In short
- Length: an English message fits 160 characters in one segment; an Arabic message fits 70.
- Structure: the offer, a deadline, one action, then the opt-out.
- Consent: send promotional SMS only to people who explicitly agreed to receive them; promotional messages are blocked by default until the recipient allows them.
- Sender name: promotional sender names in Saudi Arabia end in "-AD".
- Timing: operators block advertising messages between 10 pm and 9 am Saudi time; during Ramadan, between 1 am and 12 noon.
What every promotional SMS needs before you send it
These points come from the Communications, Space and Technology Commission's (CST) "Regulations for Curbing SPAM Messages & Calls" (version three, October 2022, approved by CST decision 493/1444). This is a summary for planning, not legal advice.
- Explicit consent. The recipient must have agreed to receive promotional messages. Consent buried in a privacy policy or a service contract does not count, and the sender must be able to prove it. Promotional messages are blocked by default until the recipient allows them, in general or from specific sender names.
- A way to stop. Recipients can ask to stop promotional messages at any time, and the sender must stop within 24 hours of the request.
- The right sender name. Sender names classified as promotional carry the suffix "-AD", for example YOURBRAND-AD. Promotional SMS may not be sent from a mobile number.
- The right hours. Outside Ramadan, operators block advertising and awareness messages from 10 pm to 9 am Saudi time every day. During Ramadan, the blocked hours run from 1 am to 12 noon. Schedule every campaign outside the blocked hours.
Read the Saudi SMS compliance guide
18 promotional SMS examples by occasion
Each message uses plain English with no emoji and fits one 160-character segment. "example.com/s" stands for your own opt-out link; the other example.com links stand for your offer pages. Your sender name already tells the customer who you are, so the text does not repeat it.
Welcome and first order
| Message | Characters | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| Welcome! Thanks for joining our offers list. Enjoy 15% off your first order with code WELCOME15 until 30 November. Opt out: example.com/s | 137 | 1 |
| Free delivery on your first order this week. Shop now: example.com/new Opt out: example.com/s | 93 | 1 |
New arrivals and openings
| Message | Characters | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| The new winter collection is online and in store from today. See it first: example.com/w Opt out: example.com/s | 111 | 1 |
| Our new Al Khobar branch opens Thursday at 4 pm. The first 100 visitors get a gift. Map: example.com/k Opt out: example.com/s | 125 | 1 |
Saudi occasions and seasons
| Message | Characters | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| Happy Saudi National Day! 20% off everything from 21 to 24 September, in store and online: example.com/nd Opt out: example.com/s | 128 | 1 |
| Founding Day offer: buy 2 and get the 3rd free on selected items until 24 February. example.com/fd Opt out: example.com/s | 121 | 1 |
| Ramadan Kareem. Daily suhoor offers in our stores, open until 2 am through Ramadan: example.com/r Opt out: example.com/s | 120 | 1 |
| Eid Mubarak! Eid gifts up to 30% off. Order by Tuesday for delivery before Eid: example.com/e Opt out: example.com/s | 116 | 1 |
| End of season sale: up to 50% off for the final 3 days, ending Saturday at midnight. example.com/sale Opt out: example.com/s | 124 | 1 |
Loyalty and points
| Message | Characters | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| You have 1,250 points worth SAR 25. Use them on your next order before 31 December: example.com/p Opt out: example.com/s | 120 | 1 |
| You've reached Gold: free delivery on every order for the next 12 months. Details: example.com/g Opt out: example.com/s | 119 | 1 |
Reminders that ask for a purchase
These ask for a new purchase, so treat them as promotional: consent, the "-AD" sender name and sending hours all apply.
