10DLC A2P


10DLC A2P Messaging: Challenges & Best Practices

20 Reasons People, Businesses, & Organizations Dislike 10DLC A2P Messaging

  1. Mandatory Registration: Businesses are required to register their brand and campaigns with The Campaign Registry (TCR), which feels like an unnecessary hurdle for those accustomed to simpler texting methods. This registration has no standing in United States State and Federal Law. This registration is enforced by wireless network carriers as a way to lessen spam messaging nationwide. 10DLC A2P or a similar mechanism for fighting spam messages is needed, but wireless network carriers take it too far.
  2. Additional Costs: Registration fees, monthly subscription fees, and per-message carrier surcharges add unexpected expenses, especially for small businesses with tight budgets.
  3. Complex Process: The multi-step registration process (brand registration, campaign registration, and number mapping) can be confusing and time-consuming.
  4. Delays in Approval: Campaign vetting can take days or even weeks, delaying messaging efforts and disrupting time-sensitive communications.
  5. Penalties for Non-Compliance: Unregistered numbers face higher fees, message filtering, or outright blocking by carriers, penalizing businesses that don’t comply quickly enough.
  6. Throughput Limits: Messaging volume is capped based on trust scores, restricting high-volume senders who need more flexibility than 10DLC allows.
  7. Content Restrictions: Strict rules against certain content (e.g., SHAFT: sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, tobacco) limit what businesses can send, frustrating industries like liquor stores or gun shops.
  8. Opt-In Requirements: Businesses must provide proof of consumer opt-ins, which adds complexity to list-building and can shrink reachable audiences.
  9. Carrier Variability: Different carriers (e.g., AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile) impose unique fees and rules, creating inconsistency and confusion.
  10. Forced Transition: Companies using unregistered long codes or shared short codes were pushed to adopt 10DLC, disrupting established workflows.

These frustrations stem from the shift to a more regulated, structured system designed to reduce spam and improve trust, but which introduces new challenges for users. While 10DLC offers benefits like better deliverability and cost-effectiveness compared to short codes, the transition and ongoing requirements can feel burdensome, especially for those unprepared or resource-limited.

SendSweep App Enhancements

Use the WordShift Magic and Drip Mode settings in the SendSweep app to overcome most network carrier message filtering mechanisms. Enabling these settings ensures better message delivery:

  • WordShift Magic: Swaps words for synonyms while keeping the meaning of your message essentially the same.
  • Drip Mode: Sets the pause (delay) between messages.

What Carriers Look For to Throttle or Block SMS

  • High Volume Over Short Time: Sending hundreds or thousands of messages in minutes from a single long code is a red flag. Carriers often rate-limit to 1 message per second per number.
  • Same Message Sent to Multiple Numbers: Identical or near-identical messages sent quickly to many recipients are flagged as bulk spam, especially if they contain links, “Call now”, or urgent calls to action.
  • Spammy or Non-Compliant Content: Using trigger words like “Free,” “Buy now,” “Act fast,” “Cash,” “Gift card,” “Win,” unregistered URLs, URL shorteners, or including phone numbers in the message.
  • Lack of opt-out language (e.g., “Reply STOP to opt out”).

Many messaging apps also include a “Report Spam” button. When used, it sends a report to the carrier, potentially leading to rate-limiting, temporary blocking, or even blacklisting of the sending number. In a 10DLC campaign, this can lower your campaign trust score.

How to Stay Under the Radar (or Do It Right)

  • Rotate Numbers (Carefully): Use number pools and rotate them to stay under limits—but avoid sending identical messages from multiple numbers (a practice known as snowshoeing).
  • Include Opt-In and Opt-Out Language: For example, “Reply Y to Receive MSGs” and “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” help ensure compliance and reduce filtering.
  • Vary Message Templates: Personalize messages (e.g., “Hi John, thanks for your interest…”) instead of sending generic texts to reduce duplicate detection.
  • Monitor Deliverability: Keep an eye on dropped or failed message logs. A sudden drop in delivery may indicate throttling or filtering.

Additional best practices include using recognizable (local) numbers, avoiding sending links in the first message (especially shortened URLs like bit.ly or Tinyurl), and always including clear opt-out instructions in the first message.

Crafting the Perfect Message

  • Use neutral or inquiry-based wording in the first cold message.
  • Do not make your first message/contact purely promotional. This may invite scrutiny.

Example:

Hi, this is [YourName].
Do you need help with [short benefit statement]?
Is it okay if I text you more about this?
Reply Yes to Opt-In. Reply No to Opt-Out.

If They Say “STOP or “No” or Don’t Respond…

  • DO NOT send any more texts.
  • Keep a log of that number in the SendSweep app Blacklist. This happens automatically if your recipient responds with a Keyword that exists in the SendSweep app Blacklist. You can set up your own custom Blacklist Keywords. “STOP” is the default Blacklist Keyword in the SendSweep app.


This is not legal advice. Consult an attorney in your jurisdiction for legal advice.