This article is for informational purposes only and is not intended as legal advice. If you need legal advice, please contact your preferred legal counsel.

In October 2021, carriers implemented a requirement for businesses to register for a private SMS pool in order to send SMS campaigns within the US. This is called A2P 10DLC registration and is an industry-wide regulation to help better protect consumers from scams and phishing attacks. Don't worry! Registering for a pool is not as daunting as it seems. Let's go over the steps below.

If you have not yet registered your brand, you will first want to visit the Trust Center to get started with your brand registration. If you need assistance completing the brand registration form, please click HERE. After your brand has been successfully verified, you can register for a private number pool using the below steps.

To register for a number pool, click the 'Number Pools' tab in your Drop Cowboy data menu. This can be found on the left-hand side of your account. Next, click the '+Add Number Pool' button.

***You will now need to complete the registration form for your number pool. It is very important that you are providing accurate information and selecting the correct use case as the carriers review this information to determine the likelihood they will deliver your messages on their networks.

We will go over each section of the number pool registration form below.

From the drop-down menu, select the brand for which you are registering the number pool. Note: You can have different use cases for your brands, however, the registration form must be completed for each number pool. You will need to pay a one-time registration fee and a recurring monthly number pool rental fee for each number pool you register.

**Please note that certain industries will not be able to send content via SMS. If your content is reflective of the following, your pool request will be denied by the carriers: insurance, loans, job recruitment, sweepstakes, and any other industries listed within our Terms of Service.

Next, you will need to name your number pool. This should be a descriptive name for your own reference.

For your use case, you must choose the description that best fits the type of content you will be sending with your pool. For example, if you are sending Marketing content, you should choose the Marketing use case. Please note that if you send content that does not fit your use case, the carriers can suspend your brand or pool. Fees for the number pools vary depending on your use case and the pricing for a use case will display once you click the description.

**If you are creating a pool for SMS use, please DO NOT choose a pool with 'Ringless Voicemail' in the description as those are intended for use with voicemail campaigns only and not SMS.

For the pool description, you will need to describe to the carriers what you intend to use the pool for. Your description should be in line with your selected use case. For example, "Example Company will be sending out monthly promotions to our clients."

You will need to provide two unique and different examples of the messages you would like to send using the pool. You will not be limited to these messages, however, the content you send on the pool after you are approved should be in line with the samples you provide to the carriers. You should include your registered brand name in your samples as well as opt-out instructions.

You will also need to select if your content is age-gated, or will have any embedded phone numbers or web URLs. If you have selected that you will be including embedded phone numbers or URLs, they should be included in your sample messages.

Enter the number of times you intend to message your contacts per month.

Your call to action is displayed to your contacts when we send confirmation of their consent to receive text messages from your brand. An example of the message they will receive is shown below.

[Brand Name] would like to text you regarding [Call To Action Message]. Approx [number of messages you enter] msg/month from (555) 234-5678. Msg&data rates apply. Please reply YES to receive messages, HELP for more info, STOP to cancel, or SPAM to report an unsolicited text."

For the Call To Action section, you will want to enter a brief phrase describing what you want to text your customers about. For example, if you entered "product and promotion updates", your call to action message would say, "Example Company would like to text you regarding product and promotion updates."

Please provide a detailed description of how consumers opt-in to receive text messages from your brand. Please note that if you are using a web form you will want to ensure you include the direct link to the web form and that your web form has the appropriate SMS consent disclosures/consent checkboxes present. For more information on proper SMS consent disclosures, please click HERE.

While there are many opt-in methods, some examples of describing how your customers may have opted in are listed below. You should include all opt-in methods within your description.

Please enter the message you would like your contacts to receive in the event they text the keyword HELP. Please note your help message must include your brand name, a toll-free number, and/or your support email address at a minimum. For example, "Thanks for contacting ABC Company. For assistance, please email example@example.com." Or, "Thanks for contacting ABC Company. For assistance, please call 888-888-8888."

Please enter the message you would like your contacts to receive in the event they text the keyword TERMS. ***Please note your message must include your brand name AND a direct link to your terms. As a best practice, your SMS Terms of Service should also be listed in your SMS consent disclosure on any web forms where you collect opt-in, and should also be present in the footer of your website.

Please enter the message you would like your contacts to receive in the event they text the keyword PRIVACY. ***Please note your message must include your brand name AND a direct link to your SMS Privacy Policy. As a best practice, your Privacy Policy should also be listed in your SMS consent disclosure on any web forms where you collect opt-in, and should also be present in the footer of your website. Please also note that the carriers will not accept a privacy policy where data is shared or sold to third parties for marketing purposes.

After you click subscribe, your registration will be reviewed by our team. We'll be in touch if any additional information is needed or we'll forward the pool to the carriers for approval. After the pool has been registered, we will reach out to you to ask you to add a phone number to your pool. After you have added a number, our team will be in touch to advise your pool is ready for use in your SMS campaigns.

The entire registration process can take anywhere from 7 to 10 business days or longer due to carrier vetting procedures. While this time frame is outside of our control, rest assured our team follows each pool registration daily and we will reach out to you ASAP when we hear back from the carriers. After you receive a final approval message from our team you'll be ready to begin sending SMS campaigns!

Still need help? Reach out to our Support Team and we'll be happy to help!