How to collect text message consent the right way
The Ciclo teamPublished 5 min readBefore you send marketing texts, people need to clearly agree to receive them. A good opt-in says who is texting, what kind of messages to expect, roughly how often, and how to stop. Keep a dated record of each person's opt-in, including where it happened and the wording they saw, and honor every opt-out on every future message.
This guide describes good practice, not legal advice. Texting rules in the US come from federal law (see the FCC's guide), state laws and carrier policies such as the CTIA Messaging Principles, and can depend on your industry. Check your plans with your own counsel.
1. Say exactly what people are signing up for
Name your business and the kind of messages you'll send, such as offers, event updates or donation appeals. People should never be surprised by a text from you.
2. Say how often you'll text
"Up to four messages a month" sets an expectation people can hold you to. It also keeps you honest about frequency.
3. Say how to stop
Tell people they can reply STOP at any time, and that message and data rates may apply. Treat any clear request to stop, like "please stop texting me", as an opt-out too, not only the word STOP.
4. Keep a record of every opt-in
For each person, record the date, where they opted in (a QR code, a web form, a keyword text, at checkout) and the exact wording they agreed to. If your wording changes later, keep the old version too. A yes/no checkbox in a spreadsheet isn't enough to show how and when someone agreed.
5. Honor every opt-out, everywhere
An opt-out should apply to every future campaign, including ones that were scheduled before the person opted out. The safest way to guarantee this is to check opt-out status at the moment each message is sent, not when the campaign was planned.
6. Respect quiet hours
Don't text people late at night or early in the morning in their own time zone. Schedule sends for reasonable hours, and hold messages that would land outside them.
Good places to ask for consent
- A QR code at the register, on tables or on flyers
- A one-step form on your website
- A keyword people text to your number, like JOIN
- An unchecked opt-in box at checkout or on a donation form
- A sign-up sheet or tablet at events
How Ciclo helps
Ciclo writes the opt-in wording with you, builds the opt-in pages and QR codes, keeps a dated consent history for every contact, and checks consent, opt-outs and quiet hours for each person at the moment of sending. See how consent works in Ciclo.