GoHighLevel RCS Messaging: Full Setup + What to Charge

GoHighLevel just dropped RCS messaging, which turns plain texts into branded messages with your logo, pictures and buttons, and that is a straightforward service to package for local businesses.

RCS in HighLevel is a Labs messaging channel with brand identity, country selection and sender registration, then conversations, bulk sends, workflows and templates once approved, with SMS fallback when a phone cannot receive RCS. This guide is the written version of the Faceless GHL tour 👇

New to the product? Start with What Is GoHighLevel or the Explained tour. Plan questions? See Founder Plan Explained. Pairing messages with agents or automations? Read Conversation AI and Workflow Maps.

TL;DR: RCS Messaging

• Enable: sub account Settings → Labs → search RCS → switch on (per sub account).
• Open: Communications → Phone system → RCS messaging.
• Register: brand identity → countries (final on submit) → sender details (be specific).
• Wait: Google + carriers review, about 3 to 10 business days in the video; drafts save.
• Package (from the video): ~$500 DFY setup one-off, then ~$150, $300 / month to run reminders, after you check in-account message costs.

What RCS messaging is

RCS is the next step up from a normal text. Instead of a plain message from a random number, the customer sees the business name, the logo and a verified tick, then cards with pictures and buttons they can tap.

Greg's shop metaphor: a normal text is like someone shouting through a letterbox; RCS is the shop window with a sign above the door and everything on display. That is why local owners understand the upgrade when they see their own logo next to a plain SMS.

Official HighLevel overview: RCS in HighLevel. For how usage is billed (segment types, registration fees and country rules), use HighLevel's RCS billing & pricing article, this post does not invent carrier line items beyond what the video states.

RCS does not replace consent. Opt-in and opt-out evidence is part of sender registration. If your SMS compliance is messy, fix that before you file an RCS application.

Think of RCS as a presentation layer on messaging you already run. The workflow still fires. The contact still needs a valid number. The difference is what the handset shows when the carrier path supports RCS. That is why fallback to SMS matters, coverage stays wide while branding improves where it can.

Agencies that already productise SMS reminders can add an RCS line item without inventing a new niche. Agencies that have never collected opt-ins should not start with RCS as their first messaging product.

Who this is for

Agencies already sending reminders and offers

Dentists, salons, gyms, plumbers, anyone already texting appointments and promos. RCS is a packaging upgrade on work you already sell, not a brand-new niche.

Operators who want a Labs edge while few peers offer it

In the video RCS is still in Labs, so hardly anyone is offering it yet, which is exactly when Greg says you want to be first. Register one client and use that as your example.

Teams tired of “random number” texts

Brand identity and the verified tick are the visible difference. If clients complain that reminders look spammy, RCS is the demo that usually lands without a long pitch.

Building AI replies on the same conversations inbox? Keep Conversation AI in the plan after the sender is live. Mapping automations that fire texts? Use Workflow Maps so you know which workflows will grow RCS volume.

Faceless or productised agencies

Because messages go out under the client brand, RCS fits productised delivery: register, brand, templates, checkout page. You do not need to be the face of the text thread. That matches the packaging advice later in the tour.

Skip the rush if you cannot staff compliance questions. Sender registration asks real opt-in evidence. A pretty Labs toggle is not enough when reviewers want a video of the form.

Watch the walkthrough

Prefer to watch first? Labs → registration steps → approval → usage → packaging tour is below, recorded in a plumbing demo sub account.

• 0:00 GoHighLevel RCS messaging explained
• 0:43 Turn on RCS in Labs
• 1:00 Where to find RCS Messaging
• 1:12 Step 1: Brand identity and phone preview
• 1:40 Step 2: Countries
• 1:53 Step 3: Sender details (avoid rejection)
• 2:18 Approval time and drafts
• 2:32 Using RCS in workflows and conversations
• 2:46 What to sell and what to charge
• 3:22 Selling it with no sales calls
• 3:55 Get everything free

The plan

The video plan is short: turn RCS on, go through registration, then cover what to sell and what to charge. This article follows the same order so you can pause any chapter and read the matching section.

