Insurance texting works best as three short sequences: a quote follow-up that starts the same day and stops when the prospect replies, renewal reminders that begin about a month before the date, and claims updates that invite a reply and get a fast human answer. Each one needs consent that covers texts, recorded with its source and date.
This guide covers what claimants say about insurers' replies, the consent rules that matter most for insurance marketing in the US and Canada, when to send, and ready-to-paste sequences for quotes, renewals, claims and payments. It is the insurance chapter of our guide to SMS for sales and customer follow-up. Every number links to its source and year.
Why should insurance agents and agencies text clients?
Because clients already use digital channels with their insurer, and many say the answers come slowly there. J.D. Power's 2024 U.S. Claims Digital Experience Study found a wide gap between how easy digital contact is and how quickly insurers answer (J.D. Power, 2024):
| Finding | Detail |
|---|---|
| Easy digital contact | 84% of claimants |
| Insurer always answers emails and texts on time | 39% of claimants |
| Used more than one channel for the same question | Nearly 20%, which lowered satisfaction by more than 100 points on a 1,000-point scale |
| Sample | 2,982 evaluations by auto or home insurance customers who filed a claim in the past 12 months, fielded May to September 2024 |
J.D. Power's Mark Garrett said in the release that "the digital channel has now surpassed traditional phone-based communication as the most satisfying way for insurance customers to submit a new claim."
For an agency, that gap is the opening: answer texts quickly, in the same thread. For new business, the rule is the same as any lead: answer fast. Our guide to speed to lead covers what recent tests show about how slowly companies reply.
What consent do you need to text insurance leads and clients?
You need the person's agreement to receive texts from you, recorded with where and when they gave it, and marketing texts need the stricter written form. Insurance leads raise one extra question: whether a lead bought from someone else carries consent to texts from you. This section summarizes public rules as of October 2026. It is not legal advice, so ask a lawyer or your compliance team about your own program.
| Where the contact came from | What to check | What to record |
|---|---|---|
| They texted you first | You can reply. CTIA's carrier guidance says that when the consumer starts the conversation, "no additional permission is expected" (CTIA, 2023) | The first message |
| Your own quote form | A checkbox or clear line by the phone field saying you will text about their quote, with how to opt out (opt-in wording examples) | Page, date, wording |
| A lead bought from a lead generator or comparison site | Whether the form named your agency and covered texts. CTIA says an opt-in "should apply only to the campaign(s) and specific Message Sender for which it was intended or obtained", and that senders "should not use opt-in lists that have been rented, sold, or shared" | The seller, the form's wording, the date |
| Existing policyholders | Service texts (renewal dates, claims, payments) need express permission; offers and cross-sells are promotional and need written agreement (CTIA) | Where they agreed, at application or binding |
| Numbers with no opt-in | Start with a call or email and ask permission to text (is cold texting legal?) | Nothing to record yet |
The US rules behind this table:
- Written consent for marketing texts. Texts that advertise, sent with an autodialer to a mobile number, need "prior express written consent" (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(2)). Whether your system counts as an autodialer is a legal question, and carriers expect an opt-in either way.
- The one-to-one consent rule is gone, and the written consent rule stays. In 2023 the FCC adopted a rule that consent had to be given to one seller at a time, aimed at lead generation and comparison shopping. An insurance industry group, the Insurance Marketing Coalition, challenged it, and the Eleventh Circuit vacated it on 2025-01-24 (Insurance Marketing Coalition v. FCC, 2025). The FCC removed the text from its rules on 2025-08-29 (Federal Register, 2025). Carrier guidance still ties an opt-in to the sender it was given to.
- Do Not Call and calling hours. Telephone solicitations to numbers on the national registry are barred, as are any sent before 8 a.m. or after 9 p.m. local time (64.1200(c)). People with an "established business relationship" fall outside that definition: a purchase or transaction in the last 18 months, or an inquiry in the last 3 months (64.1200(f)(5)). That exception covers the registry and hours rules only; the written consent rule above still applies.
- States. Florida, Oklahoma and Maryland limit solicitations to 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. and three in 24 hours on the same subject, and Washington bars commercial texts to its residents' mobiles without clear advance consent (RCW 19.190.070). Our cold texting guide has the statute links.
Canada. Commercial texts need express or implied consent under CASL (s. 6(1)). Two exceptions matter to insurers. A message that "solely" provides a quote, "if the quote or estimate was requested by the person", skips the consent requirement (s. 6(6)(a)), and so does one that solely gives factual information about an ongoing "subscription, membership, account, loan or similar relationship" (s. 6(6)(d)). Both still have to identify you and include an unsubscribe mechanism (s. 6(2)). Add a cross-sell and the exception falls away. An inquiry gives implied consent for six months, and a purchase for two years (s. 10(10)); our CASL guide explains both.
When should you send insurance texts?
During the day in the client's time zone, and no more than one automated text a day. Sending 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. on weekdays covers the federal 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. window and the 8 p.m. cut-off in Florida, Oklahoma and Maryland. Send claims updates by hand from the inbox as news comes in, inside reasonable hours.
| Sequence | First text | Follow-ups | Ends |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quote follow-up | Within the hour of the request, or when sending hours open | 1 and 3 business days later | A closing text about a week in |
| Renewal | About 30 days before the renewal date | 7 days later, then 7 days before the date | The renewal date |
| Claims updates | When the claim is opened | At each step: adjuster assigned, inspection booked, payment issued | The claim closes |
Replies can take days, so keep a quote sequence running for about a week before closing it.
