Documentation Journey Optimizer Journey Optimizer Guide

Get started with text messaging get-started-sms

Last update: Fri Oct 17 2025 00:00:00 GMT+0000 (Coordinated Universal Time)

Topics:
SMS

CREATED FOR:

Beginner
User

Use Journey Optimizer to send text messages (SMS/MMS/RCS) to your customers on their mobile devices. You can create, personalize, and preview messages in text format from the SMS/MMS/RCS editor.

Text messages can be created and sent in a journey or in a campaign. For SMS, MMS, and RCS, use the SMS action.

In a Journey. Create a journey, add an SMS activity, and define basic settings. Then, browse to the SMS Actions pane on the right to create the content for the SMS, MMS, or RCS message. Learn how to create a journey
In a Campaign. Create a campaign, select SMS as your action and define basic settings. Then, edit the message content to define the SMS, MMS, or RCS message to send. Learn how to create a campaign

IMPORTANT

If this is your first time creating text messages, make sure the SMS channel has been configured. Learn more

Text messaging capabilities sms-capabilities

Adobe Journey Optimizer provides comprehensive text messaging capabilities to engage your customers across multiple channels:

SMS (Short Message Service)

Send text-only messages of up to 160 characters. SMS is the most widely supported text messaging format across all mobile devices.

MMS (Multimedia Message Service)

Enhance your communication with multimedia content, including videos, images, audio clips, and GIFs. MMS messages allow up to 1600 characters of text in addition to media files. Learn more about MMS limitations

RCS (Rich Communication Services)

Send branded, interactive messages with advanced features such as carousels, rich cards, suggested actions, and enhanced media support. RCS provides a richer messaging experience on supported devices.

Key features key-features

Personalization & Dynamic Content

Create personalized text messages using the personalization editor. Add profile attributes, conditional content, and dynamic data to tailor messages to individual recipients. Learn about personalization

Multiple Provider Support

Adobe Journey Optimizer integrates with leading SMS service providers:

Sinch - Configuration guide
Twilio - Configuration guide
Infobip - Configuration guide
Custom providers - Configure any other SMS provider using custom API integration. Learn more

URL Shortening & Tracking

Add shortened, trackable URLs to your messages to monitor engagement. Subdomain configuration is required for URL shortening functionality. Learn how to configure SMS subdomains

Opt-out Management

Ensure compliance with industry standards and regulations through built-in opt-out management. Journey Optimizer automatically handles standard opt-out keywords (STOP, QUIT, CANCEL, etc.) for Sinch and Infobip providers. Learn about opt-out management

Preview & Testing

Test your text messages before sending using test profiles and sample data. Preview personalization, content, and formatting to ensure your messages display correctly. Learn how to send messages

Reporting & Analytics

Track the performance of your SMS campaigns and journeys with comprehensive reporting capabilities:

Configuration requirements configuration-requirements

Before sending text messages, you must:

Choose an SMS provider - Select from Sinch, Twilio, Infobip, or configure a custom provider
Set up API credentials - Integrate your provider’s API tokens and service IDs with Journey Optimizer
Create channel configurations - Set up SMS configurations for marketing and transactional messages
Configure subdomains (optional) - Required only if you plan to use URL shortening in your messages

These configuration steps are typically performed by a System Administrator. Get started with SMS configuration