Choosing the right campaign type

Every message use case gets a category when we register it. Here's how to pick the right one.

Written By Catherine Weir

Last updated About 3 hours ago

When we register your messaging with the national registry, each use case gets assigned to a specific category. Choosing the right one matters — the wrong category can cause rejection, delays, or deliverability problems down the road.

Standard categories (fastest approval)

  • Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): One-time passcodes or verification codes

  • Account Notifications: Balance alerts, account updates, statements

  • Customer Care: Responses to customer questions, support interactions

  • Delivery Notifications: Order status, shipping updates, delivery windows

  • Fraud Alerts: Notifications about suspicious account activity

  • Security Alerts: Notification of security incidents

  • Higher Education: Messages from colleges, universities, or school districts

  • Marketing: Promotional content, sales, discount codes (requires a separate opt-in)

  • Polling and Voting: Surveys and non-political feedback

  • Public Service Announcement: Informational alerts about important issues

  • Mixed: Multiple standard categories sharing one number

Specialty categories (manual review required)

  • Franchises / Agents / Local Branches: A national brand with local agents, each needing their own number

  • Charity: Registered 501(c)(3) organizations

  • Political: 527 organizations or political campaigns

  • Emergency Services: Public safety notifications during disasters

  • Proxy: Peer-to-peer communication with pooled numbers (for example, driver-passenger matching)

Dedicated vs. Mixed campaigns

  • Dedicated campaign (one use case per campaign): Recommended when you have a clear, single purpose. Safer, because if one campaign has trouble, it doesn't affect your others.

  • Mixed campaign (multiple use cases on one campaign): Lower cost, but riskier — a problem with one use case can pause the whole thing.

Not sure which to pick?

Just tell our team what you want to do in plain English. "I want to text patients to confirm their appointments and also send them birthday discount offers." We'll tell you how many campaigns you need and which categories to use.