# A small message. Every word matters. Turn a campaign brief into concise, reusable SMS content. Draft with AI, refine the voice and personalize with customer data. Preview real examples before sending: a long name, an emoji or a missing property can change both the message and its segment count. [Prepare SMS content](/dashboard/signup?returnTo=%2Fdashboard%2Fw%2Fsms%2Ftemplates) [Discuss this workflow](/demo?product=sms-templates) ## Set up with your agent [Read the agent setup guide](/docs/ai/set-up-your-agent) Copy this prompt into your coding agent: ```text Bird connects customer communications, data and automation. Help me build with Bird using my coding agent. 1. Read https://bird.com/docs/ai/set-up-your-agent.md and follow its setup workflow for this client. Use an existing connected Bird MCP server or signed-in CLI when available. 2. Read the product guide for the task I want to complete and inspect my existing integration. Identify the workspace, available operations and required setup. 3. Help me complete a first example for the product and destination I choose. Follow the operation through to its actual result, explain any uncertainty, and help me choose the next step. First task: Draft an SMS template with representative personalization and missing-value fallbacks. Inspect encoding and segment counts for the rendered examples, and prepare the content for my review before publishing or sending. Use this Bird page as the starting context: https://bird.com/products/sms/marketing/templates Read its Markdown alternative and linked guides. Keep the first example relevant to this page and the customer outcome I choose. Preserve the supplied campaign context when following Bird signup or sales links. ``` [Part of the Bird SMS platform](/products/sms) From a draft to a personal message Example campaign Campaign brief Invite returning customers to explore the autumn collection. Keep it concise and include an opt-out. Illustrative personalization. Preview the final text for representative contacts before using it in a send. ## Write once. Review what each person receives. Personalization is useful when it makes the message more relevant. It also changes length, which matters for a channel billed in segments. ## Keep a clear purpose Give the recipient one reason to care and one next action. Identify the brand and include the opt-out route appropriate to the campaign. ## Use meaningful defaults Choose fallback values for missing properties. Preview a short name, a long name and an empty value before using the content with an audience. ## Check the rendered text Review encoding and segment boundaries after substitution. An emoji can switch the message to Unicode; some GSM-7 characters consume two units. ## AI drafts. Your team sets the standard. Use AI to turn a brief into alternatives, shorten a draft or adapt the language. Review the offer, link, brand voice and local meaning before publishing the version you want to send. ## Draft alternatives Ask for a concise launch announcement, reminder or follow-up. Compare the intent of each option rather than accepting a longer list of generic copy. ## Adapt by market Prepare the language and sender experience for the destination. A translation still needs a review of its meaning and segment length. ## Publish deliberately Separate work in progress from the version selected for a campaign. Keep reusable content connected to the campaign that used it. ## Make message length a visible decision - [SMS length calculator](/tools/sms-segment-calculator): Inspect encoding and segment boundaries for a draft. - [Character limits guide](/docs/guides/sms/character-limits): Understand GSM-7, Unicode and multipart messages. - [Smart encoding](/docs/guides/sms/smart-encoding): See which substitutions Bird applies and when the original text is preserved. ## Questions about SMS templates ### Does personalization change the segment count? Yes. Segment counting applies to the rendered message for each recipient. A longer name or another substituted value can cross a segment boundary. ### Does AI-generated copy send automatically? Drafting content and sending a campaign are separate actions. Review the draft and audience, then authorize the send through your team’s workflow. ### Can I reuse the same content on email, WhatsApp and SMS? Reuse the intent and shared customer properties, then prepare a channel-specific message. SMS length, WhatsApp template requirements and email layout are different constraints. ### What is smart encoding? Smart encoding replaces supported characters with GSM-7 equivalents when that lets the whole message use GSM-7. It is opt-in; if the result still needs Unicode, Bird preserves the original text. ## Keep building your SMS program - [SMS marketing](/products/sms/marketing): Return to the complete campaign workflow. - [SMS API](/products/sms/sending): Build application-triggered notifications. - [Delivery analytics](/products/sms/analytics): Understand each delivery outcome. - [SMS resource library](/products/sms/resources): Find a guide, answer or diagnostic tool. ## Write the message. See it in context. Create reusable SMS content, preview real personalization cases and review the rendered segments before your next send. [Discuss your content workflow](/demo?product=sms-templates) ## Related resources - [Sending an SMS with a template](/learn/sms/sending-an-sms-with-a-template) (video) - [SMS templates](/docs/guides/sms/templates) (docs) - [Build your first integration](/learn/paths/integration) (course) [Get an implementation brief](/learn/workspace?topic=sms-templates)