What is promotional SMS?

Promotional SMS is a text message sent by a business to an opted-in subscriber with the purpose of marketing a product, service, offer, or event. It is sent at the marketer's initiative — not triggered by a customer action — and is designed to drive engagement, sales, or brand awareness. In India, promotional SMS must be sent between 9 AM and 9 PM, cannot reach DND-registered numbers, and must use TRAI DLT-approved templates.

What is the difference between promotional and transactional SMS?

Promotional SMS is sent for marketing purposes at the business's discretion (flash sales, discount codes, loyalty rewards). Transactional SMS is triggered by a customer action and delivers operational information (OTPs, order confirmations, delivery updates). In India, transactional SMS can reach DND numbers while promotional SMS cannot. As of May 2025, TRAI mandates different header suffixes: -P for promotional, -T for transactional.

Is promotional SMS allowed to DND numbers in India?

No. Under TRAI regulations, promotional SMS cannot be delivered to mobile numbers registered on the DND (Do Not Disturb) list. The DLT platform automatically scrubs your recipient list against the DND registry before delivery. Numbers that are fully DND-registered will not receive your promotional message regardless of any prior consent you may have on file.

What is DLT registration and do I need it for promotional SMS in India?

DLT (Distributed Ledger Technology) is the regulatory platform mandated by TRAI for all commercial SMS in India. Any business sending promotional, transactional, or service SMS must register as a Principal Entity on the DLT portal, register their Sender IDs (headers), and pre-approve all message templates. Non-registered messages are blocked before delivery. Since October 2024, all URLs in messages must also be pre-whitelisted on DLT.

What are the TRAI header suffix rules for 2025?

As of May 6, 2025, TRAI mandated that all A2P SMS headers in India must include a message-type suffix: -P for Promotional, -T for Transactional, -S for Service, and -G for Government messages. The suffix is appended automatically by telecom operators during DLT scrubbing — businesses do not need to configure this manually. Its purpose is to help recipients immediately identify the nature of messages they receive, reducing spam complaints and improving transparency.

How many promotional SMS can I send per month?

There is no regulatory cap on the number of promotional SMS you can send per month in India, provided all messages comply with TRAI DLT rules and are sent within permitted hours (9 AM–9 PM). However, from a marketing best practices standpoint, most experts recommend 4–8 promotional messages per month per subscriber. Exceeding this threshold consistently leads to elevated opt-out rates, lower engagement, and potential damage to your sender reputation.

What should every promotional SMS include?

A compliant and high-converting promotional SMS should include: (1) your brand identification via sender ID or opening line, (2) personalisation — at minimum the recipient's first name, (3) a specific and clear offer, (4) a single call to action with a whitelisted link, and (5) an opt-out instruction ('Reply STOP to unsubscribe'). In India, it must also be sent from a DLT-registered sender ID using an approved message template.

What is the best time to send promotional SMS in India?

TRAI mandates that promotional SMS can only be sent between 9 AM and 9 PM. Within that window, the highest-performing times are typically 10 AM–12 PM, 12 PM–2 PM (lunch hour), and 5 PM–7 PM (post-work hours). Saturday mornings (10 AM–12 PM) tend to perform well for retail and lifestyle brands. Avoid Monday mornings and Friday evenings, when engagement tends to be lowest. Always consider your audience's time zone when scheduling campaigns.

How does Helo.ai help with promotional SMS campaigns?

Helo.ai is a TRAI-registered cloud communication platform with 25+ years of enterprise messaging experience. Its Broadcast tool enables AI-powered, personalised promotional SMS campaigns across SMS, WhatsApp, RCS, and Email from a single dashboard. Built-in DLT compliance handles DND scrubbing, template validation, and the new 2025 header suffix requirements automatically. The Shortify tool generates DLT-whitelisted branded links for every campaign. Real-time analytics track delivery, click-through, and conversion performance after every send.

Promotional SMS Guide 2026: Types, Examples & TRAI Rules

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Promotional SMS Guide 2026: Types, Examples & TRAI Rules