Promotional message template specifications-Short Message Service(SMS)-阿里云帮助中心

Promotional messages are commonly used to send commercial or marketing information to users, such as sales promotions, business offers, new product announcements, and member engagement campaigns. When you apply for a promotional message template, you must follow the corresponding content and variable specifications.

Important

If the content you send involves illegal activities or regulatory violations that result in regulatory investigations, user complaints, or negative public opinion, Alibaba Cloud Communications has the right to abort or stop providing services to you, take measures such as permanent account suspension, and deduct funds from your order or account as liquidated damages, in accordance with Article 5 of the Service agreement. If these funds are insufficient to cover the loss incurred by Alibaba Cloud, Alibaba Cloud has the right to seek further compensation from you. Please strictly adhere to all applicable regulations, strengthen your own business security, and send text messages responsibly.

Quick navigation: Template specifications | Variable specifications | Link specifications | Material specifications | Examples

Template specifications

When you write content for a promotional message template, follow these guidelines:

Category	Description
Content guidelines	The template must clearly describe the message content and its real-world sending scenario. Do not send content related to the following: Promotional messages do not support content related to finance, gaming, or social networking. The following types of contact information are not supported: non-enterprise official accounts, QQ numbers, QQ groups, WeChat groups, Douyin accounts, group invitations, or mobile phone numbers. When sending marketing content to members, follow these guidelines: Include a member-specific salutation in the template to confirm membership or target a specific audience. You must not send marketing content to non-members. Unsolicited messages are not allowed. For example, you cannot send commercial messages that invite users to register or become members. You also cannot send marketing content where membership is unconfirmed, such as grand opening announcements, business introductions, or company profiles. Member holiday greetings, birthday wishes, and promotional event notifications must be submitted as promotional messages. If the template content involves third-party rights, select the corresponding third-party credentials and signature when you apply.
Format guidelines	The template content must be between 1 and 500 characters long, including variables. Rules for calculating text message length The SMS signature is placed in `【】` before the template content. To avoid confusion, do not use `【】` anywhere in the template content. Do not use `[ ]` at the beginning or end of the template content. The template supports simplified Chinese characters, English letters, numbers, and standard symbols. Traditional Chinese characters and special symbols, such as `體# 『』〖〗 m² • ①★※→`, are not supported. Do not use typos, character variants, non-standard characters, obfuscating symbols, or unconventional expressions, such as using homophones to bypass filters.
Unsubscription method	Promotional message templates must include an unsubscription method at the end. According to the latest regulations from the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology (MIIT), only adding `To unsubscribe, reply R` at the end of the message is supported. Other unsubscription methods are not supported. Note If you do not add an unsubscription method in the template, the Short Message Service will automatically add `To unsubscribe, reply R`. If you have already added `To unsubscribe, reply R`, the Short Message Service will not automatically add `To unsubscribe, reply R`. If you use any other unsubscription method, your template submission will fail or be rejected during review. When a recipient replies with `R` to unsubscribe, the action is tied to the message signature. The recipient will no longer receive promotional messages sent with that signature.
Restricted business for template applications	Content that is illegal or infringes on the rights of others is prohibited. Sending messages related to the following topics is prohibited: pornography, gambling, drugs, politics and government, lotteries, sports betting, violence, threats, smuggling, card games, adult products, selling personal information, prohibited items, debt collection, score guessing, crowdfunding, charitable donations, religion, superstition (such as fortune-telling or feng shui), stocks, private equity, crude oil futures, virtual currencies, creating official seals, counterfeit goods, tobacco and alcohol, issuing invoices, agent registration services, document handling services, annual inspection services, bookkeeping services, invitations to join groups (such as on QQ or WeChat), adding customer service contacts, requests to confirm receipt of goods, carrier-related business (such as value-added services, carrier business halls, China Mobile, China Unicom, China Telecom, radio and television services, "Big King" SIM cards, and bulk SMS), thesis writing services, click farming, completing tasks for rewards, empty package websites, digital collectibles, device rentals, legal rights protection, mediation, trademark registration, studying abroad, immigration, loans, debt collection reminders, credit card limit increases, investment and wealth management, prize notifications, lucky draws, "one-dollar snatch" promotions, "one-dollar flash sales", "one-dollar cloud purchases", second-class e-commerce, Taobao commands, "zero-dollar purchases", plastic surgery, medical aesthetics, fur products, cash rebates, funeral services, soliciting positive reviews, redeeming or receiving points, vocational training, surveys, decoration (including building materials and furniture), POS machines, in-home massage services, part-time jobs, app download or promotion links, game promotions, dating service promotions, financial promotions (including bank, insurance, lending, and installment plan promotions), exhibition promotions, recruitment promotions, enrollment promotions, data ranking, customer acquisition, SEO keyword optimization, agent-based promotions (for intellectual property, patents, software copyrights, etc.), real estate promotions, invitations to register, bidding promotions, franchise promotions, user acquisition, and user re-engagement campaigns.

