sending Your First Text Message

Once your account is fully registered and approved, you’re ready to send messages. Creating a message is a guided, step-by-step flow: Message → Media & Video → Translations → Review & Test → Schedule / Send. A progress bar across the top shows where you are, and any step with an issue that needs your attention is marked so you always know what’s left before you can send.

Your work saves automatically. As soon as you start typing, Vottiv saves your message as a draft (you’ll see a “Saved” indicator near the top). You can leave at any time and pick up where you left off — when you come back to the composer, a Resume your draft banner offers to reload your unfinished message, and drafts also appear in your SMS dashboard list, where clicking one reopens it in the composer. Abandoned drafts are cleaned up automatically after 30 days.

Step 1: Open the Texting Section

From the left-hand navigation in Vottiv:

1. Click SMS

2. You’ll be taken to the texting dashboard, where you can:

   • View previously sent messages and drafts

   • See current messaging rates

   • Check available organizational credits

Step 2: Start a New Message and Write It

1. Click Send New Message, select a voter group, and click Create SMS

2. On the Message step, type your message content

3. Insert dynamic fields (for example, the voter’s first name)

4. Include required opt-out language (such as “Reply STOP to opt out”) — the composer will not let you send without it

To include a weblink, paste the URL directly into the message body. While not strictly required, we recommend placing the link as the last item in your message for the best display and click-through experience. Keep in mind that messages containing a website link can see lower delivery rates, because mobile carriers filter texts with links more aggressively — when the editor detects a link, it shows a “Heads up” reminder about this. Links are still allowed; if you include one, use a clear, recognizable web address so recipients trust it. Note that adding a link alone will not convert your message to MMS — that only happens if your total character count exceeds the SMS limit.

Step 3: Choose Media (Optional)

On the Media & Video step, pick one of three options:

• No media — a text-only SMS.

• Image or video — attach an image (or small video) to send as MMS. Click Select a design or upload a file to open your media library, where you can reuse a file you’ve added before or upload a new one. Vottiv automatically sizes images so they send reliably — you don’t need to resize anything yourself. If your organization uses Vottiv’s Design Studio, your saved designs are also available here.

• 4K Video — send a full HD or 4K video with a personal streaming link for every recipient (see Sending Video: 4K Video Texting below).

Step 4: Translations (Optional)

On the Translations step, you can automatically translate your message for voters whose preferred language isn’t English:

• Turn on Auto-translate — Vottiv detects which languages are represented in your group and shows how many voters speak each

• Select the languages you want and click Generate translations

• Review and edit each translation in its own tab — you can also attach a different image per language

Each translated message is priced with a small per-message translation fee, shown in your cost preview. This step is optional — skip it to send in English only.

Step 5: Review & Test

On the Review & Test step:

• Preview exactly what recipients will see, in every language you selected

• Review the full cost breakdown — recipients, per-message rate, any translation or video charges, and the total

• Send a test message to your own phone before sending to voters — you can choose which language version to test

• If anything still needs attention, a checklist links you straight to the step that needs fixing

Note that messages over 160 characters are split into multiple segments. Messages can contain up to 5 segments total, with a maximum cost of $0.06 per message.

Step 6: Prepare, then Send or Schedule

On the final Schedule / Send step, click Prepare send. Vottiv builds your recipient list (this usually takes a moment). Once it’s ready, choose how to send:

• Schedule managed send — pick a date and time and Vottiv sends the messages for you (organization admins only; the managed service fee applies). You can schedule right here without leaving the composer, and also review compliance and timing guidelines before confirming.

• Go to send queue — send each message yourself with a click. The next recipient automatically appears after each send; continue clicking Send until complete. This fast, human-interaction sending keeps you compliant with current regulations.

Not ready to send? Your prepared message stays in your SMS dashboard list — you can come back and schedule it or work through the send queue later.

Sending Video: 4K Video Texting

4K Video Texting lets you send a full video ad by text without worrying about carrier size limits. You upload one HD or 4K video, and Vottiv prepares everything automatically: a carrier-safe version of the complete video that plays right in the message thread, plus a personal watch link for every recipient that streams at up to 4K when their device and connection support it.

How to send a video message

1. On the composer’s Media & Video step, choose 4K Video.

2. Upload a video — MP4 or MOV, up to 60 seconds and 2 GB, portrait or landscape — or reuse a video you’ve already processed.

3. Vottiv processes the video for delivery, which usually takes a few minutes. You can leave the composer and check back later; Vottiv also shows an in-app notification when it’s ready.

