# How to Schedule a Broadcast Message

Event nights run on a script — doors open, last call for bidding, settle your invoice on the way out. Scheduling lets you write those messages in advance and have Handbid send them at exactly the right moment, so you can be on the floor with your guests instead of at a laptop watching the clock.

:::note
Scheduled broadcasts are an add-on feature and may not be turned on for your organization. If you don't see a **Schedule** button next to **Broadcast a message**, contact your Handbid representative to have it enabled. Sending broadcasts immediately works the same for everyone either way.
:::

## Schedule a message

1. From the auction dashboard, choose **Messages → Send Broadcast Message**.
2. Write your message and pick your recipient group, exactly as you would for a message you're sending right now. You can promote an item, too.
3. Instead of **Broadcast a message**, click **Schedule**.
4. Choose when it should go out:
   - **Send in** — a set amount of time from now, like 90 minutes.
   - **Send at** — a specific date and time.
5. Confirm. Your message now appears on the **Scheduled** tab with a countdown.

Messages must be scheduled at least one minute ahead, and no more than 30 days out.

## Send times use your event's time zone

**"Send at 6:30 PM" means 6:30 PM where your event is**, not where you happen to be sitting. The scheduling window shows you which time zone that is.

This matters if you're setting up an event in another city — a manager in Denver scheduling for a Boston gala gets 6:30 PM Boston. It also means you don't have to think about daylight saving time when you schedule weeks ahead.

## The Scheduled tab

Everything you've lined up lives on the **Scheduled** tab of the broadcast window.

**Upcoming** shows what hasn't gone out yet — the countdown, a preview of the message, who it's going to, and the item you promoted if there is one. For anything here you can:

- **Edit** the message text or change the recipient group
- **Reschedule** it to a different time
- **Cancel** it entirely

**Recently sent** shows what has already gone out, with the number of people it was sent to.

## Reading the status of a sent message

| Status | What it means |
| --- | --- |
| **Sent** | Your message went out to the number of recipients shown |
| **Failed** | Something stopped it before it sent. Nobody received it — safe to send again |
| **Failed during send** | It started sending and ran into a problem partway through. **Some guests may already have received it** — sending again could deliver it twice to those people |
| **Failed (stalled)** | The send started but never reported finishing. Treat this the same as "failed during send" and check before re-sending |

:::caution
If you see **Failed during send** or **Failed (stalled)**, don't simply send the message again without thinking about it. Part of your audience may already have it, and re-sending would text those guests a second time.
:::

We show failed messages on purpose. A message that quietly never went out is far worse than one you can see went wrong.

## Recipients are counted when the message sends

If you schedule "message all bidders" at 3 PM for a 7 PM send, it goes to everyone who is a bidder **at 7 PM** — including guests who registered during your event. That's almost always what you want.

It also means the recipient count you see while scheduling is an estimate. The real number is the one shown in **Recently sent** afterward.

## Good to know

- **Scheduling works with recipient groups**, not hand-picked lists. If you select specific bidders and message them, that sends right away rather than on a schedule.
- **You can schedule messages on an auction that has already closed.** This is intentional — "thank you for coming" and "please settle your invoice" are exactly the messages that need to go out after bidding ends.
- **"Sent to 200 people" means the message was handed off for delivery**, not that 200 phones have confirmed receipt.
- **Plan your messages before event day.** Consistent, well-timed messaging improves results, and scheduling is most useful when the whole evening is written out in advance.

## Related articles

- [How to Send a Broadcast Message to Your Bidders](/how-to-send-a-broadcast-message-and-suggested-messages/)
- [How to Send a Message to an Individual Bidder](/how-to-send-a-message-to-an-individual-bidder/)
- [Handbid Alerts: Push Notifications vs SMS](/handbid-alerts-push-notifications-vs-sms/)
- [Customize Message Templates](/customize-message-templates/)