Note

Message template specifications are subject to change based on MIIT and carrier requirements. All templates are subject to the final review decision.

Template content examples

Enter the exact message content you want to send. Use the format ${variable_name} as a placeholder for variables. You can define custom variable names, but they should reflect the nature of the variable.

Templates are subject to review and cannot consist entirely of variables. They must include fixed text.

Use case	Example
Promotional event notification	Tonight at `${time}`, the first `${num}` items are $`${money1}` off! Get a coupon for an additional $`${money3}` off on orders over $`${money2}`! Get your coupon in the Member Center. Reply R to unsubscribe The Alibaba Cloud Double 11 event is here! Visit www.aliyun.com for details. Reply R to unsubscribe
Member engagement	Dear `${name}`, today is your birthday. We wish you a happy birthday and a wonderful year ahead! Thank you for your support and trust. We will continue to provide you with high-quality service. Have a great day and a successful week! Reply R to unsubscribe
Member marketing	Dear member, celebrate the New Year with a great discount! All members who make a purchase during the holiday will receive a free gift. We look forward to seeing you in-store! Reply R to unsubscribe
New product announcement	Dear customer, you have discovered an amazing new product! Add it to your cart now to enjoy exclusive benefits. For more details, click the link: http://www.aliyun.com/`${link_param}`. If you have any questions, feel free to contact customer service. Reply R to unsubscribe

You can also use the Generate Template button in the console to create template content, or click View More Sample Templates. Using these templates directly increases the likelihood of approval.

Variable specifications

A single variable can be 1–35 characters long. The length limit varies by variable attribute.
If a variable exceeds its length limit, the message will fail to send.
Each variable can appear only once in a template.
Incorrect example: Your child ${name} has arrived at the ${name} location!
Correct example: Your queue number is ${num1}. There are ${num2} people ahead of you. Please wait to be called.
Concatenated or adjacent variables are not supported. They must be separated by descriptive text.
Incorrect example: ${code}${name}, ${time}, ${place}.
Correct example: Hello, please use pickup code ${code} to collect your item at ${address}. If you have any questions, please call ${phone}.
Full-variable templates are not supported. Descriptive text must be included to clarify the template's purpose.
Variables cannot contain URLs, IP addresses, official accounts, mini programs, apps, QR codes, QQ numbers, WeChat IDs, or mobile phone numbers. This information must be placed outside the variable.

Variable attribute specifications

Different variable attributes have different specifications for length, supported characters, and more. Select the appropriate variable based on the following table. If a variable does not conform to these specifications, the template will be rejected.

