Simple Messaging List Manager Help

📤 Sending a Message

Step by Step

1. Go to Simple Messaging → Send Message
2. Select the list you want to send to from the dropdown
3. Enter a Subject (for emails only – texts don’t have subjects)
4. Write your Message
5. Click “Send Message” and confirm

Watch the progress bar as messages are delivered. When complete, you’ll see a summary.

Send a Test First

Click “Send Test” to send the message to yourself before sending to everyone. This lets you catch typos and see how it looks.

Excluding Someone

Need to skip certain people (like planning a surprise)?

1. Check “Exclude specific subscribers from this message”
2. Search for and click the people to exclude
3. They’ll appear as tags – click X to remove

✅ Approving New Subscribers

When someone signs up online or via text-to-join, they may need approval before receiving messages.

How to Know There Are Pending Approvals

Look for the red number badge on the Simple Messaging menu – this shows how many people are waiting. You may also receive an email telling you there are pending approvals.

To Approve

1. Go to Simple Messaging → Dashboard
2. Click the “Review” link in the Pending Approval box. This will show a list of all pending approvals
3. Click “Approve” to activate the subscriber or Delete the entry if it looks like spam

➕ Adding Someone to a List

1. Go to Simple Messaging → Subscribers
2. Click “Add New”
3. Fill in their name, email, and/or phone number (either email or phone is required but both can be entered)
4. Choose their preference on how they want to receive communications (Email, SMS, or Both)
5. Make sure the status is set to “Active”
6. Select which lists to add them to
7. Click “Add Subscriber”

👥 Viewing Your Subscribers

Go to Simple Messaging → Subscribers to see everyone on your lists.

Use the filter fields at the top:

• Filter by status:
  • All statuses – Everyone
  • Active – Currently receiving messages
  • Pending – Waiting for approval
  • Unsubscribed – Opted out
• Filter by list

When done selecting filters, click the Filter button

Other Options

• Search by name, email, or phone using the search box in the upper right
• Click the “Export CSV” button to download a spreadsheet of the subscribers

✏️ Updating Someone’s Info

1. Go to Simple Messaging → Subscribers
2. Search for the person
3. Click their name

What You Can Change

• Name, email, or phone number
• Delivery preference (Email, SMS, or Both)
• Which lists they’re on
• Status (Active, Pending, Unsubscribed)

Click “Update Subscriber” when done or click Cancel to discard any changes.

📋 Viewing Message History

Go to Simple Messaging → Messages to see all sent messages.

Message Details

Click the Subject or the “View” link on any message to see the full message content

Delivery Log Details

Click the Send Log link on any message to see:

• Who it was sent to (Recipient name and email or phone number)
• What type of delivery (Email or SMS)
• Delivery status for each person
• Any error messages
• Time the message was sent (date is at the top of the page)

Resending a Message

Click “Resend” to open the compose page with that message pre-filled. Make changes if needed, then send.

Understanding Delivery Status

📱 Text-to-Join Setup

Each list can have a keyword that people text to join. For example, if Youth Group has keyword “YOUTH”, people text “YOUTH” to your church number to subscribe.

Setting Up a Keyword

1. Go to Simple Messaging → Lists
2. Click the list name to edit it
3. Enter a keyword (letters and numbers only, like YOUTH or PRAYER) in the Text-to-Join Keyword field
4. Optionally set a custom welcome message in the Join Message field
5. Click Update List to save

QR Codes

After saving a keyword, you’ll see a QR code on the list edit page. People can scan this to automatically open their texting app with the keyword ready to send.

Click “Download QR Code” to save it for posters, bulletins, or slides.

Custom Welcome Messages

Use the {name} placeholder to personalize messages:

“Welcome {name}! You’re now signed up for Youth Group updates.”

❓ Troubleshooting