Telnyx

A 10DLC campaign defines your messaging use case — what you’re sending, who you’re sending to, and how recipients opted in. Every campaign must be registered with The Campaign Registry (TCR) and approved by mobile carriers before you can send messages at scale. This guide walks you through creating campaigns via API and Portal, choosing the right use case, writing sample messages that pass carrier review, and handling rejections.

Prerequisites: You need an approved brand before creating campaigns. Your brand’s vetting score affects campaign throughput — see 10DLC Rate Limits.

Campaign use case types

Choose the use case that best describes your messaging. Carriers review this against your sample messages, so accuracy matters.

Standard use cases

Use Case	Description	Example
`CUSTOMER_CARE`	Support and service messages	”Your ticket #4521 has been updated. View details at…”
`DELIVERY_NOTIFICATION`	Order and shipping updates	”Your package shipped! Tracking: 1Z999…”
`ACCOUNT_NOTIFICATION`	Account alerts and changes	”Your password was changed. If this wasn’t you, call…”
`MARKETING`	Promotional content	”Summer sale! 30% off all items this weekend…”
`2FA`	Two-factor authentication codes	”Your verification code is 847291. Expires in 10 min.”
`SECURITY_ALERT`	Security-related notifications	”New login detected from Chrome on Windows…”
`POLLING_VOTING`	Surveys and polls	”How was your experience? Reply 1-5.”
`CHARITY`	Nonprofit fundraising and awareness	”Thanks for supporting Habitat! Text DONATE for…”
`POLITICAL`	Political campaigns and advocacy	”Reminder: Vote on Nov 5th. Find your polling place…”
`MIXED`	Multiple message types (most common)	Combination of the above

Special use cases

Use Case	Description	Requirements
`LOW_VOLUME`	Under 6,000 messages/month	Simplified registration
`SOLE_PROPRIETOR`	Individual/small business without EIN	See Sole Proprietor guide
`EMERGENCY`	Life-threatening alerts	Must demonstrate emergency nature
`AGENTS_FRANCHISES`	ISVs sending on behalf of clients	Additional compliance requirements
`SWEEPSTAKES`	Contests and giveaways	Must include rules and terms

Choose carefully. Changing a campaign’s use case after registration requires creating a new campaign. Carriers reject campaigns where sample messages don’t match the declared use case.

Create a campaign

API
Portal

Required fields

Field	Type	Description
`brandId`	string	Your registered brand ID
`usecase`	string	Use case type (see table above)
`description`	string	What your campaign does (2-4 sentences)
`sample1`	string	First sample message
`sample2`	string	Second sample message
`messageFlow`	string	How users opt in to receive messages
`helpMessage`	string	Response to HELP keyword
`optinKeywords`	string	Comma-separated opt-in keywords
`optoutKeywords`	string	Comma-separated opt-out keywords
`helpKeywords`	string	Comma-separated help keywords

Optional fields

Field	Type	Default	Description
`embeddedLink`	boolean	`false`	Messages contain URLs
`embeddedPhone`	boolean	`false`	Messages contain phone numbers
`numberPool`	boolean	`false`	Using number pool for sending
`ageGated`	boolean	`false`	Content requires age verification
`directLending`	boolean	`false`	Related to direct lending
`subscriberOptin`	boolean	`true`	Subscribers have opted in
`subscriberOptout`	boolean	`true`	Subscribers can opt out
`subscriberHelp`	boolean	`true`	Help keyword is supported
`sample3`	string	—	Third sample message (recommended)
`sample4`	string	—	Fourth sample message
`sample5`	string	—	Fifth sample message

curl -X POST https://api.telnyx.com/v2/10dlc/campaignBuilder \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -d '{
    "brandId": "BRAND_ID",
    "usecase": "DELIVERY_NOTIFICATION",
    "description": "Order confirmation and delivery status updates for e-commerce customers who purchase through our website.",
    "sample1": "Hi {{name}}, your order #{{orderId}} has been confirmed! Estimated delivery: {{date}}. Track at https://acme.com/track/{{orderId}} Reply STOP to opt out.",
    "sample2": "Great news! Your package is out for delivery and should arrive by 5 PM today. Driver: {{driverName}}. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.",
    "sample3": "Your order #{{orderId}} has been delivered to your front door. Rate your experience: https://acme.com/review/{{orderId}}",
    "messageFlow": "Customers opt in at checkout by checking a consent box that reads: I agree to receive order updates via SMS. Frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply.",
    "helpMessage": "Acme Corp order updates. For help, visit https://acme.com/support or call +15551234567. Reply STOP to cancel.",
    "optinKeywords": "START, YES, SUBSCRIBE",
    "optoutKeywords": "STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, QUIT",
    "helpKeywords": "HELP, INFO",
    "embeddedLink": true,
    "numberPool": false,
    "ageGated": false
  }'

Writing sample messages that pass review

Carriers manually review your sample messages. Poorly written samples are the #1 reason campaigns get rejected.

✅ Do: Include opt-out language

Every sample should include opt-out instructions:

“Your order #12345 has shipped! Track at https://acme.com/track/12345. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.”

✅ Do: Make samples realistic and specific

Use real-looking content with your actual brand name:

“Hi Sarah, your Acme Corp appointment is confirmed for Tuesday at 2 PM. Reply YES to confirm or HELP for assistance.”

