LRN · SMS STACK/REV. 2026-06
Sheet— 01 / 10 —SMS
001 ·

The owned channel that gets read in minutes - opt-in, compliance, flows and industry playbooks.

Straight tothe pocket.

Here is the RGM SMS stack - the practitioner guide to text-message marketing. The compliant opt-in that keeps you legal, the flows that recover revenue, the segmentation and cadence that keep opt-outs low, and playbooks for fourteen industries. The channel people actually read. Start with a pillar, explore the periodic table, or filter the index.

0SMS guides
0Method families
0Methods, mapped
0Industry playbooks

How to read this stack: SMS pays when it is compliant, well-timed and rare enough to stay welcome. Get consent right first, then read your numbers against the 2026 benchmarks. For long-form, pair it with email.

000
At a glanceQuick answers

The short answers.

Legal to text?With consent

Get express written opt-in first - TCPA.

Penalty risk?$500-$1,500

Per unsolicited message - consent matters.

Open rate?~98%

Texts are read, most within minutes.

Click rate?~10.7%

Several times email, when segmented.

Best flow?Abandoned cart

Fast recovery on a 70% abandon rate.

How often?4-8 / month

Watch opt-outs as the real ceiling.

001
Load-bearing guidesSheet — 02 / 10

Six guides hold the roof.

Start here. SMS is a stack: compliant consent, list growth, segmentation, core flows and cadence. Learn these six and the rest follows.
Start here
  1. S-01SMS ultimate guideThe complete practitioner overview.
  2. S-02TCPA complianceConsent, quiet hours and opt-outs.
  3. S-03Opt-in best practicesConsent that is compliant and converts.
  4. S-04List growthBuild subscribers who want texts.
  5. S-05Abandoned-cart flowThe highest-ROI text you can send.
  6. S-06SegmentationThe right text to the right person.
002
The SMS indexSheet — 03 / 10

Every method, filed.

Look at the SMS library by family. Filter by name or pick a family. The marquee guides are below, and search opens the rest.

Showing 26 of 26 methods

No method matches that filter. Search the full library — it reads every page.

This is the curated index. The full SMS stack holds 28 pages — search the complete collection or jump to any family above.

003
The map of SMSSheet — 04 / 10

The periodic table of SMS.

Hover or tap a method. Twenty-seven SMS methods grouped into six families - foundation, compliance, flows, strategy, platforms, and fourteen industry playbooks. Filter by family, or hit ★ Core for the ones that anchor most programs. Each tile links to its guide.
004
SMS by the numbers — 2026Sheet — 05 / 10

The numbers that pay.

Tap a card. SMS is read fast and replied to often - but only when it is compliant and rare enough to stay welcome. Here are the 2026 numbers, each sourced and linked to the method and the compendium.
98%Texts get read

Texts read

RGM analysisSMS guide →
Did you know? ↗
70.2%Recover the cart

Carts abandoned

Baymard InstituteCart flow →
Did you know? ↗
$1,500The TCPA price tag

Penalty per message

TCPA, 47 U.S.C. §227TCPA compliance →
Did you know? ↗
45%SMS gets replies

SMS response rate

GartnerTwo-way SMS →
Did you know? ↗
10.7%Click, not just read

Avg SMS click rate

KlaviyoSegmentation →
Did you know? ↗
4-8Mind the cadence

Texts / month

RGM analysisCadence design →
Did you know? ↗
SMS is the most intimate channel you own. Earn the consent, respect the cadence, and it outperforms everything - abuse it and you are gone in one tap.
— RGM analysis, 2026

SMS benchmarks, 2026 — see the full sourced set in the RGM Benchmarks compendium.

005
RGM lifecycle toolsSheet — 06 / 10

Model the revenue.

Use these. RGM ships free calculators for the lifecycle decisions behind SMS - holdout lift, flow ROI, list health, retention - no signup.
RGM ToolHoldout Lift Calculator

Prove SMS's incremental revenue.

 RGM ToolLifecycle Revenue Model

Project flow revenue over time.

 RGM ToolWelcome Flow ROI

Model the payback of a welcome text.

 RGM ToolList Health Planner

Plan sunsetting to protect the list.

 RGM ToolAOV Calculator

Order value by segment.

 RGM ToolLTV Calculator

Lifetime value of a subscriber.

 RGM ToolChurn Rate

Quantify list and revenue churn.