Do not skip sender details because branding looked pretty in the preview. Pretty profiles still get rejected when opt-in evidence is vague.

Turn on RCS in Labs

Open a demo sub account (plumbing in the tour). RCS is in Labs. Go to Settings → Labs, search for RCS, find RCS messaging, and switch it on.

You turn it on per sub account, which is useful, test with one or two clients first instead of lighting up every location overnight.

Agency tip: keep a named sandbox sub account for Labs messaging experiments. Registration mistakes and country locks are cheaper to learn there than on a live client brand.

If Labs does not show RCS, confirm you are in the sub account settings the tour uses and that your agency has rolled the Labs flag to that location. HighLevel's RCS overview also describes agency-level Labs controls when your UI differs slightly from the video path.

Write down which sub accounts have RCS on. Labs flags are easy to forget six weeks later when a client asks why their competitor has branded texts and they do not. A simple sheet beats memory.

Do not enable every sub account on day one. One successful registration teaches your team the rejection patterns. Ten parallel drafts multiply the same mistake.

Where to find RCS Messaging

After Labs is on, go to Communications → Phone system. You get a new tab on the end called RCS messaging.

In the demo Greg had already started a registration for the plumber, so he clicks Resume and lands where he left off, then jumps back to the start to walk each step. Drafts matter; you are not forced to finish in one sitting.

Step 1: Brand identity and phone preview

Step one is your brand identity, literally what the customer sees. Brand name, a one-line description, colour, logo and banner. Contact details follow: phone, email, website, plus privacy policy and terms.

The useful part is the preview on the right: banner, logo and verified tick as they will appear on the phone. Fix logos here before you obsess over sender essays.

Most contact fields pull through from the account. Still read them. Wrong website or missing privacy URL is an avoidable delay. Click Continue when the preview looks like the real business.

Use the real client logo, not a stretched placeholder. RCS sells the shop window, a fuzzy mark kills the demo screenshot you will want for your own sales page later.

Match brand colour to something close to the real site. The preview is what owners judge first. If the banner clashes with the logo, fix assets before you move to countries.

Privacy policy and terms links should open on a public URL, not a Google Doc that requires login. Reviewers and customers both need to reach them without friction.

Step 2: Countries

Step two is countries. In the tour Greg picks the United States and the United Kingdom.

Be careful: countries are final once you submit. If you want another country later, you need a whole new registration. Do not “add the rest later” on the same application.

Pick only the countries you will actually message in the next quarter. Curiosity countries create lock-in without revenue. Click Continue when the list matches the client's real footprint.

Multi-location brands sometimes want “all the countries we might expand to.” Resist that. A second registration later is cleaner than a rejected or bloated first filing. The video’s warning is blunt for a reason.

If the client only texts US customers today, register the United States and leave the UK for a later application when volume justifies it, unless the demo’s dual-country case truly matches their book.

Step 3: Sender details (avoid rejection)

Step three is where most people get rejected, according to the video. You need the person responsible (usually the owner), what you will send, what triggers each message, and how people opt in and out. It also wants a screenshot of your opt-in page and a short video of that flow.

Greg does not fill every field on camera, you would be there all day, but the tip is clear: be really specific. Vague answers are the number one reason these get knocked back.

Record the opt-in video on a clean browser profile. Reviewers should see consent without squinting at a cluttered desktop. Keep the clip short and obvious.

Script the video before you hit record: land on the form, show the consent checkbox or language, submit a test, show the confirmation, then show how STOP or unsubscribe works. Narrate lightly so the reviewer is not guessing.

Keep a folder per client: logo PNG, banner, privacy URL, terms URL, opt-in screenshot, opt-in video, sample messages. Registration goes faster when you are not hunting Slack for assets mid-form.

After sender details comes a US verification step (when applicable) and a final review. HighLevel's sender application review article explains internal vs carrier stages if your status stalls.

Approval time and drafts

Google and the carriers check the registration. In the Faceless GHL video that wait is about three to ten business days. Timelines can vary by country and completeness, if your case runs longer, use HighLevel help rather than guessing.