✅ Do: Match samples to your use case

If your use case is DELIVERY_NOTIFICATION, all samples should be about deliveries:

✅ “Your package has shipped via FedEx. Tracking: 1Z999AA10123456784” ❌ “Check out our summer sale! 30% off everything!” (This is marketing, not delivery)

❌ Don't: Use generic placeholder text

Carriers reject vague samples:

❌ “This is a test message” ❌ “Hello, this is a message from our company”

❌ Don't: Include prohibited content

Carriers prohibit or restrict:

Cannabis / CBD messaging
Gambling content (varies by state)
Firearms sales
Payday lending
Content targeting minors without age gate

✅ Do: Describe your opt-in flow clearly

The messageFlow field should explain exactly how users consent:

“Users sign up on our website at https://acme.com/signup where they enter their phone number and check a box that reads: ‘I agree to receive order updates via SMS from Acme Corp. Msg frequency varies. Msg & data rates may apply. Reply STOP to cancel.’”

MNO provisioning timeline

After TCR approves your campaign, each carrier (MNO) provisions it on their network independently. This affects when you can send messages on each carrier.

Carrier	Typical Timeline	Notes
T-Mobile	Instant to 24 hours	Usually the fastest
AT&T	1-3 business days	May require additional review for some use cases
Verizon	1-3 business days	—
US Cellular	3-5 business days	Smaller carrier, longer provisioning

You can check provisioning status per carrier via the API:

curl -s https://api.telnyx.com/v2/10dlc/campaignBuilder/{campaignId} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" | jq '.data.mnoMetadata'

Check campaign status

# Get campaign details
curl -s https://api.telnyx.com/v2/10dlc/campaignBuilder/{campaignId} \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" | jq '{
    status: .data.status,
    usecase: .data.usecase,
    brandId: .data.brandId,
    createDate: .data.createDate
  }'

Campaign statuses

Status	Meaning
`ACTIVE`	Approved and ready to send
`EXPIRED`	Campaign expired (renew required)
`SUSPENDED`	Suspended by carrier — contact support

List all campaigns

curl -s https://api.telnyx.com/v2/10dlc/campaignBuilder \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -G -d "page[size]=20"

Handle campaign rejections

Campaigns can be rejected during carrier review. Common reasons and how to fix them:

Rejection Reason	Fix
Samples don’t match use case	Rewrite samples to match your declared use case exactly
Missing opt-out language	Add “Reply STOP to unsubscribe” to every sample
Vague message flow	Describe the exact opt-in mechanism (website form, checkout checkbox, etc.)
Prohibited content	Remove restricted content (cannabis, gambling, etc.)
Brand not vetted	Complete brand vetting before resubmitting

Resubmitting a rejected campaign

You cannot edit a rejected campaign. Instead, create a new campaign with corrected information:

Review the rejection reason (check Event Notifications webhooks)
Fix the identified issues in your samples and description
Create a new campaign via the API or Portal
Reassign your phone numbers to the new campaign

Each campaign submission incurs a TCR registration fee. Review your samples carefully before submitting to avoid repeated rejections and fees.

Campaign compliance best practices

Match content to use case

Only send messages that match your registered campaign use case. Sending marketing from a CUSTOMER_CARE campaign risks suspension.

Honor opt-outs immediately

Process STOP requests within seconds. Carriers monitor compliance. See Advanced Opt-In/Out for implementation.

Keep records

Maintain proof of consent (opt-in records with timestamp, source, and phone number). Carriers may request this during audits.

Monitor throughput

Don’t exceed your campaign’s allocated throughput. Check 10DLC Rate Limits for your brand score tier.

Review Event Notifications

Set up webhooks for 10DLC events to catch approval, rejection, and suspension events in real time.

Competitor comparison

Feature	Telnyx	Twilio	Vonage
Campaign creation	API + Portal	API + Console	API + Dashboard
Use case types	15+ standard types	Similar TCR types	Similar TCR types
Sample messages	2 required, up to 5	2 required	2 required
MNO status visibility	Per-carrier status via API	Per-carrier status	Limited visibility
Rejection handling	Create new campaign	Create new campaign	Create new campaign

Next steps

Assign Phone Numbers

Link phone numbers to your campaign to start sending.

10DLC Rate Limits

Understand throughput based on your brand’s vetting score.

Event Notifications

Receive real-time webhooks for campaign status changes.

Send Your First Message

Start sending once your campaign is approved.

Sending Messages

Messaging Profiles

Short Code

RCS

Hosted Numbers

Opt Outs

Phone Numbers

Toll Free Verification

10 DLC

10DLC Campaign Registration

Campaign use case types

Standard use cases

Special use cases

Create a campaign

Required fields

Optional fields

Writing sample messages that pass review

MNO provisioning timeline

Check campaign status

Campaign statuses

List all campaigns

Handle campaign rejections

Resubmitting a rejected campaign

Campaign compliance best practices

Competitor comparison

Next steps

Assign Phone Numbers

10DLC Rate Limits

Event Notifications

Send Your First Message

Sending Messages

Messaging Profiles

Short Code

RCS

Hosted Numbers

Opt Outs

Phone Numbers

Toll Free Verification

10 DLC

​Campaign use case types

​Standard use cases

​Special use cases

​Create a campaign

​Required fields

​Optional fields

​Writing sample messages that pass review

​MNO provisioning timeline

​Check campaign status

​Campaign statuses

​List all campaigns

​Handle campaign rejections

​Resubmitting a rejected campaign

​Campaign compliance best practices

​Competitor comparison

​Next steps

Assign Phone Numbers

10DLC Rate Limits

Event Notifications

Send Your First Message

Campaign use case types

Standard use cases

Special use cases

Create a campaign

Required fields

Optional fields

Writing sample messages that pass review

MNO provisioning timeline

Check campaign status

Campaign statuses

List all campaigns

Handle campaign rejections

Resubmitting a rejected campaign

Campaign compliance best practices

Competitor comparison

Next steps