Send Personal Texts with UpVote’s Bulk SMS Tool
Choose your contacts, pick a template, and send individual messages through your phone’s texting app. UpVote prepares each message in sequence. You review it and tap Send.
Personal outreach, thoughtfully paced.
Bulk SMS helps you work through a small outreach list without retyping each message. Contact people who know you, include your name, and check each recipient before sending.
Before you begin: Keep outreach within 150 recipients per rolling 10 hours and 50 per hour. Send in small batches, with breaks for replies. See the pacing recommendations below →
Open Outreach and tap Bulk text
Tap Outreach in the bottom navigation. If you want to narrow your list first, use the funnel-shaped filter icon above your contacts and apply the filters available in your campaign.
Then tap Bulk text to open the Contact Your Supporters selection panel.
Filters help you focus
Choose a group for whom your message is relevant, using options such as support status or last contacted when available. Filtering does not establish that someone knows you. Review the actual people before selecting them.
Select and confirm your recipients
Use the circles beside individual contacts, or the selection controls at the top of the screen:
- Select the next 50 voters. Select a batch using the dedicated button, then review the selection.
- Check not voted: select contacts currently recorded as not voted in UpVote.
- Check all: select the list. Review the count and reduce it to your planned batch if needed.
- Uncheck all: clear the selection and start again.
The panel shows the selected contact count and the number of distinct and valid phone numbers. Check both, then tap Confirm Recipients.
A valid number is not a verified relationship
The count does not tell you whether the recipient knows you or recognizes your number. Select only people you can confidently identify, and do not contact anyone who has asked you to stop.
Choose your messaging platform
Review the contact count on the platform screen. For the iPhone texting flow shown here, select iMessage, then tap Continue.
The iPhone screen also offers WhatsApp. This guide covers your phone’s texting flow; WhatsApp is a separate option. On Android, choose the texting option shown in your app.
Select or create your template
Under Select Template, choose a message from Official Campaign Templates or Your Custom Templates. To write your own, tap Create a custom template.
- Include your name so the recipient can recognize you.
- Keep the message brief, relevant, and in your own voice.
- Check campaign details, dates, and links.
- If your template uses a name field, check the filled-in name when each message opens.
Select the template you want to use, then tap Continue. You can still edit an individual message in your phone’s texting window before sending.
Review Ready to Send
The Ready to Send page confirms how many contacts you are about to message. If the count is not right, use Back to review your choices.
When you are ready, tap Start Sending Messages. UpVote opens a prepared message in your phone’s texting app, then works through the selected recipients one at a time. Each message requires you to tap Send.
If an outreach reminder appears
Your campaign can customize warnings based on the number of messages sent within a 10-hour period. Use the reminder to review your pace and replies, or take a break.
The warning counts messages, while the recommendations count recipients. Its threshold does not replace the hourly recommendation or guarantee protection from restrictions.
Review each message, then send or skip
Before tapping Send, check the To: line and read the message. Make any edits needed for that person.
Tap Send for each message
After you send, the next prepared message appears in sequence. Review the recipient and text, then tap Send again to continue through your batch.
Return to UpVote after each send
Send the prepared message in your texting app, then switch back to UpVote so it can open the next one. Repeat for each recipient.
Use X to skip a recipient
If the To: line does not show the saved contact name you expect, or you are unsure who the number belongs to, close the message with X to skip that recipient rather than sending.
A name saved on your phone does not guarantee they have your number saved on theirs. Include your name and personal context even when you recognize the recipient.
Need a break? The UpVote Sending… screen includes Pause Sending, along with your progress and sent/skipped counts.
Check your results and handle replies
The Finished screen shows how many contacts were processed and separate totals for Sent and Skipped. A processed contact may have been skipped, so do not treat the processed count as the number sent.
Tap Back to return. Before starting another batch:
- Read and respond to incoming replies.
- Update support status, notes, or campaign questions based on what each person tells you.
- Respect wrong-number replies and requests not to be contacted again.
- Take a break and check your hourly and rolling 10-hour outreach totals.
Read the full peer-to-peer texting guidelines →
Common questions
Does UpVote send every message automatically?
No. UpVote prepares individual messages in sequence. You review each one and tap Send in your phone’s texting app.
Can I change a message for one person?
Yes. Edit the prepared text in your phone’s message window before tapping Send.
What if I do not recognize the number?
Skip it. If the To: line does not show the saved name you expect, or you cannot confidently identify the recipient, use X to close and skip the message.
Why do I need to switch apps on Android?
After sending each message in your texting app, return to UpVote so it can continue to the next prepared message. Repeat this for every recipient.
Can I send several batches one after another?
Pause between small batches to answer replies and log responses. Keep outreach within 150 recipients per rolling 10 hours and up to 50 recipients per hour. Spread your sending out rather than sending the full hourly allowance in one burst.
Does Finished mean every message was delivered?
No. Review the separate Sent and Skipped counts. The Finished screen shows that the selected list has been processed; it is not a guarantee that every message was delivered or read.
Simple sending. Thoughtful conversations.
Let UpVote prepare the messages while you focus on the people. Check each recipient, make the message personal, and leave time to listen and follow up.
Plan your sending pace
Use small batches and spread your outreach throughout the day. Take breaks to respond, record answers, and update voter information.
Recipients per 10 hours
Keep campaign outreach within 150 recipients in any rolling 10-hour period.
Recipients per hour
Reach up to 50 recipients in any 60-minute period, with breaks between small batches.
These are UpVote recommendations, not official Apple or carrier limits or a guarantee against messaging restrictions.
Rolling means the previous 10 hours at any point in time; the window does not reset at midnight. Read the full personal messaging best practices →