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Forbidden Messaging and Spam related Content
Forbidden Messaging and Spam related Content

Text Messaging use cases that are not allowed in the US and Canada

Levi Butler avatar
Written by Levi Butler
Updated over a year ago

The following text messaging use cases are not allowed In the US and Canada:

  • High-Risk Financial Services

  • Third-party lead generation services (Companies that buy, sell, or share customer information)

  • Debt collection or Forgiveness

  • "Get rich quick" Schemes

  • Illegal Substances (This includes CBD and Cannabis products in the US due to the fact that Cannabis is not federally legal, and CBD is not legal in some states)

  • Gambling

  • "S.H.A.F.T." use cases (Sex, Hate, Alchohol, Firearms and Tobacco)

In order to enforce these rules, SMS providers require a campaign registry listing the use case for your business text messages. For those who do not register, message deliverability will be heavily and aggressively penalized, in many cases bringing deliverability to 10%-0%.

Some guidelines that are essential to avoid being flagged as spam. To maintain a positive reputation and ensure your messages reach their intended recipients, it's crucial to steer clear of certain words and phrases. Avoid using overly promotional language, such as "buy now," "cash prize," or "free money."

Also, be cautious about employing excessive capitalization and too many exclamation points, as this can trigger spam filters. It's advisable to avoid abbreviations and slang that might be associated with scams or phishing attempts.

By crafting concise and clear messages that respect these guidelines, businesses can effectively engage with their audience while staying compliant with 10DLC regulations.

Here are some additional words that can hurt your messaging and possibly trigger spam filters. It's important to understand these words alone won't trigger spam filters in all cases but how you structure the remaining portion of your message as well.

  1. Free

  2. Cash

  3. Prize

  4. Win

  5. Congratulations

  6. Buy now

  7. Discount

  8. Limited time offer

  9. Act now

  10. Call now

  11. Double your

  12. Guaranteed

  13. Make money fast

  14. Save up to

  15. 100% free

  16. No hidden

  17. Risk-free

  18. This won't believe

  19. Urgent

Remember, messaging should be an realistic and genuine as you can possibly make it. Using messaging as a genuine form of connection will not only avoid spam filters but give you the best overall results.

If you are unsure if you fall into one of the Forbidden Messaging categories or need assistance with understanding spam filtering, please reach out to our support team for assistance.

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