Mass Texting
Texting is the fastest way to communicate, and the open rates are better than anything else. But you need more than a group thread or chat app. With Clearstream you can easily text 50 or 50,000 people — we're built for scale. View real-time metrics like how fast your message is being delivered, opt-out rates, replies, and even texts that fail to deliver.
Schedule texts in advance, make them recurring, or save them as drafts for later. Include pictures, emojis, links, personalized custom fields, polls, or notes for long-form content. Respond to incoming texts from your inbox and manage multiple conversations with your people. If you're a non-English speaking church, we support multiple languages as well.
FAQ’s
What number will I use?
Every Clearstream account comes with a registered A2P 10DLC (application to person 10-digit long code) number - a viable option for smaller-scale texting on a budget (a few hundred to a couple of thousand people). A2P 10DLC numbers experience better message delivery, faster sending, and less carrier filtering than non-registered numbers you might get with other platforms.
For high-volume mass texting you have the option of leasing a dedicated short code, but it’s more expensive.
Can I use a 5-digit short code?
Yes. Clearstream offers dedicated short codes and is a vetted top application provider with the Short Code Registry, the short code registrar who leases all short codes in the United States. Dedicated short codes are the single best option for high-volume, high-message-throughput, reliable, non-carrier-filtered, emoji/multilingual-supported, two-way mass texting.
If you’re interested in learning how Clearstream can set up and manage a dedicated short code for your church, go here. Note that Clearstream doesn’t charge setup or short code hosting fees like most providers.
How long can my texts be?
Any outgoing text you send (mass text, auto-response, or inbox reply) can include up to 765 characters (letters and numbers). Here’s the credit breakdown:
Messages less than 161 characters use 1 credit per person.
Messages between 161-306 characters use 2 credits per person.
Messages between 307-459 characters use 3 credits per person.
Messages between 460-612 characters use 4 credits per person.
Messages between 613-765 characters use 5 credits per person.
What types of media can I send?
You can upload a JPEG or PNG file up to 8MB in size. For videos or external files, send a shortened URL link.
Can I text in any language?
Maybe not every language since there are over 7,000 worldwide. 😳 But yes, thanks to Unicode, most languages can be sent in Clearstream.
Can I personalize mass texts?
Yes! You can easily insert a subscriber's name into any mass text. Whether sending to 5, 50, or 50k people, everyone will receive their own personalized message.
If their name isn't known, a fallback can be set, just like in real life...."Hey buddy!"