Guides to business texting.
How to text leads and customers well: follow-up sequences, reminders, templates, registration and the rules, each with its sources.
27 guides, last updated October 14, 2026.
Texting for sales
Following up new leads: how fast, how often and what to say.
- SMS for sales and customer follow-up: the complete guideSMS follow-up is a short series of personal texts to people who agreed to hear from you, sent from a registered number and stopped when they reply.11 min
- Agency texting for clients: brand, consent and repliesAn agency can text leads for a client when the client is the sender: the client's business registers, consent names the client and replies have an agreed owner.9 min
- Estimate follow-up texts for contractors and home servicesFollow up on an estimate with three or four short texts over about ten days, ending with a close-the-loop text. Sequences, timing and consent for home services.10 min
- How many follow-up texts should you send a lead?Start with three or four texts over one to two weeks, the last a closing text, and stop the moment a lead replies. What the evidence shows, and when to stop.9 min
- Insurance text messages for quotes, renewals and claimsText insurance quote leads the same day, start renewal reminders a month out, and send claims updates people can reply to. Sequences, consent rules and timing.10 min
- Missed meeting and no-show texts: a rebooking sequenceAfter a missed demo, call or interview, text within the hour, send a booking link the next business day, then close the loop. Timing and templates.9 min
- Real estate text message follow-up for buyer and seller leadsText new real estate leads within minutes, then run a short sequence that stops when they reply. Scripts for buyers, sellers, showings, offers and nurture.10 min
- Recruiting text messages to candidates: sequences and rulesText candidates to confirm applications, book interviews, send reminders and offers, and re-engage past finalists, with sequences that stop on reply.9 min
- Speed to lead: how fast to answer a new lead by textAnswer a new lead within the hour, inside your sending hours. What 2024 tests show about slow replies, where the old speed multipliers come from, and setup.10 min
Texting your customers
Reminders, onboarding, renewals and reviews for the people you already serve.
- How to text existing customers: sequences and consent rulesText existing customers at set moments (onboarding, check-ins, renewals, reminders, win-back, reviews) with short sequences that stop on reply.10 min
- Appointment and payment reminder text sequencesSend two reminders, 3 days and 1 day before, with an easy way to confirm or reschedule, then follow up after a miss. Templates and what trials show.9 min
- Clinic and dental appointment reminder texts: what to sendReminder texts for clinics and dental offices: a 3-day and 1-day sequence, what the trials found, and what to leave out of the text under HHS guidance.9 min
- Customer onboarding texts: a first-month sequenceOnboard customers by text with one named contact on one number: a welcome on day one, setup and training check-ins, and a day-30 review. Templates and consent.9 min
- Renewal reminder texts: sequences that start a month outStart renewal reminder texts about 30 days before the date, follow up a week later and again 7 days before. Sequences for contracts, memberships and plans.9 min
- Review request texts: when to ask and what the rules allowAsk for a review by text soon after the job, remind once, and ask every customer the same way. Templates, plus what the FTC, Google, Yelp and Trustpilot forbid.10 min
- Win-back texts for lapsed customers: sequences and consentShort win-back text sequences for customers who have gone quiet, and how to check consent first: US revocation rules and CASL's two-year and six-month windows.9 min
Templates
Texts to copy, and how to write your own.
- Follow-up text message templates for sales and customersFollow-up text templates for leads, quotes, candidates, renewals and reviews, written as short sequences with waits that stop when the person replies.9 min
- How to write a business text message: rules and examplesA good business text names you, gives the reason, asks one easy question and fits in one segment with the opt-out line. Plain rules with examples.9 min
- What is an SMS segment? Character limits, emoji and costAn SMS segment holds 160 characters, or 70 with an emoji or curly quote. How splitting, special characters and the opt-out line change what a text costs.8 min
Rules and registration
Registration, consent, opt-outs and sending hours in the US and Canada.
- Business texting rules for the US and Canada, updated 2026Business texts need a registered number, consent first, opt-outs honored within 10 business days and sensible hours. Every US and Canadian rule, dated.14 min
- CASL text messages: consent and unsubscribe rules for CanadaUnder CASL, a commercial text to a Canadian needs express or implied consent, your name and contact details, and an unsubscribe honored within 10 business days.10 min
- How to register for 10DLC and verify toll-free numbersTo register for 10DLC, your texting provider files your brand and campaign with The Campaign Registry. Here is what to prepare and how Canada differs.10 min
- How to text customers in Canada: numbers, CASL and FrenchTo text Canadians, send from a verified toll-free number, hold CASL consent, name your business in each text, and honor STOP and ARRET at once.10 min
- Is cold texting legal? US and Canada rules for B2B teamsCold texting carries real legal risk in the US and Canada and goes against carrier guidance. What the TCPA, state laws, CTIA and CASL say, and safer routes.10 min
- SMS opt-in language examples and how to record consentGood SMS opt-in language names your business, says what you will text and how often, and explains STOP and HELP. Examples for forms, paper, calls and keywords.10 min
- STOP texts and opt-out rules: what counts and how fastReplies like STOP, QUIT or UNSUBSCRIBE revoke consent, and you have at most 10 business days to honor them in the US and Canada. What counts and what to reply.9 min
- Texting quiet hours: what time businesses can send textsFederal rules bar sales texts before 8 a.m. and after 9 p.m. recipient time, and some states stop at 8 p.m. The statutes quoted, and a safe sending window.10 min