Get Started in SMS with a Local Number (10 DLC) (U.S. Customers)

This step-by-step guide will walk you through how to integrate Twilio with Kajabi to send SMS messages. It includes signing up for Twilio, buying a phone number, registering for 10DLC compliance, and understanding the costs. This guide is tailored for non-technical users in the U.S.

In this article:

• What is A2P 10DLC? (And Why It Matters)
• Step 1: Create a Twilio Account
• Step 2: Set Up a Twilio Phone Number
• Step 3: Register for A2P 10DLC Compliance
• How to Register for A2P 10DLC
• Step 4: Register Your A2P Campaign
• How to Register Your Campaign in Twilio
• Describe Opt-In Details
• Step 5: Wait for Final Approval from Twilio and Carriers
• During the Waiting Period:

What is A2P 10DLC? (And Why It Matters)

Let’s put it in simple terms:

• A2P means Application-to-Person. It’s when a software platform (like Kajabi, using Twilio) sends a text message to a real person.
  
  
• 10DLC stands for 10-Digit Long Code, which is just a regular local phone number — the kind that looks like (555) 123-4567.

Together, A2P 10DLC is a system that U.S. mobile carriers created to make sure business text messages are legitimate. It helps cut down on spam and makes sure your messages get delivered.

Think of it like getting verified as a real business. It tells phone carriers, “These messages are coming from a real company, and customers have asked to receive them.🎉”

Once you’re registered:

• Your messages are more likely to reach your audience
  
  
• They’re less likely to be blocked or filtered
  
  
• You’re following the rules mobile carriers require for SMS marketing

If you are planning to send updates, promotions, or customer reminders via Kajabi, this step is required to do it reliably and legally.

Let’s get started!

Step 1: Create a Twilio Account

Estimated Time: 10–15 minutes

Sign Up for Twilio:

• Visit Twilio's Sign-Up Page
• Enter your name, email, and password
• Verify your email address and phone number as prompted.
• Don’t forget to save your recovery code in case you lose your phone or don’t have access to a verification device
• Once you click next, you should see the screen highlighted below. Fill in the information as it suits your business.To understand which best describes your organization click here. 

To understand which best describes your organization, click here.

Upgrade to a Paid Account

💡Wait..Why do I need to upgrade to a Paid Account?

When you first sign up for Twilio, you get a free trial — it’s great for testing, but it’s limited.

To actually send texts to your real customers and go through the A2P 10DLC registration process (which is required for U.S. messaging), you’ll need to upgrade to a paid account.

Once you upgrade, you’re asked to add $20 to your account. That’s not a charge — it’s like topping up your balance. That credit will go toward things like:

• Your phone number (~$1.15/month) 
• Each text you send (~$0.01)
• One-time compliance fees ($4 to $44 depending on brand)
• Twilio fees are constantly updated. See the latest prices here. 

How to upgrade Twilio:

• Log in to the Twilio Console.​
• Click Upgrade and follow the instructions to add billing information.​
• You will need:
  • Your valid ID
  • Personal or business details
  • Credit card

For more detailed steps, follow the official instructions here.

Step 2: Set Up a Twilio Phone Number

Estimated Time: 5–10 minutes

In your Twilio Console, go to: Phone Numbers -> Manage -> Buy a Number. Or click this link:  https://console.twilio.com/us1/develop/phone-numbers/manage/search  

Choose a U.S. Phone Number

1. Set Country to United States (+1)
   
2. Under Capabilities, make sure SMS is checked (Voice and MMS are optional)
3. Click Search to browse available numbers:
4. Choose a number from the list that works for you (you’ll see the monthly fee — usually $1.15/month)
5. Click Buy, and you’ll have purchased your Twilio phone number 
6. Now all you have to do is wait for Twilio to approve your A2P Campaign, which may take 1-3 weeks to complete:

Step 3: Register for A2P 10DLC Compliance

Estimated Time: 30–60 minutes to complete forms; approval times vary (see below)

Once you have purchased your number, you can now register for A2P 10DLC Compliance.

How to Register for A2P 10DLC

There are two ways to register for A2P 10 DLC compliance:

• If you just bought the phone number, you can click on this button to start the process:

• • Or you can go to the regulatory compliance page below:
    • To see the A2P 10DLC Page, go to: Messaging -> Regulatory Compliance -> A2P 10DLC Overview to start:

Register Your Brand (Business Information)

Estimated Time: 5–10 minutes | Cost: $4 one-time fee

Twilio handles brand registration for you with The Campaign Registry (TCR), the official system that U.S. mobile carriers use to verify businesses. There's just a one-time $4 fee to get your brand set up. 

1. Select the type of brand for your business (Direct Brand or Sole Proprietor Brand)
2. Enter your Brand Name
   • If you're a solo creator, this is usually your first and last name. It’s okay if you use a friendly business name. 
   • Example: If your business is called “Healthy Habits with Sarah,” you can enter that as the brand name.
3. Select Your Vertical from the dropdown, and choose the industry that best describes your business. Standard options for Kajabi users might be:
   • Education – if you sell courses or coaching
   • Media and Communication – if you create digital content or newsletters
   • Professional Services – if you offer services like consulting or coaching
   • Retail and Consumer Products – if you sell physical or digital products

Choose the one that best fits your core offering. Don’t stress too much — this helps carriers understand what type of messages you’ll send.

4. Submit your mobile phone number for verification
   • Enter a U.S. or Canadian mobile number you own and can access.
   • Twilio will send a verification code to this number to prove it’s yours.

Important: You can’t use the same number to register more than 3 Sole Proprietor brands, and you cannot use a Twilio number here.

