Create and send a message

Create and customize messages to send to recipients by phone, email, text, app, and social media.

Here are some tasks you'll learn to complete in this article: 

• Select different types of delivery methods or channels
• Pre-set your default delivery options can also be pre-set
• Send emergency messages
• Use advanced options for a deeper level of customization
• Use accessibility best practices in all of your communication, no matter what your method!

Message sending prerequisites: Before you send!

Create a message

Once you have confirmed that all of your pre-send prerequisites have been finalized, you are ready to create a message. Navigate to the Messages tab in left navigation, which opens by default to a message creation screen.

Step 1: Add Title

Add these details to create your message:

• Title: Once you add a title, it will autopopulate into the Subject field below. Don't worry, you can change the Subject later, if you'd like. 

Step 2: Select Recipients

The To field is where you will search for, select, and add recipients who will receive this message. There are multiple ways to add recipients to a message, including manual and file upload. To learn more and to select which options are best for you, check out the article, “Select recipients for a message.”

Step 3: Create Content

Once you have set up your Title and Recipients, you will create the content that will serve as a template to populate into any other channels you choose as delivery modes for this message.

• Subject: The Title autopopulates into this field. To modify the Subject, return to the Title field to edit.
• Type your Message text: Add the text of your message into the rectangle below the Subject field.

Step 4: Choose your delivery methods

Once you have entered the default Content, click on each of the delivery methods or channels that you’d also like to send this message to.

Jump to email | Jump to SMS | Jump to voice | Jump to social media

Send message to email

To send your message to email, click the Email icon where you can then customize your message for email.

Expand editor: Click << More to expand down the editing toolbar for the email text.

Edit your message in full screen: Want more space? Click the four arrows to expand your editing window into full screen.

Add text: Update the text, using the formatting options in the editing toolbar.

Add images: Click the Image icon to add any images.

• Lead the cursor to the place where you’d like to add an image.
• Upload an image directly.

• Add name, alt text, adjust width, height, or Discard if you change your mind.

  Important Note

  Alternative text (alt text) is required to meet accessibility compliance standards. Learn more in the article, “Best Practice: Writing alt text for images.” Image cannot be uploaded without alt text. Once alt text is added, the Insert button appears.

• Resize your image manually.
• Preview (the eyeball) to see how the message will display to recipients.

Other options: Click <<More to see the full editing toolbar expanded out. 

• Enabled: Change your mind? Toggle off Enabled so that this message will no longer be sent via Email channel.
• Sync with Content: Want to revert back to the Content in the first window? This will wipe out your changes. Did you click this by accident? No worries! Click the Undo arrow to show your changes again!

Attach file to email

Click the Attach file button so that you can attach files to an email message. 

To learn about the types of files you can attach, check out the article, "Allowed file attachment formats in Messages XR Enterprise."

Send message to mobile app

For districts and schools with a mobile app, add content that can be sent via mobile app notification to your mobile app users. Click the Mobile app icon to customize your send.

• Update the text.
• Add any images.
• Recipients only: Check this box if you want the notification to appear only to known recipients and not to the general public of your mobile app.

Send SMS/Text message

Clicking the Text message icon will allow you to customize your content to be sent as a Text message. 

• Enter text: Shorten or adjust the length of your message to fit into the displayed character limit.

  Important Note

  With Finalsite, outreach and emergency SMS communications for schools is always free and never monetized.

  • Standard SMS limit: 140 characters 

  • SMS-Plus limit: 280 Characters

    Upgrade to SMS-Plus

    Want to upgrade to a higher text character limit? Contact your Client Success Manager or email clientsuccess@finalsite.com to learn more!

• Enabled: Change your mind? Toggle off enabled so that this message will no longer be sent via SMS/Text message.

Send Voice message

Click the Voice icon to send a message out to your community. 

Voice recording options

Here you can update the text and select how you would like to make the Voice recording with the following options:

Send to Facebook and/or Twitter (X) 

Here you can send a message directly out to your connected Facebook and/or Twitter (X) accounts. Click the Facebook and/or Twitter (X) icon to select these channels. 

Social media requirements

Before sending, ensure your accounts are connected in Settings > Social media. You can toggle the Enabled switch to "Off" at any time to skip a specific channel.

Send to Feeds

For districts and schools that send messages to a third party website, the content will be added here for RSS feeds so that, upon sending the message, this content will be sent to the third party website.

Step 5: Choose your delivery options 

This final step before you send is where you are just about ready but want to consider a few added conveniences and specifications.

Here are a few delivery options you’ll learn about in this step:

• Select languages for the translation feature
• Send an emergency message that is sent in the highest priority manner.
• Schedule a message or Send a message Now
• Adjust settings in Advanced options such as changing the sender organization, message category, reply-to, custom caller ID, sending to all delivery addresses, delivering to parents of included students, skipping header/footer prompts for voice calls, making this message public, and adding merge tags.

Translate your message

Translation of school and district messaging ensures inclusivity, accessibility, engagement, equity, and better communication for all families. Consider the option to Auto-translate on Send which is turned OFF by default.

Learn more about your translation options in the article, "Translate your message into recipients' languages."

Advanced options

In this section, you can:

• adjust how messages are sent
• manage recipient numbers
• change who is allowed to send this message at another time
• and more!

• Sender organization: Select a different school or building that messages will be sent from.
• Message category: Change the category in which a message is housed and located. 
• Custom reply-to: This selection will override the reply-to that is attached to a person's account.
• Custom Caller ID: This selection will override the caller ID phone number that is attached to the caller or sender account.
• Sending options:

  • Send to all delivery addresses: This option allows you to send a message to all numbers available for every user.

    Important Note

    Check this box only during emergency messages. 

  • Deliver to parents of students: Check this box to include parents and guardians who are connected to any of your student recipients. 
  • Skip header/footer prompts for outbound calls: If you want the header and footer information included in an audio message, clear the Do not play header/footer prompts during outbound calling option. This option is checked by default so that the header and footer information won’t be included.
  • Allow others to send this message (public): Checking this box means your message can be sent out publicly.
  • Use merge tags with audio: Check this box to include merge tags with the audio portion of your message. 

Send an emergency message

Set the message to Emergency when you need it to send out immediately to your district community.

• Under Commission rules, emergency purposes means calls made necessary in any situation affecting the health and safety of consumers. 
• Toggle on next to Emergency message.
• Decide your Emergency message settings by checking or unchecking next to each box:
  • Send message immediately
  • Ignoring system blackout hours
  • To all recipient numbers
• Click Confirm and this message will be sent as an emergency message that ignores all subscription settings and preferences set by users.

Schedule or Send now

Choose the time your message will be sent out.

• Send message: Want to send your message out immediately? Simply click “Send message” whenever you’re ready to send.
• Now: Click the Now button to schedule your message
  • Select a date and time when your message will be sent out.
  • Click the + sign to schedule multiple message sends out.
    • For example, you can use the + sign to send out a message three different times on staggered dates before an event is going to happen.