SMS marketing for events in the UK: rules, timing and costs
In this guide
SMS marketing for events in the UK is legal when each person has either consented to marketing texts from you or bought from you under the soft opt-in, and every message identifies you and offers a simple way to opt out. Texts get read quickly, which makes them ideal for on-sale moments, final tickets and day-of updates, but they cost money per message, so use them sparingly and keep each one to a single segment.
This guide covers the rules under PECR, when to send, how character limits affect cost, and templates you can adapt.
Key takeaways
- Marketing texts to individuals need consent or the soft opt-in under PECR. Service texts to ticket holders, like a change of door time, aren't marketing as long as they contain no promotion.
- Every marketing text must say who it's from and give an easy, free way to opt out, such as "Reply STOP" or a link.
- A standard text is 160 characters. One emoji switches the whole message to a format that allows 70, which can double or triple the cost.
- Save texts for the moments that sell: presale or on-sale opening, final tickets, and day-of information.
- Exclude people who've already bought from every sales text.
What the law says about marketing texts
PECR covers texts as well as emails
The Privacy and Electronic Communications Regulations (PECR) treat texts the same way as emails: both are "electronic mail". If you send a marketing text to an individual, including sole traders and some partnerships, you need one of two things:
- Consent: the person actively agreed to receive marketing texts from you. A pre-ticked box doesn't count, and the consent should be specific to you. The ICO recommends asking for consent per channel, so a fan who ticked "email me" hasn't automatically agreed to texts.
- The soft opt-in: you got their number when they bought from you (or were negotiating to buy), you gave them a simple chance to refuse marketing at that point, you give them a way to opt out in every message, and you only text about your own similar products or services.
For promoters, the soft opt-in typically covers people who bought a ticket from you directly, about your future events. It doesn't cover numbers collected by someone else, numbers taken for a free guestlist with no sale involved, or numbers you found elsewhere. If in doubt, ask for consent.
Identification and opt-out
Every marketing text must make clear who sent it and give a valid way to opt out. "Reply STOP to opt out" is the norm when people can reply. If you send from a name rather than a number (an alphanumeric sender ID), people can't reply, so include an opt-out link or a number they can text instead. See our guide to sending texts from your own name for the details.
Opt-outs must be acted on promptly, and the person must never be re-added from a later import. Our guide to handling unsubscribes and STOP replies covers how to do that properly.
Service messages aren't marketing
A text that's purely about a ticket someone already holds is a service message, not marketing. "Doors now 8pm, not 7pm" or "Bring photo ID, it's 18+" can go to ticket holders whether or not they opted in to marketing. Add "and grab a ticket for our next show" and it becomes a marketing message, so the rules above apply.
UK GDPR still applies
Phone numbers are personal data. You need a privacy notice explaining how you use them, you need to keep them secure, and you shouldn't keep them forever. The ICO can fine organisations for unsolicited marketing texts, and it regularly does.
This is general guidance, not legal advice. Our guide to consent for marketing texts and emails goes into more depth.
When to send event texts
In the campaign
Texts work best at the moments when acting fast matters. A sensible pattern for one show:
| Moment | Text? | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Announcement | Usually no | Email and social do this well. Save your texts. |
| Presale opens | Yes, to registrants | People asked for it, and timing matters |
| General on-sale | Optional | Worth it for in-demand shows |
| Final tickets | Yes, to engaged non-buyers | Short, urgent, and people act on it |
| Day before or day of | Yes, to ticket holders | Times, entry and anything that's changed |
| Day after | Rarely | Email is better for photos and next dates |
As a rough guide, most fans shouldn't get more than two or three marketing texts about one show. If you're also emailing them, the text should add urgency, not repeat the email.
Time of day
PECR doesn't set hours for marketing texts, but common sense does. Avoid early mornings and late evenings: as a rough guide, keep marketing texts between about 9am and 8pm. Presale and on-sale texts work best a few minutes before the link goes live, so people are ready. Day-of logistics texts can go out in the afternoon before doors.
