A2P Campaign Registration: Step-by-Step Guide
A2P (Application-to-Person) 10DLC registration is required by U.S. carriers to send business text messages using 10-digit long code phone numbers. This guide walks you through the complete registration process in LeadConnector.
You'll learn how to register your business brand, create compliant messaging campaigns, understand carrier requirements, and troubleshoot common registration issues.
What is A2P 10DLC Registration?
A2P (Application-to-Person) 10DLC registration is a system introduced by U.S. mobile carriers to regulate business text messaging sent through 10-digit long code phone numbers. This registration framework helps carriers distinguish legitimate business messaging from spam and improves overall message deliverability.
The registration process involves two components: registering your business brand and creating specific messaging campaigns that describe how you'll use SMS to communicate with your audience.
A2P registration is mandatory for all businesses sending text messages to U.S. phone numbers using 10-digit long codes. Unregistered numbers will experience significant throttling and potential blocking by carriers.
Why A2P Registration is Required
U.S. carriers implemented A2P 10DLC registration to address growing concerns about spam, fraud, and unwanted text messages. This system provides several benefits for both carriers and legitimate businesses:
Businesses that fail to register may experience message throttling to as low as 1 message per minute, severely limiting their ability to communicate with customers at scale.
Before You Begin: Requirements
Before starting the A2P registration process, gather the following information and ensure you meet these prerequisites:
Legal business name, Tax ID (EIN), business address, phone number, email, website URL, and industry vertical. For sole proprietors without an EIN, you may use your Social Security Number.
At least one 10-digit long code phone number purchased through LeadConnector. Toll-free numbers follow a different registration process.
Clear description of your messaging use case, sample message templates, estimated monthly message volume, and confirmation that you have proper consent mechanisms in place.
Documentation showing how you obtain opt-in consent from recipients, privacy policy URL, and terms of service that comply with TCPA and carrier guidelines.
How to Register Your Brand
Brand registration is the first step in the A2P process. This creates your business profile with The Campaign Registry (TCR), which assigns your brand a trust score that impacts messaging throughput.
In LeadConnector, go to Settings and select Business Profile. This is where you'll enter your brand registration information.
Fill in all required fields including legal business name, Tax ID (EIN or SSN), business type, address, phone, email, website, and industry vertical. Ensure all information matches official business records.
Choose your business structure from the dropdown menu: Sole Proprietor, LLC, Corporation, Partnership, Non-Profit, or Government Entity. This affects verification requirements.
If your business is publicly traded, provide stock exchange and ticker symbol. This can improve your trust score.
Review all information for accuracy, then click Submit. The Campaign Registry will review your brand registration, which typically takes 3-5 business days.
Consider purchasing brand vetting services if you need higher throughput. Vetted brands receive significantly higher trust scores and daily sending limits compared to unvetted brands.
How to Create a Campaign
After your brand is approved, create messaging campaigns that describe how you'll use SMS. Each campaign represents a specific use case and must be approved before you can send messages at full throughput.
Navigate to Settings, then select Phone Numbers. Click on the A2P Registration tab to view your registered brand and create campaigns.
Choose the use case that best describes your messaging purpose from the dropdown menu. Options include Customer Care, Marketing, Account Notifications, Delivery Notifications, and others. Select carefully as this impacts approval requirements.
Write a clear, detailed description of your messaging campaign including the purpose, frequency, and types of messages you'll send. Be specific and accurate as carriers review this information.
Provide 1-5 sample messages that represent the actual content you'll send. Include opt-out language (STOP to unsubscribe) in at least one sample. Samples should be realistic and match your described use case.
Describe how recipients consent to receive messages. Include details about where opt-in happens (website form, point of sale, etc.) and confirm you maintain consent records.
Estimate your daily and monthly message volume. Be realistic as significantly exceeding your declared volume may trigger carrier filtering.
Check all required compliance boxes confirming you understand TCPA regulations, will honor opt-outs, won't send prohibited content, and will maintain proper consent documentation.
Review all campaign details, then click Submit. Carriers typically review and approve campaigns within 3-7 business days. You'll receive email notifications about approval status.
Understanding Campaign Use Cases
Selecting the correct campaign use case is critical for approval and compliance. Each use case has specific requirements and throughput limits. Choose the category that most accurately describes your messaging purpose.
Promotional content, sales announcements, special offers, and general marketing communications. Requires explicit opt-in consent and clear opt-out mechanisms. Subject to stricter filtering than transactional use cases.
Support communications, service updates, appointment reminders, and customer service interactions. Must be related to existing customer relationships or service requests.
Security alerts, password resets, account activity notifications, and similar transactional messages directly related to account management. Generally receives highest deliverability.
Shipping updates, order confirmations, delivery status messages, and logistics communications. Must relate to actual delivery of goods or services.
One-time passwords, verification codes, and authentication messages. Reserved specifically for security verification purposes only, not general account notifications.
If your messaging combines multiple purposes (e.g., marketing and customer care), create separate campaigns for each use case and assign different phone numbers to each campaign for best results.
Assigning Phone Numbers to Campaigns
After your campaign is approved, assign your 10-digit long code phone numbers to the campaign. This links the numbers to your approved use case and enables full throughput messaging.
Go to Settings → Phone Numbers to view all your active phone numbers in LeadConnector.
Click the checkbox next to each 10-digit long code number you want to assign to your approved campaign. You can select multiple numbers at once.
From the bulk actions menu, select "Assign to Campaign" and choose your approved campaign from the dropdown list. Only approved campaigns appear in this list.
Review the assignment details and click Confirm. The system will register each number with the campaign, which typically completes within minutes.
Once numbers are assigned to an approved campaign, they can send messages at your brand's approved throughput rate. Check the phone number details page to confirm campaign assignment status.
Registration Timeline and Approval
Understanding the A2P registration timeline helps you plan your messaging strategy. The approval process involves multiple steps and can take up to two weeks from initial submission to full messaging capability.
During the approval process, you can still send messages, but unregistered or pending numbers will be throttled to approximately 1 message per minute. Plan accordingly and complete registration before launching major campaigns.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you encounter issues during A2P registration or have questions about campaign requirements, help is available directly in your account:
- Access the A2P Registration section in Settings → Phone Numbers to check your current registration status
- Review rejection reasons and required corrections directly in the registration interface
- Contact LeadConnector support through the in-app help widget with your brand or campaign ID for specific guidance