10DLC Prep Checklist

10DLC is a new messaging standard introduced by US phone carriers to prevent spam 📲TCR (The Campaign Registry) is the entity that vets 10DLC registrations. All new TCR campaign submissions are subject to a manual vetting process which can take up to one business week.

10DLC registration is required to send text messages, and while the approval process is managed by the phone carriers and TCR, Hustle makes registration as simple as possible. ✨ Based on trends in registration outcomes, we want to make sure that you have all the relevant information for a smooth registration process. 

10DLC registration can take some time due to TCR approvals, so it’s important to start this process as soon as possible. If your TCR campaign is rejected, this will increase your timeline to approval. 

This article provides a checklist of the most important things to have in place for your 10DLC compliance. Going through this list will help ensure your registration is approved and you can start messaging as quickly as possible. Any questions can be directed to your CSM or to support@hustle.com - for full guidance on how to register, hop over to How do I register for 10DLC with Hustle?

👀 Before Registering your Brand

For the purposes of 10DLC, a brand is defined as a legal entity with an Employer Identification Number or EIN. A brand is registered to inform carriers who is sending traffic to their subscribers.

Prep the following before registering a brand in Hustle: 

✅ Get your EIN (nine-digit tax identification number) - Per TCR, an EIN is required to register a brand in Hustle. If you don’t yet have an EIN, you can apply for one here. 

When registering your brand, Hustle will autofill details for your entity after you have entered the EIN - make sure those details look correct. If details are not found, you can proceed with the registration process. Note that this means TCR will manually review your submission, which may take additional time.

If there is an issue with your TCR brand review and it is stuck in Pending status, send your IRS determination letter to support@hustle.com for the fastest resolution. If you have not yet received a determination letter, please note that you may receive a lower TCR score until your entity status has been confirmed by the IRS. 

✅Apply for a Campaign Verify token: This step is only for political campaigns, political parties, PACs, and 527’s. If you qualify, we strongly recommend you get a token from Campaign Verify for fastest and easiest registration, and best message sending speeds. This process happens outside of Hustle. 

Once Campaign Verify has completed vetting, they will give you a CV Token for the current political cycle that you will apply during or after your Hustle brand registration. 

• Your CV token will look something like this: cv|1.0|tcr|10dlc|f2253eaa-72fb-444c-987c-98d6b4399ad9|dfadlWJp4HkSf063HZJbnszPwO-XIdCOYBXKQLD8tw

A CV token can only be used for one brand registration. Even if you used the token for a different texting vendor, it cannot be used again in Hustle. If you have an active CV account and need a second token, you can get one by following CV’s instructions here. For any questions about Campaign Verify's process, you can reach out to their support team at support@campaignverify.org

When you have this info you’re ready to Register your Brand in Hustle! 🥳When registering your brand, you will select political committee = yes and then enter your CV token in the field provided.

Once your Brand is Active or displays a TCR Score, go through the following checklist to make sure you’re ready for Campaign Registration: 

🛑 Before Registering your Campaign

For the purposes of 10DLC, campaigns are defined as the use-cases or the kinds of messages brands text to audiences. (e.g. Marketing, Public Service Announcements, Political, Higher Education, etc.) Register a campaign to inform carriers what type of traffic is being sent to their subscribers.

Note: One campaign can be applied to up to 49 groups in Hustle to use for messaging, so most clients will not need to register more than one campaign. Registering multiple identical campaigns at once can result in a slower approval process. 

All TCR campaign submissions will be subject to a manual review by the downstream Direct Connect Aggregator (DCA). This review process can take up to one business week, and if rejected will take longer. To avoid rejection be sure to follow all recommendations below.

✅ Get a link to a working website for your entity - this can be a social media page, as long as it is accessible and verifies the business identity. If you are collecting any information on the website, we recommend you also include a link to where the Privacy Policy is posted on your site. 

If there’s any prohibited content* on the website, the campaign will be rejected.

• *The following types of content are prohibited on 10DLC: CBD, Cannabis, Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco. 

✅ Confirm the website has an accessible and compliant Privacy Policy: Per CTIA guidelines, message senders are to maintain an easily accessible and compliant Privacy Policy and make clear that consumer information is not being shared with third-parties for marketing purposes. The privacy policy should be referenced in the call-to-action/opt-in when submitting a campaign for vetting. We recommend linking directly to your Privacy Policy in the campaign registration. 

Your campaign may be rejected for privacy policy reasons if there is no policy present, or if the privacy policy is non-compliant. If a privacy policy is non-compliant, it is generally due to the sharing of consumer information with third-parties for marketing purposes.

✅ Review your Opt in Methods: Most rejected campaigns are due to insufficient opt in methods, so it’s very important to make sure your methods are compliant before registering your campaign. All entities sending text messages are required to follow CTIA guidelines for text messaging opt in process. 

Step 3 of the Campaign Registration will ask about your opt-in methods, and you should include a clear and concise description of how an end user signs up to receive messages. 

Opt-in must be 1 to 1, can't be shared with third parties, and can't be implied. It must be clear, conspicuous, and can't be obscured within the terms & conditions and/or other agreement(s). 

If you indicate in your registration that you collect opt-ins through the website, TCR will check the website you provide to confirm there is a place to process opt-ins and that all forms collecting phone numbers contain clear opt-in language. Here’s an example of a form on a website collecting opt-ins with compliant language: 

Compliant opt-in method examples (based on approved campaign submissions):

• Entering a phone number through a website and agreeing to receive messages
  • Example: Customers opt-in by visiting www.examplewebsite.com and adding their phone number. They then check a box agreeing to receive text messages from the example brand.

• Clicking a button on a mobile webpage
• Sending a message from the consumer’s mobile device that contains an advertising keyword

• • Example: Consumers opt-in by texting START to (111) 222-3333.
  • Important: If consumers can opt in by texting a keyword, the response should include the brand name, confirmation of opt-in enrollment to a recurring message campaign, how to get help, and a clear description of how to opt out. 

• Initiating the text message exchange in which the message sender replies to the consumer only with responsive information
• Signing up at a point of sale (POS) or another message sender on-site location
• Opting in over the phone using interactive voice response (IVR) technology.
  • Example: "Hustle: You’re now opted-in to our platform notifications. For help, reply HELP. To opt out, reply STOP."

Non-Compliant opt-in method examples (based on rejected campaign submissions): 

• The Voter File, or accessing any public database with phone number information
• Purchased list of phone numbers 
• Texting existing customers without prior explicit opt-in 

Important: Even if the Opt in Methods section indicates that opt-ins are collected outside the website, all lead intake forms on the brand's website will be reviewed by TCR. If the phone number field is required, the disclaimer about the SMS opt-in must be included. Otherwise, the campaign will be rejected.

✅ Opt-out message: Acceptable opt-out language must include at least one of the following words: end, stop, unsubscribe, or arret (French). If you’re using an opt-out phrase, it must be separated by spaces (i.e., STOP2END is not acceptable; it should be STOP 2 END). Please ensure that at least one of your sample messages shows your opt-out. 

When you have reviewed this list, you are ready to register your campaign! ⭐ Once your campaign is submitted in Hustle, the manual review process typically takes several days to one business week, so check back for updates. Reach out to support@hustle.com with any questions on the registration process. 

✨Pro Tip! While you're waiting for your campaign to be approved, get started on setting up your groups, adding agents, uploading contacts and creating goal drafts!