SMS Opt-In Language: Examples for Checkout, Forms and Keywords

Every text program starts with the same sentence: the one next to the checkbox or the phone field that says what the customer is agreeing to. Get it right and you have a list you can text with confidence, a registration carriers approve and customers who aren't surprised by your first message. Get it wrong and you risk all three.

This post gives you opt-in language you can adapt for each place customers sign up: checkout, popups, account pages, keywords and in person. It also covers the confirmation text, the HELP and STOP replies, and the records to keep.

Not legal advice. These examples follow the TCPA's rules on written consent for marketing texts (47 U.S.C. 227 and the FCC's rules at 47 CFR 64.1200), the CTIA Messaging Principles and Best Practices (May 2023 edition) and the carrier opt-in checks described in Telnyx's toll-free verification guidance, all checked October 17, 2026. State laws can add more. Have a lawyer review your final wording. See our TCPA compliance page for how Chargezen handles consent.

What every opt-in has to say

Whatever the format, a marketing text opt-in should make these points clearly, close to where the customer agrees:

• Who is texting: Your brand name, not "we" or "our partners".
• What they'll get: Offers, order updates, reminders, or a mix. Be specific.
• That the texts are automated and recurring: For example "recurring automated marketing texts".
• How often: "Up to 6 msgs/month" or "Msg frequency varies".
• Costs: "Msg & data rates may apply."
• Consent is optional: "Consent is not a condition of purchase." The TCPA requires this for marketing consent.
• How to get help and how to stop: "Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel."
• Where the details are: Links to your terms and privacy policy.

Two rules apply to the form itself. The checkbox must start unchecked, because a pre-checked box isn't the customer agreeing. And the disclosure has to be visible without clicking or scrolling to find it: small grey type below the fold doesn't count as clear.

Checkout checkbox

Checkout is where most stores collect the most numbers, because the customer is already typing a phone number for shipping. Keep the shipping phone and the text consent separate: a number entered for delivery isn't consent to marketing texts.

Example: "[ ] Text me offers and order updates from Brightleaf. By checking this box, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing texts from Brightleaf at the number provided. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Up to 6 msgs/month. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel. See our Terms and Privacy Policy."

Shorter version, where space is tight and the full terms are one tap away: "[ ] Get texts from Brightleaf about offers and orders. Recurring automated msgs; consent not required to buy. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel. Terms & Privacy."

Popup and signup forms

Popups usually ask for an email first, then a phone number on a second step. The disclosure belongs on the step with the phone field, directly above or below the button.

Example, with a welcome offer: "Get 10% off your first order. Enter your number to get texts from Brightleaf. By clicking Get my code, you agree to receive recurring automated marketing texts (including cart reminders) from Brightleaf at this number. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel. View Terms and Privacy."

• Name the button in the disclosure: "By clicking Get my code" ties the agreement to the action.
• Mention cart reminders if you send them: Customers are often surprised by them, and carriers ask that your opt-in covers every kind of text you send.
• Don't hide the offer terms: If the discount requires signing up for texts, say so plainly next to the field.

Account and preference pages

Customers who create an account or update preferences are already thinking about what they want to hear from you. Let them pick.

Example: "Text me: [ ] Order and shipping updates [ ] Subscription reminders [ ] Offers and new products. By choosing any option, you agree to receive recurring automated texts from Brightleaf for the types you selected. Consent is not a condition of purchase. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel. Terms and Privacy."

Separate choices let a customer keep order updates while turning off promotions, which keeps more people on your list than a single all-or-nothing switch.

Keyword opt-in (text to join)

A keyword lets customers join by texting a word to your number from a poster, a package insert, a social post or a QR code. The disclosure goes wherever you advertise the keyword.

Example call to action: "Text GREENS to (800) 555-0142 for 10% off and Brightleaf offers by text. Recurring automated marketing msgs. Consent not a condition of purchase. Up to 6 msgs/month. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help, STOP to cancel. Terms & Privacy: brightleaf.co/sms"

The phone number in these examples is a placeholder. Carriers ask to see where keywords are advertised, so keep a photo or screenshot of each placement.

