Before you copy anything: four rules
Include your store name in every message. Customers who cannot tell who is texting them report the message, and reports are what carriers use to decide whether your future traffic gets delivered.
Keep it to one idea and one action. A text is not an email. Two offers in one message cuts response on both.
Stay under 160 GSM characters where you can. Longer messages bill as multiple segments, and tight copy converts better anyway.
Skip all caps, emoji piles, and words that read like drug-sale language. Carrier filters are unforgiving in this category, and "deal on flower" survives where shouty pharmacy-speak does not. Every template below includes the opt-out line — keep it.
Welcome and first-timer templates
1. "Green Leaf: you're in. Show this text on your next visit for 15% off. We'll send restocks + member deals, ~3x/month. Reply STOP to opt out."
2. "Green Leaf: thanks for joining. Tell us what you shop most — flower, carts, or edibles — and we'll only send what's relevant. Reply STOP to opt out."
3. "Green Leaf: first visit? Ask for the new-customer bundle at the counter today — $10 off any 1/8th. Reply STOP to opt out."
4. "Green Leaf: your points are live. You're 40 points from your first reward. Balance anytime at the counter. Reply STOP to opt out."
The welcome message is the highest-response text you will ever send, because the person just raised their hand. Send it within minutes of opt-in, not on your next campaign day.
Win-back and slow-day templates
5. "Green Leaf: been a minute. 20% off your favorite category through Sunday — just show this text. Reply STOP to opt out."
6. "Green Leaf: we restocked the strain you picked up last time. Save it for you? Reply YES. Reply STOP to opt out."
7. "Green Leaf: your usual 1/8th is $8 off today only. In and out in 5 minutes. Reply STOP to opt out."
8. "Green Leaf: Tuesdays are quiet, so they're 15% off store-wide until 6pm. No line, no wait. Reply STOP to opt out."
9. "Green Leaf: rainy day special — free pre-roll with any $50 purchase until close. Reply STOP to opt out."
Win-backs to customers 30 to 60 days lapsed are usually the single highest-ROI campaign a dispensary runs. Slow-day sends work best to a narrow local segment rather than the whole list.
Restock, drop, loyalty, birthday, and event templates
10. "Green Leaf: back in stock — the live resin cart you bought in June. Limited units today. Reply STOP to opt out."
11. "Green Leaf: low stock alert on Blue Dream. 12 left as of 9am. Reply STOP to opt out."
12. "Green Leaf VIP: new batch drops at 10am tomorrow, 30 units, first come first served. Reply STOP to opt out."
13. "Green Leaf: new brand landed today — three strains we've been waiting months for. Ask a budtender. Reply STOP to opt out."
14. "Green Leaf: you're 1 visit from your next reward. Redeem anytime at the counter. Reply STOP to opt out."
15. "Green Leaf: 500 points expire on the 31st. Use them before they're gone. Reply STOP to opt out."
16. "Green Leaf: happy birthday from us — a free pre-roll with any purchase this week. Show this text. Reply STOP to opt out."
17. "Green Leaf: our top spenders get early access Friday 9-10am before we open to everyone. You're on the list. Reply STOP to opt out."
18. "Green Leaf: vendor day Saturday 12-4 — samples, brand reps, and 20% off their line. Reply STOP to opt out."
19. "Green Leaf: holiday hours — open 9-5 Thursday, closed Friday. Stock up early. Reply STOP to opt out."
20. "Green Leaf: delivery window opened for your zip. Order by 4pm for same-day. Reply STOP to opt out."
The part templates cannot do for you
A template decides what you say. Performance is decided by who receives it and when. The same restock alert sent to everyone produces opt-outs; sent to the 90 people who bought that exact product before, it converts at a rate that makes the campaign look like a mistake in the reporting.
That is the work Cannabis Text Marketing does automatically. The platform reads purchase history from your POS, builds the audience for each template — lapsed 45-day buyers, cart repeat purchasers, top decile spenders — and recommends the send window based on when that group actually shops. It also screens your wording against the language carriers filter before you hit send.
So use the twenty templates above as your starting library, then let the segmentation do the heavy lifting. Create your account, connect your store, and send template five to your lapsed segment this week. Messages start at $0.025, no contract.
Frequently asked questions
What should a dispensary text message say?+
Your store name, one clear offer or piece of news, one action, and the opt-out line. Keep it under 160 characters, avoid all caps and emoji piles, and never combine two offers in one message.
Do I have to include an opt-out line in every text?+
Include opt-out language regularly and always honor STOP instantly. Keeping it on every marketing message is the safest practice and reduces the complaints that trigger carrier filtering.
Which dispensary text template performs best?+
Win-back messages to customers 30 to 60 days lapsed, and restock alerts tied to a product the recipient actually purchased before. Both beat generic store-wide promotions by a wide margin.
How long can a dispensary text be?+
A single SMS segment is 160 GSM characters. Longer messages split into multiple billed segments, so tight copy is both cheaper and more effective.
Can AI write my dispensary texts for me?+
Yes — Cannabis Text Marketing drafts message copy, picks the audience from POS purchase history, and recommends send timing, then screens the wording against carrier-sensitive language before sending.