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6 discount offer text message examples you can replicate (plus how to write)

Text messages that include discounts can help you grow your subscriber lists, engage your contacts, and influence more sales. Learn how to write discount messages that drive more revenue.

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Discount offer text messages are everywhere. And that’s for good reason.

Text messages with discounts work. See for yourself:

Combine those numbers with a few key tips for writing an effective discount text and you have a winning formula.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is a discount offer text message?

A discount offer text message is a text message that contains a discount. 

That discount might come in the form of a special code, a personalized link, or a set of directions for redeeming the offer.

Why send discount offers through text messages?

First, let’s talk about why you want to include special offers in your text messages.

Consider why people sign up for texts from brands in the first place. They want something. 

It could be:

  1. Regular updates on new product launches
  2. A text hotline they can send their most burning questions to
  3. Early access to events, offers, or announcements

Most of the time, though, what they’re looking for is access to exclusive discounts and promotions. 

According to our 2020 Text Marketing Report, 50% of respondents said that flash sales and time-sensitive promotions would encourage them to opt into a business’s text messages.

Discount messages are the best tool for text marketers who want to keep subscribers engaged and see an immediate uptick in sales.

Good discount offer text messages vs. great ones

A discount message goes for the close. And like great salespeople, it influences someone to reach for their credit card. 

Here are six ways you can increase sales from your next SMS marketing campaign.

Great discount offer messages:

  1. Reinforce the benefits of your product or service
  2. Describe the benefits within the call to action
  3. Create a sense of urgency
  4. Appeal to exclusivity
  5. Are original and unique
  6. Include visuals

1. Reinforce the benefits of your product or service

Sure, a discount offer or coupon is great. But why does that really matter to your subscribers?

You need to reinforce why someone should act on your promotion. Making a case for your product in a discount offer message does three things:

  1. Catch and hold your audience’s attention
  2. Handle any objections they might have
  3. Encourage them to purchase

Put another way, get your audience itching to click the link in your text by reminding them of the main benefits of your product or service. Here’s a discount message example that uses this tactic.

A discount offer text message example from FabFitFun
This is a discount offer text message I got from FabFitFun.

Here’s one more discount example that draws on benefits:

Brand: Who else wants to look great on the beach this summer? For 24 hours, our VIP text subscribers get 15% off all home gym equipment. Your beach bod awaits you: [link]

2. Describe the benefits with a call to action (CTA)

Everywhere people look they’re told to “Buy Now” or “Shop Here.” It’s too generic a CTA to motivate someone to take action these days.

You want to elicit a strong response from your audience with a benefits-focused CTA. Instead of “Check out today’s deals!” consider something like, “Your next summer dress is right at your fingertips.” Here’s how it works in practice.

A text example from Vegamour

My go-to haircare brand Vegamour is great at this. In this text, they built up a lot of mystery around the product they’re highlighting just before the CTA. I won’t lie to you; I definitely clicked.

Here’s one more discount offer text message sample that draws on benefits within the call to action:

Brand: Who else wants to feel comfortable and look stylish? With their billowy sleeves and loose ties, you won’t want to wear anything else. Your next summer dress is right at your fingertips: [link]

3. Create a sense of urgency

Nothing slows down your text message’s conversion rate faster than customer hesitation. Anytime a customer thinks “maybe later,” there’s a high chance they’re going to ghost you.

With text messages, you can create a very strong sense of urgency because 90% of text messages are opened within three minutes. You don’t have to worry that your customer won’t see your message.

There are a ton of different creative ways to do this — you could offer free shipping or reward for a limited number of buyers.

The most important element of this tactic is that it’s something tangible — not just a vague reference to “limited supplies” or “limited time”.

A discount text from Fashion Nova

In this example from my own inbox, Fashion Nova is very clear about how long I have to use the code they sent, which is a good way to motivate subscribers to click through.

Here’s another discount example that draws on urgency:

Brand: We’re giving the first 100 people to buy from our just launched summer collection a $25 gift card. If you want to be one of the lucky few, get on it now: [link]

4. Make offers (actually) exclusive

There are a bunch of ways you can make your discount messages exclusive. You can combine urgency and exclusivity with a “while-supplies-last” offer or provide early access to a sale.

If you want to be super clever, you can use your text messages to create a sense of belonging and exclusivity.

For example, your text message copy could tell a story about an exclusive set of members who enjoy the awesome benefits of using your service, making them want to belong, too.

