IPhone can't send iMessage to iPod touch user with iMessage?

At random times, whenever I try to iMessage my friend who has just a iPod Touch, where you type in the message will say "Text Message" instead of "iMessage." is there a way to fix this so it will always send as a iMessage instead of Text?

The reason it sends as a "text message" is because either you, or the iPod doesn't have an Internet or Wi-Fi connection or the iPod is turned off! If you wait on the message screen it should change after about 15seconds at the most! You can't make it send only as an iMessage thigh, unfortunately!