Don't text people after a show to say "thanks for coming" at 2am. Send it the next day, by email.
Character limits and segments
A text message is billed by segment, not by message. How many characters fit in a segment depends on the characters you use:
| Encoding | Single text | Each part of a longer text |
|---|---|---|
| GSM-7 (standard letters, numbers, basic punctuation) | 160 characters | 153 characters |
| Unicode (anything with an emoji or certain special characters) | 70 characters | 67 characters |
What this means in practice:
- One emoji turns the whole message into Unicode. A 150-character text with a single emoji goes from one segment to three.
- Curly quotes and apostrophes pasted from a word processor can also trigger Unicode. Type straight quotes.
- The £ sign is fine in standard encoding. A few characters, like the euro sign and square or curly brackets, count as two characters.
- Links eat characters. Use a short tracked link.
Aim for one segment: 160 standard characters including your name and opt-out.
What texts cost
Texts are paid per message, so cost scales with list size. Most providers charge per segment, which is why the encoding above matters so much. A 2,000-person send that fits in one segment costs a third of the same message split into three.
Ways to keep costs down:
- Exclude people who've already bought. They're your most likely recipients to complain anyway.
- Segment by city or genre. Text only the people the show is relevant to.
- Text your most engaged fans, such as people who registered for the presale or have attended before, not your whole list.
- Write in one segment and test it before sending.
In Backline, texts run on prepaid credits (1,000 text credits for £60), so you can see what a send will use before it goes out. Check how many credits a longer or emoji-heavy message uses with whichever provider you choose.
Templates you can adapt
Each of these fits in one standard segment with a short link. Replace the bracketed parts.
Presale opening:
[Promoter]: Presale for [Artist] at [Venue] opens in 10 mins. Your code: [CODE]. Tickets: [link] Reply STOP to opt out
Final tickets:
[Promoter]: Last 50 tickets for [Night] this Saturday. Once they're gone, that's it: [link] Reply STOP to opt out
Day-of information (service message for ticket holders):
[Promoter]: Tonight at [Venue]. Doors 10pm, last entry 1am, photo ID needed. Your ticket is in your email. See you there.
Line-up news:
[Promoter]: [Artist] just added to [Event] on [date]. Tickets from £[price]: [link] Reply STOP to opt out
Only state that tickets are running low if they are. False scarcity can breach consumer protection law, and fans notice when "last tickets" lasts three weeks.
A pre-send checklist
- Every recipient has consented to texts from you or is covered by the soft opt-in.
- People who opted out are excluded.
- People who already bought are excluded (for sales texts).
- Your name is in the message or the sender ID.
- There's a working opt-out.
- The message fits in one segment, with no stray emoji or curly quotes.
- The link works on a phone and goes straight to the ticket page.
- The send time is sensible.
If sales are slow and you're deciding whether a text will help, our list of things to do in the final fortnight puts texting in context with the other options.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need consent to send marketing texts in the UK?
Yes, unless the soft opt-in applies. Under PECR you need either the person's specific consent to marketing texts from you, or their number must have come from a previous sale where they were given a chance to opt out, and you're only promoting your own similar events. Every text must identify you and give a free, simple way to opt out.
Can I text ticket buyers about changes to the event?
Yes. A purely informational message about an event someone has a ticket for, such as a change of door time or venue, is a service message rather than marketing. It becomes marketing if you add promotional content, such as a link to another event.
How long can an event text message be?
A single text holds 160 standard characters. Longer messages are split into parts of 153 characters each and usually charged per part. If the message includes an emoji or certain special characters, the limit drops to 70 characters, or 67 per part.
What time should I send marketing texts?
There's no legal time window in PECR, but as a rough guide stick to roughly 9am to 8pm. For presales and on-sales, send a few minutes before the link goes live. For day-of information, send in the afternoon before doors.
Does "Reply STOP" work if I send from a name?
No. If you send from an alphanumeric sender ID, the recipient can't reply. Give them another way to opt out, such as a short link to an unsubscribe page or a number they can text, and act on those requests promptly.