Opt-Out Language That Minimizes Opt-Outs — 4 Tips for Texting

The only constant in life—and peer-to-peer texting—is change. If you’re thinking there’s been a little bit too much change in the world of P2P lately, we’re right there with you. And when we say we’re right there with you, we really mean it! GetThru is committed to making sure your texts are delivered and your important messages received.

You may have noticed a new feature in the ThruText campaign builder recently: required fields denoting your Organization Name and Opt Out Language. The first is pretty straightforward (tell your recipients who you are), but we have gotten questions about the second one from clients concerned that adding opt out instructions will increase opt out rates. And we totally get it: you don’t want to seem like you’re encouraging your audience to opt out of receiving your text messages! But lucky for us, we have brilliant clients, and we’re excited to share some best practices a few have been using in the face of this new Opt Out Language requirement.

But first, a little context: we were required to make Organization Name and Opt Out Language required fields by our downstream vendors as part of compliance with new 10DLC rules. If you’re a veteran of digital outreach, you probably know that this was already a requirement that exists on every other type of texting—for example, broadcast messaging. Just as importantly, identifying your organization and letting your audience know they can opt out has long been a best practice that increases deliverability. 

So, how might you manage this new Opt Out Language requirement? Here’s four tips: 

1. Pick Your Opt Out Phrase – Did you know that there are thirty-two opt-out language options from which you can choose, from the most succinct (“Stop2Quit”) to the more conversational end (“Stop to no longer receive texts”)? We encourage you to take some time to review your options and find the language that works best for your program.   

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2. Embed the Phrase – We recommend including the opt-out language in the middle of your message, rather than at the end—here’s an example:
   
   “Hi FIRST NAME. This is SENDER NAME from ORG NAME. Thank you for your donation in 2021! Will you renew your support today? Yes, you can text back OPT OUT LANGUAGE, but are you interested in learning more about how your generosity can make a difference?”

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3. Test, Test, Test – If you have the capacity for some light data analysis, we encourage you to A/B test different Opt Out Language fields and placement to see what works best for your audience. You can do this by splitting your audience into two campaigns with two different opt out messages/placements and seeing if there is a difference in opt out rates.  

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4. Focus On The Most Important Numbers – It is likely that adding opt out language will increase opt outs, especially in the short term. Based on our analysis with select clients, the vast majority of these opt outs are from recipients who had never previously taken action / made donations in response to a text message. So while it’s important to keep an eye on opt out rates, the most important numbers to focus on are things like action and giving rates. It may also be valuable to dig in and see if things have changed beyond your Opt Out rate. For example, if you’re a fundraiser, have donation fulfillments from texting gone down? If you’re an organizer, have you seen fewer volunteer sign-ups?

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We hope these best practices are helpful, and we’d love to hear from you as you continue to manage the ever changing world of P2P texting. Whether you’ve developed another tactic for handling opt out language, found that your fulfillment rates have or haven’t changed, or have other thoughts or feedback, give us a shout anytime at info@getthru.io.