Meal prep operators know the power of SMS marketing—but how can you squeeze more value from every message you send?
In this week’s live session, we analyzed over 32 million SMS messages sent through Bottle to uncover actionable insights that can help optimize your campaigns. While SMS is already a proven tool for driving sales, the data reveals opportunities to refine your strategy, boost engagement, and increase revenue.
This is Part 1 of a series where we’ll explore the data behind SMS marketing. Today, we’ll focus on high-impact strategies, best-performing message structures, and optimizing frequency and timing to maximize ROI.
Our analysis shows that while most SMS campaigns are sent during the week, the best opportunities might be found on weekends:
Despite this, weekend SMS campaigns remain underutilized. Merchants who experiment with weekend messaging—such as follow-up reminders or exclusive promotions—stand to unlock significant growth opportunities.
Takeaway: Add or shift SMS campaigns to Saturday for testing, particularly follow-ups or special offers. If your current cadence skips weekends, you might be missing out.
The first SMS in your weekly drop campaign is your strongest opportunity to drive customer action, especially for subscribers. Our analysis revealed a winning framework used by the highest-performing campaign, which generated $48 in sales per SMS—compared to the average of $3 per SMS on Bottle.
Proven Framework for the First SMS:
The Top-Performing SMS:
"Check out our new [meal] and [dessert] on next week’s [company name] menu - now live! You can customize your selections by clicking the link below. You are currently set to receive meals next week. If you’d like to skip, just click the link below and select skip.”
254 chars | ~$48 generated / SMS
Another Top Example:
"Dinner is served! Sending you some extra love with our new [meal] and for your sweetie’s sweet tooth... [dessert]. Grateful to be cozied up at home with you any day!"
281 chars | ~$45 generated / SMS
This campaign stood out for its balance of warmth, clarity, and actionability. Personal touches—like referencing specific meals—made the messages feel relevant and engaging.
Takeaway: Use this framework for your first weekly SMS. Craft clear, compelling messages that highlight new offerings and make it easy for customers to act.
Bottle merchants currently send an average of 1.6 messages per week, but data shows revenue growth only plateaus after the third message per week.
Takeaway: Experiment with increasing your weekly SMS frequency from 2 to 3 messages every other week, staggering them strategically across the week.
The ideal length for an SMS campaign is 250-300 characters, generating nearly 5x more sales than shorter or longer messages.
Takeaway: Review your SMS templates to ensure they fall within the optimal range. Pair the right length with a proven framework for best results.
Here’s how to implement these insights:
In the next session, we’ll explore:
Stay tuned, and keep growing your business with data-backed strategies!
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Got Questions?
We’d love to help. Schedule a call with our team to review your SMS performance and uncover new growth opportunities. You can email me at johnny@bottle.com.
See you next week!
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