How to Write a 10DLC Campaign Description That Gets Approved (With Examples)

Ask DCA reviewers what kills most campaigns and the answer is consistent: the description field. It is free text, it feels informal, and businesses treat it casually ("Marketing messages for our customers"), then wait two weeks to learn that a reviewer couldn’t approve a program they couldn’t picture. Here is the formula that works, with examples you can adapt.

What the description must accomplish

A reviewer who has never heard of your business reads this paragraph and must be able to answer four questions:

1. Who is sending? (Your business, described concretely)
2. To whom? (Customers? Patients? People who filled a specific form?)
3. What content? (Reminders? Offers? Codes? Be specific)
4. Under what consent? (How did these recipients opt in?)

Miss any of the four and the safest verdict for the reviewer is rejection. Everything else about writing this field is elaboration on those questions.

The formula

[Legal/brand name], a [what the business is], sends [message types] to [audience] who [exact consent mechanism]. Messages include [content list]. Customers can reply STOP to opt out at any time.

Examples by business type

Dental clinic (Account Notification)

Bright Smile Dental, a dental clinic in Austin, TX, sends appointment confirmations, reminders, and rescheduling notifications to patients who provided their mobile number and agreed to receive text notifications during appointment booking (online form or in office). Messages include appointment date/time confirmations, 24-hour reminders, and rescheduling links. Patients can reply STOP to opt out at any time.

E-commerce store (Marketing)

Trailhead Outfitters, an online outdoor gear retailer, sends promotional messages to customers who opted in to SMS marketing via a checkbox at checkout or the newsletter signup form at trailheadoutfitters.com. Messages include sale announcements, discount codes, new product alerts, and back-in-stock notifications, at most 4 per month. Customers can reply STOP to unsubscribe at any time.

SaaS application (2FA)

Acme Analytics, a business analytics software platform, sends one-time passcodes and security alerts to users who entered their mobile number in account security settings and enabled SMS two-factor authentication. Messages contain login verification codes and account security notifications only. Users can disable SMS 2FA in settings or reply STOP.

Home services (Mixed)

Reyes Plumbing LLC sends appointment scheduling messages, technician arrival updates, and occasional service promotions to customers who provided their number when booking service by phone or through the request form at reyesplumbing.com, where SMS consent language is displayed. Customers can reply STOP to opt out at any time.

The rejection patterns to avoid

• The one-liner. "Sending marketing and notifications to customers" answers none of the four questions.
• The consent hand-wave. "Customers who signed up," but signed up where and how? Name the mechanism: checkout checkbox, web form URL, keyword, paper form.
• Description/site mismatch. If the description says "opted in at checkout" the reviewer looks for SMS consent language at your checkout. Description, samples, and website must tell one consistent story.
• Kitchen-sink content. Listing every conceivable message type "to be safe" reads as unfocused and can force a pricier Mixed classification. Declare what you actually send.
• PII in the field. Do not paste real customer names/numbers into registration fields; publicly known business info only.

Write the description last, after your opt-in flow is live on your site, and then describe what actually exists. Reviewers approve reality they can verify, and our free scanner will show you your site the way they see it.

Frequently asked questions

How long should a 10DLC campaign description be?

Two to five sentences, roughly 40 to 100 words. Long enough to answer who/to whom/what/consent concretely, short enough that every sentence carries information. Length is not the goal; completeness is.

Should the description mention message frequency?

It helps for marketing campaigns ("up to 4 messages per month"), since it signals a controlled program. For transactional cases, frequency is implied by the trigger ("when an order ships") and needs no number.

Can I edit the description after approval?

Yes, but material edits to a campaign’s declaration can trigger re-review. Edit when reality changes; don’t churn the field cosmetically.