Writing messages that get read
Every message you send has a subject and a body. The subject goes to her lock screen. The body she has to open the app to read. That single choice is the only decision you have to make.
There is no notification setting, on purpose
You will not find a checkbox for "send this as an alert" or "mark as important." There is nothing to configure, because on pageant day you should not be thinking about how notifications behave.
Your only decision is what you type where — a decision you are making anyway.
What belongs in the subject
Anything she needs without opening anything. A room change genuinely belongs on a lock screen.
- Interview moved to 11:15 — Room B
- People's Choice closes in 15 minutes
- Photos due Friday
If you want the whole message to arrive on her lock screen, put the whole message in the subject. That is a completely legitimate way to use it and needs no explanation.
What belongs in the body
Detail, context, and anything long. The body is also what makes read receipts mean something — the receipt fires when she reads the body, not when she opens the app for something else.
So a message with a real body tells you who genuinely saw it. A subject-only message reaches everyone faster but tells you less. Both are useful; use the one that fits the moment.
Do not label everything urgent
If three messages in a row say URGENT, the fourth one — the one that actually is — reads like the others.
Keep the count low on pageant day. Room changes, timing shifts, things closing. Not commentary.
Adding a photo
You can attach one image — the venue map, which door to come in, the crowning photo, a sponsor flyer.
The picture always shows in the app with your message. On some phones it also rides along in the notification. Do not promise contestants the photo will appear on their lock screen — on an iPhone it will not.
Check before you send
Before anything goes out you are shown the exact subject and exactly how many people will receive it.
Read the subject once more at that point, because a sent notification cannot be recalled. There is no unsend. If something goes out wrong, the fix is a correction message, which is worth knowing before you need it rather than after.
Two audiences, one composer
- A pageant — everyone signed up for that one contest. Room changes, timing, day-of. Entering the pageant is the opt-in, so these always arrive.
- Everyone on your list — every girl who ever signed up for any of your pageants. "Registration for next season is open." Contestants can turn these off, and some will. That is the trade for being allowed to send them at all.
Questions directors ask
Can I unsend a message?
No. A push notification cannot be recalled once it has been delivered — no product can do this. That is why you are shown the exact subject and audience size before sending. If something goes out wrong, send a short correction.
Why does the read count seem low right after sending?
Because it counts girls who opened and read the message, not phones the notification reached. It fills in over the following minutes. If a girl read everything she needed from the subject on her lock screen, she may never open it at all — which means the message did its job.
Can contestants reply to my messages?
No, and that is deliberate. A group text on pageant day turns your phone into a switchboard. Contestants see your chosen contact method instead of a reply box, so a girl who genuinely needs you can still reach you.
Last updated 2026-08-23.