| Message | Characters | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| You left 2 items in your cart. We are holding them for you until midnight: example.com/c Opt out: example.com/s | 111 | 1 |
| The shoes you asked about are back in size 42. Limited stock: example.com/b Opt out: example.com/s | 98 | 1 |
| Your car may be due for its 10,000 km service. Book this month and get a free car wash: example.com/cs Opt out: example.com/s | 125 | 1 |
Win-back and invitations
| Message | Characters | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| We miss you. Here is SAR 30 off your next order over SAR 150 with code BACK30, valid for 7 days: example.com Opt out: example.com/s | 131 | 1 |
| You're invited to a private shopping evening on Wednesday, 8 to 10 pm, at our Olaya branch. Register: example.com/ev Opt out: example.com/s | 139 | 1 |
Restaurants and real estate
| Message | Characters | Segments |
|---|---|---|
| Weekend family meal for 4 at SAR 149, Thursday to Saturday, dine in or pick up. Order: example.com/f Opt out: example.com/s | 123 | 1 |
| Open house this Saturday, 4 to 8 pm: 3-bedroom villas in north Riyadh. Register: example.com/v Opt out: example.com/s | 117 | 1 |
The Arabic version of this guide has the same occasions written in Arabic, where one segment holds 70 characters.
How to write your own marketing SMS
Use this order. Most of the examples above follow it.
- Lead with the offer. Put the discount, the gift or the news in the first few words.
- Give a deadline or a reason to act now. A date, a time or "final 3 days".
- Ask for one action. One link or one code, not three.
- End with the opt-out. Keep the same wording in every campaign so customers recognise it.
- Read it as the customer. If the message only makes sense to your team, rewrite it.
Personalise only with data the customer expects you to use, such as a first name or points balance, and test each version on a real phone before a large send.
Length and cost: why a message becomes two SMS
Each segment is billed, so length changes cost.
| Message text | One segment | Each part of a longer message |
|---|---|---|
| English and Latin characters (GSM-7) | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| Arabic, or any text with an Arabic character (Unicode, UCS-2) | 70 characters | 67 characters |
Three things push an English message into Unicode, which cuts the limit from 160 to 70 characters:
- One Arabic word anywhere in the text.
- An emoji.
- Curly quotes or apostrophes pasted from a word processor. Type straight ones instead.
Also, the characters [ ] { } ~ ^ | \ and € count as two characters each in GSM-7.
Check a message in the SMS segment calculator
Promotional or transactional?
A message is promotional when it proposes something new, such as an offer, a discount or an announcement. It is transactional when the customer's own action triggered it and it contains no offer, such as an order confirmation or a delivery update. Adding an offer to a transactional message generally makes the whole message promotional, so send the two separately.
Transactional vs promotional SMS: the full test
Sending these messages with Digital Connect
Digital Connect, Interkey's business SMS platform, supports promotional campaigns, loyalty messages, announcements and offers alongside transactional and OTP traffic.
- Templates: message templates are approved by both your team and Interkey before they are used.
- Contact lists and scheduling: manage your contact lists and schedule each campaign for the time you choose.
- Reports: a delivery receipt for each message, and reports you can export.
- Sender name: Interkey registers your sender name with the operators through CST's central bulk-SMS system during onboarding.
- Permit: Interkey holds CST's permit to provide short message services (SMS).
- Pricing: quoted for your volume and traffic type. Promotional and OTP traffic are priced differently.
When it is not a good fit: if you send only a few hundred messages a month, or almost all of your recipients are outside Saudi Arabia.
SMS marketing with Digital Connect
Questions about marketing SMS
How long can a marketing SMS be?
One segment holds 160 characters in English or 70 in Arabic. Longer messages are split into parts of 153 or 67 characters, and each part is billed.
Do I need customer consent to send promotional SMS in Saudi Arabia?
Yes. CST's anti-spam regulations require the recipient's explicit agreement to receive promotional messages, and the sender carries the burden of proving it. Promotional messages are blocked by default until the recipient allows them.
What time can I send a marketing SMS?
Outside Ramadan, operators block advertising and awareness messages between 10 pm and 9 am, so schedule sends between 9 am and 10 pm Saudi time. During Ramadan, the blocked hours run from 1 am to 12 noon.
Should I include an opt-out in every message?
Yes. Recipients can ask to stop promotional messages at any time, and the sender must stop within 24 hours. A short opt-out link at the end of every message makes that easy.
What does "-AD" after a sender name mean?
It marks a sender name classified as promotional. Messages from that sender are treated as advertising messages.