SMS Compliance Guide - A2P 10DLC

Before you can text prospects from Lead Sherpa, your business has to be registered for A2P 10DLC. This guide explains what 10DLC is, what you need to register, and what carriers look for when they review your registration.

The steps at a glance

• Get your website ready with an opt-in form, a Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.
• Register your brand (your business) with your SMS provider, Twilio or Telnyx.
• Register a 10DLC campaign that describes how you text and how people opt in.
• Once the campaign is approved, attach your phone numbers to it and connect your provider to Lead Sherpa.

Resources

→ Requirements for using Lead Sherpa

→ SMS Guide: Twilio

→ SMS Guide: Telnyx

→ Attaching your 10 DLC Campaign to Numbers in Twilio

→ SMS Guide: Integrating Twilio or Telnyx with Lead Sherpa

→ Twilio: Overview of US A2P 10DLC Messaging

→ Telnyx: Register for 10DLC messaging

1. What is A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC is the system US carriers use for businesses that send text messages from standard 10-digit phone numbers. “A2P” means application-to-person: messages sent from a platform like Lead Sherpa. To send these messages, your business registers a brand and a campaign with The Campaign Registry (TCR) through your SMS provider.

Registration is required to send SMS to US phone numbers from long code numbers. Carriers filter messages from numbers that aren’t attached to an approved 10DLC campaign, so your Lead Sherpa campaigns can’t send until your 10DLC campaign is approved. See Twilio’s A2P 10DLC overview.

2. Register your brand

The brand is your business. You’ll need:

• Legal company name
• DBA or brand name, if you use one
• Type of organization (for example, private company or sole proprietor)
• EIN (US tax ID). If you don’t have one, you can apply on the IRS website.
• Website
• Business address (street, city, state and zip code)
• Contact name, email and phone number for the brand

Your details must match the IRS record

The legal company name, EIN and address you enter must match your IRS record exactly. If they don’t match, the brand isn’t verified and you have to resubmit before you can send SMS.

3. Register your campaign

The 10DLC campaign describes what messages you send and how people agree to receive them. Carriers review it before approving it. To give it the best chance of approval:

• Your website is live, clearly describes your business (for example, buying homes), and has an opt-in form, a Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions. See Requirements for using Lead Sherpa.
• The SMS consent checkboxes on your opt-in form are optional and unchecked by default.
• Your opt-in language says that consent is not a condition of purchase.
• Your Privacy Policy says that mobile information and SMS consent are not shared with third parties.
• Every sample message includes your full company name and the STOP and HELP instructions.

For step-by-step instructions, see SMS Guide: Twilio or SMS Guide: Telnyx. If you’re unsure what to enter, email support@leadsherpa.com and we’ll help.

How long does it take?

Twilio says brand registration usually takes a few minutes to 24 hours, and campaign review takes about 7 business days (up to 10 when they have more submissions than usual). Source: Twilio’s A2P 10DLC overview.

4. After your campaign is approved

1. Attach your phone numbers to the approved campaign. You need at least 5 numbers, and we recommend 10. See Attaching your 10 DLC Campaign to Numbers in Twilio.
2. Connect your Twilio or Telnyx account to Lead Sherpa. See SMS Guide: Integrating Twilio or Telnyx with Lead Sherpa.
3. In Lead Sherpa, go to Phone Number Manager > Phone Connections and click the refresh icon so your numbers show up.
4. Create your first campaign. See How To Start A New Campaign.

5. Fees

Registration and carrier fees are charged by your SMS provider, not by Lead Sherpa. See Twilio SMS pricing and Telnyx messaging pricing.

The information in this guide is for general information only and isn’t legal advice.

Questions? Email support@leadsherpa.com.