Click Save and exit anytime. The draft sits in RCS messaging so you can return. Do not abandon a half-finished brand because you lacked an opt-in screenshot on day one, gather evidence, then resume.

Set a calendar reminder at day three and day ten. If status has not moved, respond to any document requests quickly. Silence extends carrier review more than almost anything else.

Using RCS after approval

Once it is live, add a test device in the RCS area, then use RCS in conversations, bulk messages, workflows and templates, much like SMS.

If someone's phone does not support RCS, it falls back to a normal text. Greg's line: there is literally nothing to lose on coverage when fallback is in place.

Start with one reminder template and one offer template. Prove delivery and branding before you rebuild every SMS workflow overnight. Volume without QA is how you burn budget and trust together.

Keep Conversation AI and human inboxes aligned. Branded cards still need replies. A pretty RCS blast that lands in an unwatched conversation is still a missed lead.

Test on a real handset you control before you celebrate. Preview panes help; a physical phone shows fallback behaviour and button tap targets. Add that test device in the RCS area as the tour shows.

When you move templates into workflows, name them clearly, “RCS appt reminder v1”, so Workflow Maps and future you can find them. Mixing SMS and RCS templates without labels creates the wrong send on busy days.

What to sell and what to charge

The packaging section in the video is practical, not a promise of results. Greg sells a done-for-you RCS setup, registration, branding and a few templates, for something like $500 one-off. Then maybe $150 to $300 a month to run reminders and campaigns.

Critical line: check what the messages cost in your account first so your price covers usage. Do not copy those package numbers blindly if your HighLevel RCS billing (see official billing docs) makes the margin negative.

Who buys it? Anyone already sending reminders and offers, dentists, salons, gyms, plumbers and similar local operators. You are upgrading a channel they already understand.

Write the scope in plain language: which countries, how many templates, who owns opt-in evidence, and what happens if carriers reject the first filing. Ambiguous scope is how $500 jobs become unpaid weeks.

Those dollar figures are Greg's packaging examples from the video, not a guarantee of what your market will pay and not a forecast of your profit. Always re-read in-account costs and HighLevel's billing article before you publish a price on your own site.

Separate setup from monthly care in the checkout. Clients understand a one-off registration fee plus a retainer to keep reminders running. Bundling everything into one vague “RCS” line invites scope fights.

Selling it without sales calls

Greg's objection handling: do you need sales calls to sell RCS? His answer is no. Set it off a simple page with a plain text next to a branded message and a checkout, owners get it when they see their own logo.

None of it needs your face or your name on the messages. It all goes out under the client's brand. That matches a faceless agency packaging style: productised page, clear fee, proof screenshot from a registered sender.

Build the comparison visual once. Left: grey SMS bubble from a number. Right: branded RCS preview with logo and button. Same offer copy. That single graphic does more than a feature list.

RCS is in Labs right now, so few peers offer it. Turn it on, register one client, and use that as your example. Drop the “we might get RCS someday” line, ship one live registration instead.

Turn this into a system you can sell. Watch the free masterclass for the agency method, or get free access to the community through Greg's GoHighLevel link.

Pros and Cons

FAQs

Verdict

RCS messaging is the Labs channel to use when you want client texts to look like the business, not like a random number. Turn it on per sub account, nail brand identity, choose countries carefully, write specific sender details with real opt-in proof, then wait out carrier review with a saved draft.

Package it the way the video frames, DFY setup plus a monthly run fee, only after you check HighLevel message costs for your account. Sell with a plain-vs-branded screenshot page if you want to avoid long calls.

Practical week: day one enable Labs on a sandbox. Day two finish brand identity and countries. Day three gather opt-in screenshot and video, submit sender details. Day four draft your $500 / monthly offer copy with cost checks from Billing and HighLevel docs. That beats talking about RCS for a month without a registration.

Turn this into a system you can sell. Watch the free masterclass for the agency method, or get free access to the community through Greg's GoHighLevel link.

More from the Faceless GHL series lives on YouTube. This page tracks the RCS messaging setup video (b0b6avUjLBY). HighLevel® is a registered trademark of its owner. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by HighLevel. RCS availability, approval times and message costs change, confirm in HighLevel before you quote a client.