4. Pick a poster frame (the preview image shown before the video plays) and, if you like, add one call-to-action button with a label and link.

5. Preview both versions side by side — what arrives in the message and what the watch link opens — and send a test to your own phone from the Review & Test step before sending to voters.

Shorter videos look sharper in the message itself: under about 15 seconds delivers a crisp in-message video, while a 60-second video is heavily compressed to fit carrier limits. Every recipient always gets the full-quality link regardless of length — the composer shows you a quality meter before you upload. If you use auto-translate, the same video applies to every language, and the “Watch in full quality” link text is localized automatically.

What recipients see

• The complete video plays right in their messaging app as a normal video attachment.

• The message ends with a short “Watch in full quality” link that opens a mobile player streaming at up to 4K. The link is unique to each recipient and expires 90 days after sending.

• If a carrier can’t accept the video attachment, Vottiv automatically retries with a preview-image message, and then a text-plus-link message — you are never charged twice for the same recipient.

See who watched — and retarget them

After a video send begins, its send report includes a Video engagement section:

• A funnel from delivered to viewed, play started, 25% / 50% / 75%, completed, and call-to-action clicks — plus rates and an engagement-over-time chart.

• A per-recipient table showing which voters’ links recorded each milestone, with timestamps. Clicking a funnel stage filters the table to that audience.

• Create group from engagement: turn any audience — watched to the end, tapped the call-to-action, or delivered but never viewed — into a voter group for follow-up texts, calls, or mail. Video engagement is also available as a criterion in the group filter builder.

Video pricing

A video message costs your normal MMS rate plus a small per-message video surcharge. The exact surcharge appears in the composer and in your cost preview before you send. Automatic delivery fallbacks never add a second charge, and test sends are billed like normal video messages.

Viewing Responses and Managing Opt-Outs

After sending messages, you can monitor replies and opt-outs directly from the SMS inbox in the top right of your dashboard.

Opening your inbox

From the left-hand navigation, click SMS, then select Your Messages. You'll see a list of conversations organized by voter.

What the blue dot means

A blue dot to the left of a voter's name indicates an unread reply — that voter has responded and their message hasn't been viewed yet. Once you open the conversation, the dot will clear.

To see all conversations (including those without new replies), use the ALL filter at the top of the inbox. The default view typically shows only active or unread threads.

Reading and responding to a reply

Click any conversation to open it. You'll see the full message thread with that voter. You can reply directly from this view.

Message delivery status

When you send a reply, it appears in the thread right away with a delivery status shown beneath it: Sending… while Vottiv hands the message to the carrier, then Sent and Delivered as the carrier confirms it. If you reply outside the recipient's allowed texting window (8 AM–8 PM in their local time zone), the message shows Scheduled with the time it will go out, and sends automatically at that time. If a message can't be delivered, it stays in the thread marked Failed so you know it didn't reach the voter.

Viewing and understanding opt-outs

When a voter clearly asks to stop receiving campaign messages, Vottiv automatically marks them as unsubscribed. Standard opt-out keywords—including STOP, STOP ALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT, REVOKE, OPT OUT, and REMOVE—are recognized even with surrounding punctuation or PLEASE before the keyword.

Vottiv also recognizes clear requests written in everyday language, such as “stop texting me,” “take me off your list,” or “do not contact me again.” These replies follow the same opt-out process as a standard keyword.

Ambiguous phrases that are not clearly asking to end future campaign contact remain ordinary replies for campaign staff to review.

A few things to know:

• Opted-out voters are automatically excluded from future sends — you don't need to remove them manually.

• You can view opt-outs in the SMS inbox window under the Opt-Outs tab.

A Few Things to Keep in Mind

• Messages with emojis or special characters use Unicode encoding, which reduces characters per segment (70 vs. 160 for standard text). Longer messages may be split into multiple segments, each billed separately.

• If a text message exceeds 5 segments, our system automatically sends it as MMS since it becomes more cost-effective at that length.

Best Practices for Texting

Use:

• Personalized messages

• A friendly, campaign-identified tone

• Clear calls to action

Avoid:

• Over-messaging

• Aggressive or spam-like language

• Unverified links

Troubleshooting & Help

Contact support if:

• Your 10DLC registration is still pending

• Messages are not sending correctly

• MMS images fail to upload

• A 4K Video upload is stuck processing or fails repeatedly

• You have questions about compliance

Watch the Video Walkthrough

Want to see this process in action?
Watch the video walkthrough for a full demonstration of creating and sending text messages in Vottiv.