In store, by phone and on paper

• Spoken consent: If staff sign customers up at a counter or on a call, read a short script and send the confirmation text right away: "Can we text you order updates and offers from Brightleaf? It's up to six texts a month, message and data rates may apply, and you can reply STOP any time."
• Paper forms: Print the full checkout-style disclosure next to the phone field, with a signature line.
• Keep the proof: For spoken consent, the confirmation text and the customer's reply are your best record. Some brands ask customers to reply YES to confirm.

The confirmation text

CTIA's guidance is that the first text after someone opts in should confirm it, name the program, and include how often you'll text, the rates notice, HELP and STOP. It sets expectations, and it's evidence. A few versions:

HELP and STOP replies

Carriers check that HELP and STOP get a reply, and providers ask you to submit the wording when you register. Keep them short and plain:

After STOP, send that one confirmation and nothing else. The FCC's revocation rule allows a single confirmation text within five minutes, and says customers can opt out by any reasonable means, so "please stop texting me" counts as much as STOP. See SMS opt-out.

Store the consent evidence

If a customer or a carrier ever asks, you need to show when and how each person agreed. For each opt-in, keep:

• The phone number and the customer it belongs to.
• The date and time of the opt-in.
• Where it happened: checkout, which form, which keyword, which store.
• The exact disclosure wording they saw, with its version if you change it later.
• The page URL, and the IP address or device where you collect them.
• The confirmation text you sent and any reply.
• Every later opt-out and opt-in, in order.

Keep old versions of your disclosure. If you rewrite the checkbox in March, people who joined in January agreed to January's wording.

Mistakes to avoid

• A pre-checked box, or consent bundled into "I agree to the terms".
• Treating a shipping phone number as permission to market.
• Disclosures in tiny, low-contrast text or hidden behind a link.
• Opt-in that names "partners" or "affiliates" instead of your brand.
• Sending cart reminders when the opt-in only mentioned offers.
• Importing a list from another tool without the consent records.
• A privacy policy that doesn't say opt-in data and numbers aren't shared for marketing.

Collect and honor consent with Chargezen

• Signup forms with permission built in: SmartyTap forms collect permission clearly, in popups and page forms, and save answers, permission and where they came from to the customer record.
• Checked before every text: SmartyTap texts check opt-ins, opt-outs, quiet hours and preferences before each text goes out.
• Opt-outs enforced everywhere: STOP, CANCEL, QUIT, UNSUBSCRIBE, END and STOPALL opt a customer out, and opted-out or suppressed numbers are blocked from every send. See text messages.
• Registration that uses your opt-in: Your opt-in wording, privacy policy link and HELP and STOP replies are checked before Chargezen submits toll-free verification.

SmartyTap Starter is $20 a month and Pro is $199 a month. See pricing.

Glossary: SMS opt-in, SMS opt-out, TCPA and SMS keyword. Read next: Welcome text message examples, 10DLC registration, step by step and Toll-free text verification.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need opt-in for order updates, or only for marketing?

The strictest rule, written consent, applies to marketing texts. Order and shipping updates still need the customer's permission to text them, and carriers expect you to describe how you got it. The simplest approach is one clear opt-in that names every kind of text you send.

Can I offer a discount for signing up?

Yes, it's common. The opt-in still has to say that consent isn't a condition of purchase, and the offer terms should be clear.

Can I text people who gave me their number at checkout?

Not for marketing, unless they checked an opt-in box with a proper disclosure. A number given for delivery is for delivery.

What should my privacy policy say about texts?

That you collect phone numbers for the texts the customer agreed to, how often you text, that message and data rates may apply, how to opt out, and that mobile numbers and opt-in data are not sold or shared with third parties for marketing. Carriers check for that last line.