How to Create RCS Snippets and Send RCS Messages

Modified on: Tue, 28 Apr, 2026 at 10:06 AM

What's covered

A step-by-step walkthrough , from building your first template to sending it to your contacts.

Before You Begin

This guide assumes RCS is already enabled on your account and your Sender ID has been approved. If you haven't completed setup yet, start with the overview article — RCS in HighLevel — which walks through the full setup process.

Once you're live, there are two things you need to do: create an RCS Snippet (your message template), and then send it to your contacts via Bulk Actions. This guide covers both, in that order.

Why Snippets first? RCS Snippets are the templates that power your campaigns. You build them once, then reuse them across as many sends as you need. You can't send a rich RCS campaign without one — so creating your Snippet is always the first step.

Part 1: Creating an RCS Snippet

Snippets live inside Conversations. To get there, go to the Conversations page and select Snippets from the left panel. Then click Add RCS Snippet to open the template builder.

You'll see three template formats. Each one is suited to a different type of message — choosing the right format before you start saves time and makes the rest of the process straightforward.

The Three Snippet Formats

Plain Text

Plain Text is exactly what it sounds like , a simple text message with no images, no media, and no action buttons. As you type, a live preview shows you exactly how the message will appear on the recipient's device.

Use this format when the words alone do the job — confirmations, reminders, short updates. It's the lightest format and the one closest to a standard SMS in feel, but it still benefits from RCS branding (your business name in the inbox instead of a number).

When to choose Plain Text If your message doesn't need a button or an image to be effective, Plain Text is the right call. Simpler templates also have a lower chance of triggering fallback issues on edge-case devices.

Standalone Card

A Standalone Card is a single rich message — one card with a title, a description, an image or media file, and up to three action buttons. This is the format to reach for when you want the experience to feel premium: a promotional offer, a service announcement, an appointment reminder with a “Book Now” button.

Action buttons can be set to call a phone number, open a URL, or insert a suggested reply. You can add up to three buttons per card, and you can use emoji and custom tags inside the title and description fields.

A fallback SMS message is required for every Standalone Card. This is the plain text version of your message that gets delivered to contacts who can't receive RCS. The platform enforces this — you won't be able to save the template without it.

Write the fallback first Before designing the card, write your fallback SMS. If the plain text version doesn't communicate the core message clearly on its own, the card isn't ready either. Strong fallback copy makes the whole template stronger.

Carousel

A Carousel lets you build multiple rich cards that appear in a swipeable row inside the message — a minimum of 2 cards and a maximum of 10. Each card has its own title, description, media, and up to two action buttons.

Use a Carousel when you're presenting a set of options or items side by side — a product line, multiple service packages, a set of team members, different property listings. It gives the recipient context and comparison in a single message without requiring them to tap out to a website first.

Like the Standalone Card, a Carousel requires a fallback SMS message. Contacts who can't receive RCS will get the fallback text instead of the swipeable cards.

Carousel limits Minimum 2 cards, maximum 10. Each card supports up to 2 action buttons (one fewer than a Standalone Card). Keep card titles and descriptions concise — they need to read clearly on a phone screen.

Building a Snippet — Step by Step

The walkthrough below uses a Standalone Card as the example, but the process is the same structure for all three formats.

01	Go to Conversations → Snippets → Add RCS Snippet Select your template format from the three options. For a rich card with media and buttons, choose Standalone Card.

02	Name Your Template Give the template a clear, unique name — you'll be selecting it from a dropdown later when setting up your campaign. A descriptive name like “Spring Furniture Promo Card” is easier to find than something generic.

03	Fill In the Card Details Add your card title, description, and any promo codes or custom tags. You can use emoji in these fields. Keep the description focused — this is the copy the recipient reads first.

04	Upload Media Add an image or media file to the card. Use a high-quality image that represents the offer or message clearly — this is the visual anchor of the card.

05	Add Action Buttons Add up to three action buttons (two for Carousel cards). Set each button to call a number, open a URL, or insert a suggested reply. Save each action before moving to the next.

06	Write the Fallback SMS Type the plain text version of your message in the fallback field. This is what contacts receive if their device can't support RCS. It should communicate the same core information as the card — no buttons or images, just clear copy.

07	Create the Template Click Create Template to save. Your Snippet is now in your library and ready to use in a campaign.

✅ Your Snippet is ready Once saved, your template appears in the Snippets library. You can reuse it across as many campaigns as you need — no rebuilding required.

Part 2: Sending RCS Messages to Your Contacts

With your Snippet ready, the next step is sending it. RCS Snippets are sent via Bulk Actions — this is currently the only way to send rich RCS templates at scale. Here's the full process.

Selecting Your Contacts

Go to Contacts and open Smart Lists. Select the contacts you want to reach — you can select individual contacts or an entire Smart List. Once selected, click More → Send SMS & RCS to open the campaign configuration screen.

Configuring Your Campaign

The configuration screen has a few required fields — filling these correctly before you send saves having to troubleshoot later:

Field	What to Do
Action Name	Give your campaign a name you'll recognize on the Bulk Actions tracking page.
From (Sender ID)	Select your approved RCS Sender ID from the dropdown. Only registered, approved IDs appear here — if yours isn't showing, check with Support.
RCS Template	Select the Snippet you just created. Only saved Snippets appear in this list.
Send Mode	Choose Send All at Once, Send at Scheduled Time, or Send in Drip Mode depending on your campaign needs.
Consent Checkbox	Check this to confirm your contacts have opted in. This is required — the Send button won't activate without it.

Previewing and Sending

Before you send, review the template preview — this shows exactly how the message will appear to recipients who can receive RCS. Confirm the card title, description, buttons, and media all look correct.

When you're ready, click Send RCS. The campaign fires and you can track its progress on the Bulk Actions page by clicking on Check Progress.

Tracking your send Head to the Bulk Actions page after sending to monitor delivery progress. The page shows how many messages were sent, delivered, and whether any fell back to SMS.

Note- Bulk Actions is currently the only method for sending RCS snippets.

What the Message Looks Like After It's Sent

Once the campaign has gone out, you can view the conversation in the contact's thread under Conversations. The message appears with an RCS label and shows the Sender ID it was sent from so you can confirm it went out on the right profile.

Delivery status updates (Sent, Delivered, Opened) appear in the conversation view as the message moves through to the recipient. If the message fell back to SMS, the conversation will reflect the SMS delivery instead.

What “Opened” means An Opened status means the recipient viewed the message on a device that supports read receipts. Not all devices support this — and recipients can disable it. It's a positive signal when it appears, but not a metric to depend on across your full audience.

Sending RCS from Conversations (1:1 Messages)

If you want to send a single RCS message to one contact directly — without a Snippet or a campaign — you can do that from the Conversations page.

Open the contact's thread, compose your message, select your approved RCS Sender ID from the sender selector, and send. The message goes out as RCS if the contact's device supports it, and falls back to SMS automatically if not.

⚠️ Important limitation Snippets — the rich card templates — cannot be sent from the 1:1 Conversations UI. If you need to send a Standalone Card or Carousel to an individual contact, use Bulk Actions and select just that one contact.

You're Ready to Send

Creating an RCS Snippet takes a few minutes once you've got your content ready. Sending it to your contacts takes a few clicks. The experience your contacts receive — a branded, interactive card inside their native messaging app — is worth both.

Start with one Snippet. Send it to a small list. Check the conversation view to see how it lands. Then scale from there.

For questions about enabling RCS, setting up your Sender ID, or understanding pricing and compliance, see the companion article: RCS in HighLevel.