Texting is one of the most direct ways to reach American customers, and also the most tightly policed. Before your first campaign to a +1 number, you need the right consent, the right kind of sending number and messages timed for the recipient’s local clock. This page covers each piece, then shows how Mailpro handles the sending.
Consent comes first: the TCPA
The Telephone Consumer Protection Act, enforced by the FCC and through private lawsuits, requires prior express written consent before you send marketing texts with automated systems. In practice that means a clear opt-in, such as a web form checkbox or a keyword texted to your number, with wording that names your business, says the person agrees to receive marketing texts, gives the expected frequency, notes that message and data rates may apply and explains how to opt out. Consent cannot be a condition of purchase.
The stakes are real: the TCPA sets statutory damages of $500 per text, rising to $1,500 for willful violations. Our FAQ on collecting SMS opt-ins offers practical wording, and the page on laws and restrictions for SMS campaigns compares the rules in other countries.
Carriers decide what gets delivered: 10DLC, toll-free and short codes
US mobile operators treat business texting (A2P, application-to-person) separately from personal messages. There are three main routes:
- 10DLC: standard 10-digit local numbers registered through The Campaign Registry. You register your brand and each use case (marketing, account alerts and so on). Unregistered 10DLC traffic is blocked by the major carriers.
- Toll-free numbers: 8XX numbers that must be verified before they can send at volume.
- Short codes: 5- or 6-digit numbers suited to high-volume programs, with a longer approval process.
One notable difference from Europe: the US does not support alphanumeric sender IDs, so your texts arrive from a number, not from your brand name. Put your business name at the start of each message instead. Before a US launch, check with Mailpro support how your traffic will be routed and what registration it needs.
Timing and opt-outs
Federal rules limit telemarketing to between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m. in the recipient’s local time, and some states, such as Florida, set narrower windows. With customers spread across Eastern, Central, Mountain, Pacific, Alaska and Hawaii time, schedule by segment rather than sending one national blast. Honor STOP and similar replies straight away; FCC rules give you no more than 10 business days.
Format numbers correctly
US and Canadian numbers share country code +1 followed by a 10-digit number, for example +1 212 555 0100. Store them in international format so your campaigns reach the right handset; our country code list helps when your contacts span several countries.
What you can send with Mailpro
- Campaigns from the web: write and send from the online SMS gateway.
- Personal touches: insert first names or appointment dates with personalized SMS.
- Scheduling: prepare a Black Friday or Labor Day text in advance and let it go out at the right hour for each time zone.
- Reporting: follow delivery status per number in SMS statistics.
- Integration: send from your own systems through the SMS API or email-to-SMS.
When text works best in the US
Keep SMS for short, time-sensitive messages: flash sales on Cyber Monday, appointment reminders for salons and clinics, delivery updates, severe-weather closures or last-minute event changes. Pair it with email for anything longer. In Mailpro’s own customer survey, users rate SMS deliverability 9.8/10. You pay per message sent, and pricing is listed on the SMS pricing page. Wondering whether it will pay off? Read are SMS campaigns effective in the US?