Variable attribute	Variable name	Variable specification
User nickname	Custom. We recommend using account names from your live websites or apps. Example: ${user_nick}	Maximum length of 20 characters. Only English letters, numbers, and simplified Chinese are supported. Supports common half-width English characters, such as `()@#!$%^&*-_=+{}[];:<'>,./?"`. All full-width Chinese characters and spaces are not supported. If a parameter value contains a space, the API returns the error code `isv.TEMPLATE_PARAMS_ILLEGAL` (the variable content does not match the variable attribute type), the call fails, and no SMS sending record is generated. Parameter validation is performed before the SMS is sent. Special characters and emoji are not supported. QQ numbers and WeChat IDs are not supported.
Personal name	Custom. We recommend using the individual's registered name. Example: ${name}	Limited to 2 to 5 simplified Chinese characters.
Quantity/amount	Custom. We recommend using a meaningful variable name. Example: ${money}	Supports a combination of numbers and a decimal point. Do not include currency symbols (such as ¥ or $) or units (such as yuan or dollar). Do not include units of quantity, such as items or minutes.
Date/time	Custom. We recommend setting the name based on the time type. Examples: ${time}, ${date}, ${day}, ${year}, ${month}	Must use a standard Gregorian calendar date/time format. Special characters, such as underscores, are not supported. Date examples: YYYYMMDD, YYYY-MM-DD, YYYY/MM/DD, YYYYyearMMmonthDDday Time examples: hh:mm:ss, hh:mm, hhhourmmminute, hhhourmm Period of day examples: morning, afternoon, evening A date and time combination, such as YYYYMMDDhh:mm:ss Note Passing parameters in JSON array format is not supported.
Link parameter	A variable at the end of a URL that points to a specific webpage. You must follow the Link specifications.	A template can contain a maximum of one URL. Variables cannot contain IP addresses or URLs. The variable can be up to 8 characters long, must start with a letter, and can contain letters and numbers. Only combinations of a domain name or official website URL and a variable are supported. Correct example: aliyun.com/${code} URLs consisting entirely of variables are not supported. QQ numbers and WeChat IDs are not supported. URLs that link to documents are not supported.

Promotional message templates do not support the "Other" variable attribute. If you need "Other" type variables, such as a company name, product name, or address, apply for a notification message template instead. Notification message templates support the "Other" variable attribute, which you can configure for custom content such as a company, product, or address.

Link specifications

A template can contain a maximum of one link. The link is reviewed to ensure its content is legal, compliant, and relevant to the message content. Links to non-compliant content will be rejected.

Link variable specifications: The link you provide must be accessible for our review.

Long link	✅ Supported, cannot redirect	`aliyun.com`, `alibabacloud.com`
Long link + variable	✅ Supported, cannot redirect	`aliyun.com/${code}`
Short link + variable	❌ Not supported, cannot be reviewed	`tb.cn/${code}`, `wxaurl.cn/${link_param}`
Short link	✅ Supported, with a maximum of one redirect	`tb.cn`, `tb.cn/example`
Variable only	❌ Not supported, cannot be reviewed	`${code}`

Link content specifications: The content of the destination webpage must comply with regulations.
- The website link must have an ICP filing and be publicly accessible.
- The website content must be consistent with the template content and must not contain any illegal or non-compliant information.

Material specifications

Before applying for a promotional message template, you must obtain consent from your members to receive marketing communications. This helps prevent complaints about unsolicited messages. You are required to upload a screenshot of your privacy policy and a screenshot of your membership management system in the User Authorization Materials section.

Category	Description	Upload example
Screenshot of privacy policy	A screenshot of the privacy agreement between your application or website and your members. It must include clauses related to customer notifications and the unsubscription method for promotional messages.
Screenshot of membership management system	Upload a screenshot of your membership management system to verify that you are sending promotional messages only to your members.	-

Submit for review

Log on to the Template Management page in the console to request an SMS template.

Review time: After you submit an SMS template, the review is typically completed within 2 hours. For requests that involve government agencies or enterprises, you must provide a landline number for verification. Alibaba Cloud completes the review for these requests within two business days. If your template is not reviewed after several business days, check whether the landline number you provided is correct.

Review hours: 9:00 to 21:00, Monday to Sunday. Reviews are postponed during public holidays.