Quote follow-up sequence
Every template in this guide fits in one segment (160 characters) with the fields filled in, before the opt-out line is added. Swap "Sam" and "Northwind Insurance" for your name and agency.
Text 1, when the quote is ready:
Hi First name, it's Sam at Northwind Insurance. Your Policy type quote is ready. Want me to walk you through it by phone or text?
Wait 1 business day. If no reply:
Any questions on the Policy type quote? Coverage and deductibles are easy to adjust if the price needs to move.
Wait 2 business days. If no reply:
Is anything holding you back, like price, timing or coverage? One word is plenty and I'll take it from there.
Wait 4 business days. If no reply:
I'll leave it here for now, First name. If you want to revisit the quote, reply any time.
Keep prices and coverage details for the call or the quote document. For how many texts to send and when to stop, see how many follow-up texts.
Renewal reminder sequence
Start about a month before the date, so there is time to review coverage, shop if needed, and answer questions. No study has measured texting's effect on insurance renewals, so treat this as good practice to test.
Text 1, 30 days before:
Hi First name, Sam at Northwind Insurance. Your Policy type renews on Renewal date. Want a quick review to check it still fits?
Wait 7 days. If no reply:
A reminder that your Policy type renews on Renewal date. Anything changed this year, like a new car, renovation or move?
Text 3, 7 days before, if no reply:
Your renewal is next week, First name. Reply here if you'd like to talk it over first, or book a time: Booking link
Keep the renewal sequence factual. A text that states the date and offers a review is a service message; one that pushes a new product is promotional and needs written consent for marketing texts. More customer sequences, including onboarding and win-back, are in our guide to texting existing customers, and premium payment reminders follow the pattern in our reminder text guide.
Related: renewal reminder texts.
Claims update texts with a reply path
Claims texts are one-to-one updates, so send most of them by hand from the thread, and always invite a reply. In the J.D. Power study, clients who had to switch channels for one question were far less satisfied.
When the claim is opened:
Hi First name, Northwind Insurance: we've opened your claim. Sam is your contact. Reply here with questions or photos any time.
When an inspection or call is booked:
Your adjuster will call on Date at Time. Reply R if you need a new time.
When documents arrive:
Thanks First name, we have your photos and the repair estimate. Next step is our review. We'll text you as soon as it moves.
When payment is issued:
Good news: your claim payment of Amount was issued today. Questions? Reply here and Sam will answer.
Never ask for bank details, card numbers or one-time codes by text, and tell clients early that you never will. People reported $470 million lost to scams that started with a text in 2024, with fake bank fraud alerts among the most common (FTC, 2025). Collect payment details through your own secure system.
How should you handle replies?
Stop the automated texts for anyone who replies, and answer from the same number in the same thread. "Who is this?" needs your name, your agency and how they reached you ("You asked for a home quote on our site on Tuesday"). Questions about coverage or a claim deserve a same-day answer. STOP and the other opt-out words end texts for good: US rules require opt-outs to be honored within 10 business days (47 CFR 64.1200(a)(10)), CASL sets the same limit (s. 11), and stopping at once is the safe practice.
Where does Textually fit?
Textually runs quote and renewal sequences for agencies in the US and Canada, with claims conversations in the same inbox. You import clients or leads by CSV or paste, push them into a campaign (new rows can join automatically), and write Text, Wait and Condition steps with any column, such as Policy type or Renewal date, as a field. Textually registers your number for 10DLC in the US and verifies toll-free numbers for Canada, checks phone types, and keeps each client on the same number. A text sends only with a consent record or a campaign-wide confirmation, and only inside the sending days and hours you set. Every text carries the opt-out line until the client replies, STOP ends texts at once, and a reply ends that client's sequence and lands in one shared inbox with the full history and suggested replies. See pricing, how the rules are built in and why text, or apply for access.
Questions
Can insurance agents text leads?
Yes, with consent that covers texts from your agency. Marketing texts sent with an autodialer need prior express written consent in the US, and carriers expect an opt-in given to you. In Canada, CASL requires express or implied consent. This is not legal advice.
Can I text insurance leads I bought from a lead vendor?
Check what the lead's form said. Carrier guidance says an opt-in applies only to the sender it was given to and that rented, sold or shared lists should not be used. Keep the seller, the form's wording and the date, and ask a lawyer if the wording doesn't name your agency.
Is the FCC one-to-one consent rule in effect?
No. The Eleventh Circuit vacated it in January 2025 in a case brought by the Insurance Marketing Coalition, and the FCC removed it from its rules in August 2025. The long-standing written consent rule for autodialed marketing texts still applies.
When should I send a renewal reminder text?
About 30 days before the renewal date, with a follow-up a week later and a last text a week before. That leaves time to review coverage and answer questions. Keep it factual: the policy, the date and an offer to review.
Should I send claims updates by text?
Yes, for clients who agreed to texts, and always with a way to reply. In J.D. Power's 2024 study, just 39% of claimants said their insurer always answered emails and texts on time. Never ask for bank or card details by text.
What should an insurance text never include?
Requests for bank details, card numbers, Social Security numbers or one-time codes, and links on domains clients won't recognize. Keep coverage advice and pricing for a call or a document, and use the text to set it up.
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