A messaging programme dies one of two ways: the line gets flagged, or somebody reviewing costs asks what the monthly fee is for and nobody has an answer. The second is more common and entirely preventable.
The one-page shape
| Section | Content | Length |
|---|---|---|
| The headline | One sentence: what it did this month, in business terms | 1 line |
| The five numbers | Sends, delivered rate, reply rate, outcomes, opt-outs | A small table |
| Against last month | Direction and size of change, not just the new value | Same table |
| Cost per outcome | Line fees ÷ outcomes attributed | 1 line |
| What changed | Anything you altered, so the numbers are interpretable | 2–3 lines |
| The decision | What you want: keep, expand, cut, or change | 1 line |
Lead with the business event, not the message
"41 fewer no-shows than the same month last year, at a line cost of $100" is a sentence an owner acts on. "1,847 messages sent with a 96% delivery rate" is a sentence an owner skims. Same data, different report.
The cost-per-outcome line
This is the number that survives a cost review. Take the line fees plus any per-message charges, divide by attributed outcomes, and put it next to what that outcome is worth. A $100 line producing 40 kept appointments at an average ticket of $180 does not need defending — the arithmetic does it.
Be conservative. Use last-touch attribution, use your real window, and keep the unattributed outcomes out of the numerator. A defensible smaller number beats an impressive one that falls apart under a question. How to work it out.
Include the bad news
Report the opt-out rate every month, including when it rises. A report that only ever contains good news stops being read as information. And an opt-out trend you surfaced yourself is a problem you get to fix; one somebody else notices is a problem you get asked about.
The same applies to a month where nothing improved. "No movement, and here is what I am changing" is a credible report. A month of flat numbers presented as a success is how programmes lose the benefit of the doubt they will need later.
The decision line
End with what you want. Keep as is, add a second play, add a line for the new location, cut the play that is not working. A report without a request is a status update, and status updates do not get resourced.
Monthly report checklist
- One page. If it is two, the first page is the report.
- Headline in business terms, not messaging terms.
- Five numbers, each with a comparison to last month.
- Cost per outcome, calculated conservatively.
- Opt-out rate, reported whether or not it is flattering.
- Anything you changed, so the numbers can be interpreted.
- One explicit request.