      5. Click “Submit” and complete the verification

• Once you enter the code, Twilio will review your submission:

This information is submitted to The Campaign Registry (TCR) for verification. Approval can take between 1–7 business days. For best practices on brand approval, see Twilio's official guidelines here.

Step 4: Register Your A2P Campaign

Estimated Time: 10–15 minutes
Cost: There are two types of A2P 10DLC fees: a one-time registration fee and small per-message carrier fees. Carriers set these fees, which Twilio passes through at no extra markup. Pricing ranges from $4 to $44 one-time campaign fee plus $2 - $10 /month per campaign (see the official breakdown here)

Once your Brand is approved, it’s time to register your Campaign — this just means telling Twilio what kinds of messages you’ll be sending (like reminders, promotions, confirmations, etc.).

This info helps mobile carriers understand your purpose and approve your messaging:

How to Register Your Campaign in Twilio

Double-check you’re here for the 10DLC Onboarding: Messaging > Regulatory Compliance > Onboarding:

• Select your A2P Brand: Your approved Starter Profile should already be selected.
• Choose a Campaign Use Case: From the dropdown, select how you’ll use messaging. For most Kajabi users, the best options are:
  • Low-Volume Mixed – For small businesses or creators sending under 2,000 texts/day
  • Marketing – If you’ll mostly send promotions or product announcements
  • Notifications – For transactional messages like reminders or confirmations

💡Not sure which to choose? If you send a mix of promos + notifications, go with Low-Volume Mixed.

Choose Your Messaging Service:

• Select “Create new Messaging Service” (recommended)
• Twilio will handle this automatically for you.

5. Campaign Description: In your own words, describe what your messages are for. Keep it simple and honest.

Example: “This campaign sends course reminders, promotions, and updates to customers who signed up through our website at https://www.healthywithsarah.com.”

6. Add 2–5 Sample Messages: Show Twilio the kinds of messages you'll actually send. This is a good time to come up with the real message you’ll be using to send out the SMS campaign. The closer to the real SMS, the easier the approval process will be.

Tips and examples:

• Tip 1: Do not use placeholder text for your sample messages
• Tip 2: Use brackets to indicate templated fields in the sample message
• Tip 3: Consistency in sample message, use case, and campaign description
• Tip 4: Provide Opt-out when applicable
  • Example 1: “Hi [First Name], your course starts tomorrow! We can’t wait to see you.”
  • Example 2: “Get 20% off our newest training – today only! Visit [link] to grab your spot.”
  • Example 3: “Reminder: Your 1-on-1 coaching call is today at 3 PM. Reply STOP to unsubscribe.”

7. Check applicable message content: Only check the boxes if your messages include links, phone numbers, lending-related language, or age-restricted content. Most Kajabi users don’t need to check anything here.

For detailed requirements on campaign approval, refer to Twilio's Campaign Approval Requirements.

Describe Opt-In Details

This part tells mobile carriers how your audience gives permission to receive your messages. It's one of the most important sections — campaigns are often rejected if this isn’t clear.

8. How do users opt-in to receive messages? 

Explain the exact moment and method when someone gives you permission to text them. Be specific.

Example: "Customers opt in by entering their phone number on a Kajabi checkout page or form and checking a box that says they agree to receive text messages. The opt-in is part of the signup or purchase process. Please see a screenshot of the opt-in form uploaded here: www.example.com/screeshot-of-the-form-field.”

Ensure that your privacy policy is included in your consent capture process, which is essential for gaining approval. You can easily create Privacy Pages in Kajabi, so now is an excellent time to implement this if you haven’t done so already. 

9. Opt-in Keywords (optional) Only fill this out if users can text something like “SUBSCRIBE” to opt in. If not, leave it blank.

10. Opt-in Message (optional)  If someone texts to opt in, what will your system reply with? 11. Once you’ve filled out your A2P Campaign details and clicked Create, your campaign will be sent for review by Twilio and mobile carriers:

12. Once your campaign has been submitted, you’ll land on a confirmation screen that says: “A2P Campaign registration is in progress…”

1. Scroll down and click Continue
2. On the Register Your Number screen:

You’ll see a list of phone numbers available to assign to your campaign.

In most cases, you’ll only see one number you purchased earlier in this process. If you’ve used Twilio in the past, you might see other numbers listed here.

Select the number you want to register, then click Register:

This step connects your phone number to your A2P Campaign. Once approved, you’ll be able to use this number to send SMS messages through Kajabi.

Step 5: Wait for Final Approval from Twilio and Carriers

Expected Time: 1 to 3 Weeks 

Once you purchase your Phone Number and submit an A2P Campaign, your phone number will be registered automatically when the campaign is approved.

What to Expect:

• Your campaign is now under review. Approval can take 1–3 weeks, the time depends on the brand and use case 
• If there’s anything missing or unclear, Twilio will email you with instructions to fix it.
• If everything looks good, no email is sent — your campaign status will just update automatically in your Console
• You can check your campaign progress by going to:
  Messaging > Regulatory Compliance > A2P 10DLC > Campaigns

For more information on the vetting process, see Twilio's A2P 10DLC Campaign Vetting FAQ.

During the Waiting Period:

• You cannot send SMS messages from your Twilio number using this campaign until it's approved.
  
  
• However, you can still finish your Kajabi setup so you're ready to go as soon as you're approved. (See here to connect your Twilio Account with Kajabi SMS)

Once your campaign is approved and fully registered, you’ll be able to start messaging your audience through Kajabi. 

And that's Setting Up Twilio for SMS Sends in Kajabi (U.S. Customers)! Please vote below and let us know if you found this article helpful. We value your feedback. Thanks for being the best part of Kajabi!