Texting verification for US studios (10DLC), explained in plain words

Why the carriers ask

Spam texts made many people wary of messages from numbers they don’t know. So the US mobile carriers now want every business that texts from a normal ten-digit number (that’s what the “10DLC”, ten-digit long code, stands for) to say who it is and what it sends. Registration is how the carriers enforce this: they now block most unregistered business texts from local numbers.

It applies whatever software you use. It isn’t a photography rule or a software rule. It’s the carriers’ rule for every business texting US mobiles.

The two parts: who you are, and what you’ll send

1. Your business (the “brand”). Your legal business name, business type, tax ID, address, website and a contact person. The details are checked against official records, so they have to match exactly.

2. Your messages (the “campaign”). What you’ll text clients about, a short description, sample messages (usually two or more), how clients agree to receive texts, and how they opt out.

Once both are approved, your studio number is attached to them and texts start flowing.

Who actually fills in the form

You don’t apply to each carrier yourself. The software or phone company that sends your texts submits the registration on your behalf, usually from a form in its settings. You supply the business details, describe your messages and paste in your samples. They pass it to the industry registry the carriers use, and the result comes back to you.

That’s why the details have to be right first time: you’re writing for a reviewer who has never heard of your studio and only sees what you typed.

What to have ready before you start

• Your legal business name, exactly as it appears on your tax records. A trading name on its own often causes a rejection.
• Your tax ID. For most studios, the EIN. If you’re a sole proprietor without one, there’s a separate sole proprietor route with tighter limits, such as one phone number, and a code sent to your own mobile to confirm it’s you.
• A live website on your own domain that matches the business name, with your contact details.
• A privacy policy on that website saying how you use phone numbers, and that you don’t sell or share them for others’ marketing.
• Text opt-in wording on your enquiry and booking forms (example below).
• Two or more sample messages written the way you’ll really text.

Sample messages that match a studio

Samples should name your studio, match what you said you’ll send, use [brackets] for the parts that change, and show how to opt out.

If you’ll send promotions, such as mini session announcements, say so and include a sample. Carrier rules, and US law in many cases, expect express written consent for marketing texts, so only send them to people who ticked yes.

Opt-in wording for your forms

Clients have to agree to texts before you send them, and you need to describe how they agree. A tick box on your enquiry form works well. Leave it unticked, and don’t make it required to submit the form:

Use a separate tick box if you want permission for promotional texts too. A client who texts you first can be answered: replying to their message is part of the conversation they started.

Writing the campaign description

The description tells the reviewer, in a few sentences, who gets your texts and why. Keep it specific to your studio:

Then make sure your sample messages and your website match every claim in it.

Sole proprietor or standard business?

If your studio has an EIN, register as a standard business. The sole proprietor route is for small businesses and individuals without one. It’s quicker to set up, but comes with tighter limits, such as one phone number and lower sending volumes, so it suits a photographer working alone who mostly replies to enquiries. If you plan to hire, add a second number or send seasonal mini session announcements, the standard route is usually the better fit.

Why applications get rejected

• The business name doesn’t match the tax ID records
• The website is missing, not live, or doesn’t match the business name
• No privacy policy, or one that says numbers may be shared
• Sample messages don’t match the description, or don’t name the studio
• No clear description of how clients opt in
• Links through public link shorteners, which can hide who’s sending

Each rejection means fixing the problem and waiting again, so check these before you submit.

How long it takes, and what works meanwhile

It can take a few weeks, and longer if an application is rejected and resubmitted. Start it on the first day you set up your studio number.

While you wait:

• Calls work straight away. You can answer and make calls on your studio number on day one.
• Instagram, Facebook, website chat and email work as soon as they’re connected.
• Text-based automations, such as a text back for missed calls, start once texting is approved.

Where Allio fits: In Allio, you fill in the texting verification from your phone settings, and calling works from the day you sign up. See the studio phone system and pricing.

After you’re approved

• Send the kinds of texts you registered, and register again if you start something different, such as promotions
• Honour STOP, and other plain requests like “please stop texting me”, straight away
• Only text people who agreed, and never use a bought or shared list
• Keep texts useful and timely: reminders, replies and updates clients want

This guide covers the US. 800 numbers and similar national numbers have their own verification, and other countries have different rules.

This guide is general information, not legal advice. Carrier rules change, and some US states have their own texting laws, so check the current rules for your state, or ask a lawyer, before you send marketing texts.