New P2P Texting Restrictions and Guidelines

P2P texting restrictions

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT
New Restrictions on P2P Political and Non-Profit Texting Campaigns

July 2020:  Major cell phone carriers are fighting spam by imposing new restrictions on Peer to Peer (P2P) texting campaigns. We take great strides to keep our clients in compliance with both federal guidelines and private operating policies of the major carriers. Any violations of these policies will result in blocked messages, fines, and blacklisting of candidates and organizations.

To help us provide you the best possible P2P service, you must agree to abide by these guidelines:

1)  Texts come from agents on behalf of the candidate, and not from the candidate themselves. Personalize your text by always using your recipient’s name and identifying yourself. (Hi Jennifer, this is Lori from the Bruce Wayne campaign.)

2) Avoid identical content. Messages should be different and variable, including the recipients’ names and content. Use of dynamic text replacement is advised. (one text, “please vote.” another text, “please support.”)

3) If links are included in the text, they must be the actual, and full, URL, and cannot be shortened (NO bit.ly) or redirected.

4) Do NOT use texts to raise money or collect contact information from voters or members.

5) Text messages must look like natural one-to-one personal communications. Any spam-like messages are prohibited and will be blocked.

6) Do not use any of these BANNED words in your texts:
businesses, COVID-19, pandemic, Learn more, register, small biz, Biz, Free quote, Free, bank, HARP, Department of Education, entitled, reduced, refi, refinance, payment, discharge lend, lending, profanity, lender, loan, loans, fund, funds, bank, approval, approved, debt, money, rate, apply, application, CBD, transfer, qualify, forgive, forgiveness, sex, sexual, firearms, gun(s), weapon(s), tobacco, cannabis, marijuana, vape, vaping, $ symbol), Repeating symbols (Ex !!!) (ALL CAPS are also prohibited), Donation.

7) Do not use any of these BANNED topics:
Any commercial or sales messages and messages containing: sex, hate, alcohol, firearms, tobacco content, vaping, weapons, drugs, cannabis, gambling, fraud, spam, phishing or deceptive marketing.