> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.tracklysms.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Templates & Placeholders > Use dynamic placeholders in your message creatives Trackly SMS supports dynamic placeholders in creatives for tracked links and personalization. ## Link Placeholders ### Basic Usage Use `{{link1}}`, `{{link2}}`, etc. for tracked links: ``` Shop our sale: {{link1}} ``` When sent, this becomes a short tracking URL: ``` Shop our sale: trk.ly/abc123 ``` ### Multiple Links Include multiple links with different offers: ``` 🔥 Flash sale! 50% off clothing: {{link1}} 30% off electronics: {{link2}} Free shipping on orders $50+: {{link3}} ``` Each link can be bound to a different offer in the creative settings. ### Binding Offers to Links In the creative editor: 1. Write your message with `{{linkN}}` placeholders 2. In the "Offer Bindings" section, map each placeholder: | Placeholder | Offer | | ----------- | --------------------- | | `{{link1}}` | Summer Clothing Sale | | `{{link2}}` | Electronics Clearance | | `{{link3}}` | Free Shipping Promo | ### Link Tracking Tracked links provide: * Click counts * Click timestamps * Revenue attribution * Bot detection See [Link Tracking](/guides/link-tracking/overview) for details. ## URL Parameters Offers can include URL parameters that pass through to the destination: ``` Offer URL: https://store.com/sale?promo=summer24 Short link: trk.ly/abc123 Final redirect: https://store.com/sale?promo=summer24&click_id=xyz ``` Additional parameters (like click\_id) are appended for attribution. ## Account-Level Templates ### Prepend Text Text automatically added to the start of every message. The default prepend is `{{brand_name}}:` (your brand name followed by a colon). ``` Account prepend: "{{brand_name}}: " Creative: "Check out our sale: {{link1}}" Final message: "Acme: Check out our sale: trk.ly/abc123" ``` ### Append Text Text automatically added to the end of every message. The default append is `Reply stop to stop. Help for help.` ``` Account append: " Reply stop to stop. Help for help." Creative: "Flash sale! {{link1}}" Final message: "Flash sale! trk.ly/abc123 Reply stop to stop. Help for help." ``` ### Configuring Set prepend/append in **Account Settings > Messaging**. Prepend and append text count toward your character limit. Factor this into creative length. Together, the default prepend and append add approximately **34 characters** of compliance overhead. ### List-Level Overrides Sending list settings can override account-level prepend and append text. If a list specifies its own prepend or append, those values take precedence over the account defaults for sends to that list. ## SMS Segments ### Standard SMS 160 characters per segment. Messages exceeding this are split: | Length | Segments | | ------- | -------- | | 1-160 | 1 | | 161-306 | 2 | | 307-459 | 3 | Multi-segment messages use \~7 characters per segment for concatenation headers, reducing effective capacity. ### Unicode Messages Messages with emoji or special characters use Unicode encoding: | Length | Segments | | ------- | -------- | | 1-70 | 1 | | 71-134 | 2 | | 135-201 | 3 | ### Character Counting The creative editor shows: * Raw character count * Segment count after placeholders resolve * Link length: each `{{linkN}}` placeholder resolves to approximately **23 characters** * Compliance overhead: prepend + append text adds approximately **34 characters** When estimating segment count, remember to add \~23 characters per link placeholder **and** \~34 characters of compliance text (prepend + append) to your raw character count. This overhead often pushes a message into an additional segment. ## Personalization Use dynamic placeholders to personalize messages for each contact: | Placeholder | Description | Example Output | | ----------------------------- | --------------------------------------------- | -------------- | | `{{brand_name}}` | Account brand name | Acme | | `{{first_name}}` | Contact's first name | Jane | | `{{last_name}}` | Contact's last name | Smith | | `{{phone_number}}` | Contact's phone number | +14155551234 | | `{{day_of_week}}` | Current day of week | Wednesday | | `{{date}}` | Current date (US format) | 02/09/2026 | | `{{linkN}}` | Tracked link (`{{link1}}`, `{{link2}}`, etc.) | trk.ly/abc123 | | `{{sendId}}` or `{{send_id}}` | Unique message send ID | AbC12345 | ### Custom Contact Fields Access any custom field stored on a contact using bracket notation: ``` Hey {{first_name}}, your VIP status is {{contact["vip_status"]}}! ``` Both single and double quotes work: `{{contact["field_name"]}}` or `{{contact['field_name']}}`. If a personalization field is missing for a contact, it resolves to an empty string. Design your messages so they read naturally even without personalization values. ### Example ``` Hey {{first_name}}, happy {{day_of_week}}! Check out today's deal: {{link1}} ``` For a contact named "Jane" on a Wednesday, this becomes: ``` Hey Jane, happy Wednesday! Check out today's deal: trk.ly/abc123 ``` ## Best Practices Short link URLs are \~20 characters. Account for this in your character budget. Preview your creative to see how links will appear to recipients. Too many links can confuse. Have one primary action and make it prominent. Stick to standard ASCII when possible to avoid Unicode segment limits. ## Example Templates ### Sale Announcement ``` 🔥 Flash Sale! 50% off everything for 24 hours only. Shop now: {{link1}} Reply STOP to opt out. ``` ### New Arrival ``` Just dropped: New {{category}} collection. Be the first to shop: {{link1}} STOP to unsubscribe. ``` ### Re-engagement ``` We miss you! Here's 20% off your next order. Claim your discount: {{link1}} Expires in 48 hours. Reply STOP to opt out. ``` ## Next Steps How link tracking works Automated creative selection