Navigating the SMS Campaign Approval Process
Submission Guidelines and Tips to Avoid Common Rejection Reasons
Mobile carriers require all businesses using 10DLC (10-digit long code) for messaging to register their campaigns with The Campaign Registry (TCR), which manages the registration and verification process for SMS campaigns. In this context, campaigns include not only marketing messages, but also all business uses for SMS.
Registering your SMS campaigns with TCR helps in identifying and verifying the source of messages, ensuring that only legitimate text campaigns are running. You must provide detailed information about SMS campaigns, including the nature of the campaign, the type of messages being sent, and the expected message volume.
Zultys offers a white-glove service, providing comprehensive support and handling the submission of your SMS campaign to TCR. We will provide you with a DocuSign document for your SMS request, which will include all the necessary information required for submission to TCR. Ensuring that this information is complete and accurate will help expedite the approval process.
This page outlines best practices for submission and tips to avoid common rejection reasons. Please note, this is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. Consult your legal counsel to ensure full compliance with all SMS requirements and regulations.
Provide two unique sample messages to inform TCR of how you will communicate with customers.
- The content you submit for the campaign should match your company’s product, service, or business type.
- Content can be informational (e.g., event reminders, service updates) or promotional (e.g., store promotions, special offers, product discounts).
Avoid S.H.A.F.T. content: sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, and tobacco. This type of content, as well as messages that mention CBD, cannabis, vaping, or gambling, are prohibited and are not allowed to be on your website.
Obtain clear consent of SMS messaging and document your opt-in and opt-out policy.
Below are examples of how to get customers to opt in:
- Entering a phone number through a website
- If you collect consent on a website form where consumers provide their cell phone numbers and check a box to provide consent, please share the URL of the web page. The checkbox for SMS consent should be unchecked by default and not required. The consent language should read, “I consent to receive SMS from [Business Name]. Reply STOP to opt-out.”
- Using paperwork consent collection, such as a signed document
- If you collect via a document, you must provide a template of this consent document.
- Opting in over the phone using interactive voice response (IVR) technology
- If you collect consent verbally, please provide the exact script used to ask the customer to opt in and when. For example, “Do you agree to receive text messages from [Business Name]?”
Other methods of obtaining consent may include clicking a button on a mobile page, sending a message from the consumer’s mobile device that contains an advertising word, or signing up at a point-of-sale (POS) or another message sender on-site location. For each method, you must provide specific proof of consent, such as screenshots or other documentation demonstrating how the consent was collected.
Below are requirements for opt-out mechanisms:
- Support multiple opt-out methods (e.g., text, call, email) and provide clear instructions on how to opt out.
- Respect opt-out requests by sending a final confirmation message.
Samples messages for your opt-in and opt-out communication
You must provide specific keywords for opting in, opting out, or requesting help, along with a corresponding message example for each action, ensuring each example is between 20 and 320 characters.
Below are common keywords and message templates businesses use in customer campaigns.
| Message type | Keywords | Sample message |
|---|---|---|
| Opt-in | START, SUBSCRIBE | Thanks for subscribing to receive notifications and alerts from [Business Name]. Reply STOP to unsubscribe, reply HELP for help. |
| Opt-out | STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE | You have been successfully unsubscribed. You will no longer receive messages from [Business Name]. Reply START to resubscribe. |
| Help | HELP | Thank you for contacting [Business Name]. Someone will reach out to you via phone call shortly. |
Ensure your business has a privacy policy that is publicly available and published online.
- TCR will review it in detail to ensure it doesn’t improperly claim to have the consumer’s consent to share end-user data with third parties for marketing purposes.
- Your privacy policy should be clear and easily accessible, explaining how consumer information is used.
- Publish your privacy policy on your website or social media page.
If your company’s privacy policy does not currently mention data sharing, you need to insert a clarification that you will not share SMS opt-in or consent status for non-service-related purposes.
Sample language: “We will not share your opt-in to an SMS campaign with any third party for purposes unrelated to providing you with the services of that campaign. We may share your Personal Data, including your SMS opt-in or consent status, with third parties that help us provide our messaging services, including but not limited to platform providers, phone companies, and any other vendors who assist us in the delivery of text messages.”
Ensure your business has Terms and Conditions that are publicly available and published online.
To gain approval for your SMS campaign, your Terms and Conditions must include the following SMS program disclosures:
- Program (brand) name
- Message frequency varies disclosure
- “Message and data rates may apply” disclosure
- Product description
- Customer care contact information
- Opt-out information
The following is sample language commonly used in Terms and Conditions. Please note, this may not be applicable to all business use cases, and we recommend reviewing it carefully to ensure it aligns with your specific needs.
| Sample Language | |
|---|---|
| Brand Name, Message Frequency and Cost | You will receive periodic messages from [Business Name]. Message frequency may vary. Reply STOP to unsubscribe or HELP for assistance, email or phone number. Standard messaging and data rates may apply. For more information, see our privacy policy at [link]. |
| Cost and Frequency | Standard messaging and data rates apply. Message frequency varies based on your engagement. |
| Product Description | Messages may include promotions, updates, and product-related information. |
| Support | For help, reply HELP to any message or email [email address]. Opt-outs must be done via text. |
| Opting Out | To stop receiving texts, reply STOP, END, CANCEL, UNSUBSCRIBE, or QUIT to any message. You may receive a confirmation text upon opting out. Only these exact commands will be honored. |
| Opting In | By signing up for our SMS Program, you consent to receive marketing and informational messages via text. Consent is not required for purchases. Message and data rates may apply. Frequency may vary. |
Comply with Know Your Customer (KYC) Guidelines.
As mandated by mobile network operators, TCR requires that a use case is declared at the beginning of the registration process. Within the DocuSign form that you’ll complete for your SMS campaign registration, you will need to select a maximum of five use cases from the following options:
- 2FA – Any authentication, verification or one-time passcodes
- Account Notification – Standard notifications for account holders, relating to and being about the account
- Customer Care – All customer interaction, including account management and customer support
- Fraud Alert Messaging – Messaging regarding potential fraudulent activity on the account
- Marketing – Any communication with marketing and/or promotional content
- Public Service Announcement – An informational message that is meant to raise the audience’s awareness about an important issue
- Delivery Notification – Information about the status of the delivery of a product or service
- Higher Education – Campaigns created on behalf of colleges or universities. It also includes school districts and education institutions that fall outside of any “free to the consumer” message model
- Pooling and Voting – The sending of surveys and polling/voting campaigns
- Security Alert – A notification that the security of a system, either software of hardware, has been compromised in some way and there is an action you need to take
Please be aware that the submission process typically takes two to three weeks. However, delays may occur if the information provided to Zultys is insufficient for the submission or if the campaign is declined by TCR due to evolving standards and compliance requirements.
By working together alongside TCR, we can help to ensure a secure and transparent system for all parties involved for sending and receiving SMS messages.