 RGM ToolCustomer Lifetime

How long subscribers stay.

 RGM ToolROAS Calculator

Return on SMS spend.

 RGM ToolCAC Calculator

Cost to acquire a subscriber.

 RGM ToolMER Calculator

Blended efficiency with SMS.

 RGM ToolDeliverability Scorecard

Coordinate SMS with email health.

Browse every calculator on the RGM tools floor, or start with the benchmarks compendium.

006
MethodSheet — 07 / 10

How to build an SMS program.

Five steps. A compliant, well-run SMS program is your highest-attention channel. Here is the sequence from consent to cadence.
  1. Get compliant consent. Collect express written opt-in that meets TCPA rules before you send a single message.
  2. Grow the list. Use text-to-join keywords, on-site pop-ups and checkout to grow subscribers who actually want texts.
  3. Segment by behavior and value. Group subscribers with segmentation so every text is relevant, not a blast.
  4. Build the core flows. Ship welcome, abandoned-cart and VIP flows - they earn most of the revenue.
  5. Set cadence and test. Respect quiet hours, hold a sensible send frequency, and test offers and copy.
007
Go deeperSheet — 08 / 10

The deep guides.

Beyond the basics. Each method has a full deep dive - from cart flows to TCPA compliance and conversational commerce. The full stack holds 28 pages, including fourteen industry playbooks.
Deep guideUltimate Guide

The complete SMS playbook.

 Deep guideTCPA Compliance

Stay legal, stay sending.

 Deep guideAbandoned Cart Flow

The top revenue text.

 Deep guideSegmentation

Right text, right person.

 Deep guideConversational Commerce

Two-way texts that sell.

 Deep guideSMS vs Email

Choose the channel for the job.

Working a vertical? The stack has SMS playbooks for DTC, retail, automotive, SaaS, healthcare and more. Search the playbook library →

008
The voices — top 12Sheet — 09 / 10

The voices — top 12.

Follow these. The people who shaped consent-based, lifecycle and owned-audience marketing - the thinking behind good SMS. Each links to a profile.
01Gary VaynerchukAttention & owned audiences 02Seth GodinPermission marketing - the consent doctrine 03Chad WhiteLitmus; lifecycle messaging research 04Byron SharpReach & light buyers 05Sean EllisLifecycle & retention 06Lenny RachitskyLifecycle & growth 07Neil PatelMessaging & content at scale 08Peep LajaTesting & conversion copy 09Brian BalfourRetention loops 10April DunfordPositioning that sharpens the message 11Rand FishkinOwned channels over rented reach 12Mark RitsonMessage & effectiveness

Browse all marketing thought leaders →

009
FAQSheet — 10 / 10

SMS questions.

Is SMS marketing legal?

Yes, when you follow the rules. The TCPA requires express written consent before you send marketing texts, and you must honor opt-outs and quiet hours - generally no texts before 8am or after 9pm in the recipient's time zone.

What is TCPA?

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act governs marketing calls and texts in the US. It requires prior express written consent for marketing SMS and carries statutory penalties of 500 to 1,500 dollars per unsolicited message. Read the compliance guide.

What is a good SMS click rate?

Around 10.7% on average per Klaviyo - far higher than email. SMS is short, immediate and read within minutes, so a single clear offer and link converts well when the list is opted-in and well segmented.

Should I use SMS or email?

Both, for different jobs. SMS wins for urgent, time-sensitive and high-intent moments like cart recovery. Email carries depth and lower-cost volume. See the full comparison.

How often should I text subscribers?

Most programs land around four to eight messages a month. Watch your opt-out rate as the real ceiling - if unsubscribes climb, you are texting too much or your offers are too weak. See cadence design.

What is the difference between MMS and SMS?

SMS is plain text up to 160 characters. MMS adds images or video and longer copy at a higher cost. MMS suits launches and visual promotions; SMS suits fast, transactional sends.

Sources & provenance

  1. SMS benchmarks (click rate, response rate, cart abandonment) are drawn from the RGM 2026 Benchmarks compendium, sourced to Klaviyo, Gartner and Baymard. TCPA penalties reference 47 U.S.C. §227.
  2. Read-rate and cadence figures are RGM analysis aggregating carrier and platform data; treat them as directional, not vendor-guaranteed.
  3. Family groupings and the periodic-table layout are RGM's synthesis; every tile links to its full guide. Stack census — RGM analysis, June 2026, from the deployed tree.