Business texting works only when customers trust it. A few clear rules keep you on the right side of the law and keep your messages landing rather than being filtered.
Rule 1: Get consent before you text
Only text people who have agreed to receive texts from you. Good ways to collect that agreement:
- A checkbox on a web form or at checkout, not pre-checked.
- A customer texting a keyword to you, such as texting JOIN to your number.
- A signed paper or digital form.
- Clear, documented verbal consent.
Your opt-in should say who you are, roughly how often you will text, that message and data rates may apply, and how to stop. Link your privacy policy where you can.
Rule 2: Always allow STOP
Every recipient can end texts by replying STOP. We also recognise UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END and QUIT, and ARRET and DÉSABONNER in French. The word is matched on its own, so "STOP" works and "stop by the shop tomorrow" does not.
When someone replies with one of these, they are added to your opt-out registry automatically. Replying START, UNSTOP or YES removes them again.
Rule 3: Honour opt-outs right away
Once someone opts out, stop texting them apart from a single confirmation.
Your opt-out registry blocks every later message to that number — a bulk campaign, a reply you type by hand, a shared inbox, a scheduled message, or an automatic reply. You will see a clear refusal rather than a silent failure. The only message that still goes out is the single confirmation that you received their STOP, which is expressly permitted.
If the registry cannot be read for any reason, the message is refused rather than sent. We would rather hold a message back than send one we cannot prove is allowed.
Never remove someone from the registry just to keep messaging them. Only do so if they genuinely opt back in — and you will be asked to record why.
Rule 4: Identify yourself and stay relevant
- Put your business name in your messages, especially the first one to a new contact.
- Send what people signed up for. If they opted in for appointment reminders, do not send promotions.
Transactional vs marketing
- Transactional messages are ones the customer expects: appointment reminders, order and shipping updates, account alerts, verification codes. These generally do not require a marketing opt-out line.
- Marketing messages promote something: sales, offers, newsletters. These require clear opt-in and an easy opt-out, and should only go to people who agreed to marketing.
What not to send
Carriers block certain content outright. Avoid anything involving illegal activity, and be aware that regulated topics — commonly summarised as sex, hate, alcohol, firearms and tobacco — face heavy restrictions or outright blocking. Never send deceptive or misleading texts.
Keep records
Keep proof of how and when each person opted in. If a message is ever questioned, your records are what protect you. Keeping them for several years is sensible practice.
The payoff
Clean consent and prompt opt-out handling give you a better sender reputation, which means your texts are more likely to be delivered and less likely to be filtered.
Read next
- Business Texting Registration (10DLC), Explained
- Bulk SMS Campaigns and the Opt-Out Registry