A text example from an axe throwing bar

This example comes from a SimpleTexting team member who notes that the attached image was actually a GIF (another great way to catch your customers’ eyes).

Here’s one last discount offer message example that appeals to exclusivity:

Brand: Our genius members figured out the smarter way to bank. They get $0 monthly fees and free international transfers. No commitment. No fees. Join the Revolut Club and get a discounted chrome card: [link]

5. Get original with your wording

People are bombarded with offers all day long. Here’s a screenshot of just one email inbox searching for the term “10% off”. As you can tell, some of these emails are never opened even though they’re all offering something of value.

In your fight against getting lost in the crowd, creativity and novelty are secret weapons. You want your discount offer messages to point to the fact that you’re offering something new and exciting.

Here’s a discount message example that takes that approach.

A discount offer text message with creative formatting from TeePublic

This example is super simple, right? But using an emoji got my attention immediately and gave me serious FOMO.

Here’s one more discount message example that takes into account the power of novelty.

Brand: We’re trying out something. We’re giving our subscribers 20% off Gordon Ramsay’s online cooking course with the purchase of each cast-iron skillet for the next week. Get cooking now: [link]

6. Include visuals like images, GIFs, or videos

This example is backed with data from an A/B test we ran. It showed that texts with photos generate a higher click-through rate. 

Without getting too scientific, 50% of our brain is dedicated to visual processing. It’s why your discount messages can benefit significantly from a strategic image that either reinforces the core benefit or shows someone enjoying the product.

An example of a text from Vegamour with an image

Here’s one more example of a visual discount offer text message:

Image for sending MMS
Brand: There are summer dresses…and there are summer dresses. This new collection from Francois Pierre is You can get 15% off and turn heads here: [link]

Our customer Year Round Brown sends a graphic of a tanned woman that highlights the primary 50% off tanning offer. The tanning salon used this tactic to grow revenue by 20%.

"Being able to send an image with the text makes it feel very legitimate. Plus, seeing a tanned person makes someone want to tan."
Kaitlin Brodeur
Kaitlin Brodeur

Marketing Executive

How to send a discount offer text message

Now you have a few ideas on how to write your messages, but how can you send them once you’re done? Here are a few popular methods within SimpleTexting.

Campaigns

Campaigns are a great method to send your discount text messages to many or all of your contacts at once, and you can send them out in seconds.

  1. Navigate to the Campaigns tab on the left-side menu. 
  2. Choose New.
  3. Give your campaign a name and write out your message.
Creating a text coupon campaign in SimpleTexting
  1. If you’re including a link to a specific coupon page, use the link shortener to save on characters.
  2. Decide which contact list will get your text.
  3. Choose whether you want to send your campaign right away or schedule it for the future.
Scheduling a SimpleTexting text message discount offer campaign

The Inbox

Texting coupons through the inbox is a much more individual method, and we would recommend this option for one-on-one conversations.

  1. Pick Inbox from the left-hand menu. 
  2. Open a new conversation with a subscriber or open an existing one.
  3. Include your coupon code or link in the text box and write the rest of your message. 
  4. Select Send or choose the clock icon to schedule your text for the future.
Scheduling a discount offer text message in SimpleTexting’s inbox

Autoresponders

Autoresponders are a good way to set up your discount texts to send automatically when a subscriber joins your list.

  1. Choose Autoresponders on the left-side menu.
  2. Pick New autoresponder.
  3. Give your autoresponder a name and choose the keyword it will connect to.
  4. Write out your text.
Setting up a discount text message welcome offer autoresponder through SimpleTexting
  1. Pick the delay for your message.
  2. Decide on any other scheduling parameters you want and select Save.

The takeaway from 6 discount offer text message examples

Creating a relevant discount message sounds easy-ish. After all, you’ve created a product for this particular audience and then offered them a discount code. What more could they ask for?

The problem is that customers are fussy. Their attention is pulled in a million different directions.

We’ve provided you with six great tactics to apply to your discount text messages and drive action. 

They’ll help get your audience excited about your texts, and the all-important sales will soon follow.

This article was originally published July 28, 2020. It was most recently updated September 26, 2023. Drew Wilkinson contributed to this piece.

Lily Norton
Lily Norton

Lily is a content marketing specialist at SimpleTexting. She specializes in making helpful, entertaining video content and writing blogs that help businesses take advantage of all that texting has to offer. When she’s not writing or making TikToks, you can find Lily at roller derby practice or in a yoga studio in the Seattle area.

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