Resolve a High Opt-Out Rate on Your Messaging Campaign
An opt-out rate is the share of recipients on a 10DLC campaign who reply STOP (or an equivalent keyword) instead of continuing to receive messages. Carriers track this rate against your registered campaign, not against individual phone numbers, because a campaign aggregates every message sent under that use case.
When a campaign's opt-out rate rises well above what carriers expect for its use case, it signals that recipients did not want the message, did not expect it, or received it too often. Carriers respond to sustained high opt-out rates by throttling delivery, filtering messages, or suspending the campaign. Left unresolved, it can also affect the standing of the brand the campaign is registered under.
Why high opt-out rates happen
A high opt-out rate almost always points to a mismatch between what recipients agreed to and what they are receiving. Common causes include:
Sending too often.
Recipients who expected occasional updates start opting out when messages arrive daily or multiple times a day.Content that does not match the opt-in.
A recipient who signed up for appointment reminders opting out after receiving promotional offers is a mismatch between consent and content.Unclear or missing opt-out instructions.
If recipients do not see how to stop messages, some will reply STOP to any message as their first attempt, inflating the rate.Sending to a stale or purchased list.
Contacts who never actively opted in, or who opted in long ago and forgot, opt out at a much higher rate than an engaged list.STOP requests not honored immediately.
If a recipient who already opted out keeps receiving messages, they may reply STOP again on each message, which some tracking counts as repeated opt-outs.
How to lower your opt-out rate
Confirm STOP handling works correctly. Every opt-out keyword reply must remove that number from future sends right away. If a recipient opts out and still receives a message afterward, fix that first. It undermines every other change.
Match content to consent. Review what recipients agreed to when they opted in, and confirm the messages you send fall within that scope. Split unrelated message types (for example, appointment reminders and marketing offers) into separate campaigns with separate consent.
Reduce frequency. If messages go out daily, test a lower cadence and compare the opt-out rate over the following sends. Frequency is one of the fastest levers to move the rate.
Include a clear opt-out instruction. State plainly how to stop messages (for example, "Reply STOP to unsubscribe") so recipients do not default to opting out just to test whether it works.
Clean the recipient list. Remove numbers that have not engaged in a long time, and confirm every number on the list came from an actual opt-in, not a purchased or scraped source.
Watch the rate over multiple sends, not one. A single send to a large or unusual list can produce a spike that does not reflect the campaign's normal performance. Track the rate across several sending periods before concluding a change worked.
What not to do
Registering a new campaign to replace one with a high opt-out rate does not fix the underlying cause, and carriers evaluate messaging reputation at the brand level, not only the campaign level. Repeatedly abandoning and re-registering campaigns to escape a flag can itself draw carrier scrutiny. Address the cause instead of the campaign ID.
If the opt-out rate does not improve
If opt-out rate stays elevated after adjusting content, frequency, and list hygiene, contact SignalWire Carrier Ops with the campaign ID and a description of the changes already made. Carrier Ops can review delivery and opt-out data for the campaign and advise on next steps.
If you have other questions about the registration process for 10DLC, check out our TCR FAQ, or bring them to our community Discord.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good opt-out rate for a messaging campaign?
Carriers evaluate opt-out rates relative to what's expected for your campaign's use case rather than a single universal number. Transactional messages like appointment reminders should see very low opt-out rates, while promotional campaigns tolerate somewhat higher ones. The key signal is a rate that rises well above the norm for your use case — that's what triggers throttling or filtering.
Do carriers track opt-out rates by phone number or by campaign?
Carriers track opt-out rate against your registered campaign, not individual phone numbers, because a campaign aggregates every message sent under that use case. Sustained high rates can also affect the standing of the brand the campaign is registered under.
What happens if my campaign's opt-out rate stays too high?
Carriers respond to sustained high opt-out rates by throttling delivery, filtering messages, or suspending the campaign. Because reputation is evaluated at the brand level, an unresolved problem can affect other campaigns registered under the same brand.
Will registering a new campaign fix a high opt-out rate?
No. Registering a new campaign to replace a flagged one does not fix the underlying cause, and carriers evaluate messaging reputation at the brand level, not only the campaign level. Repeatedly abandoning and re-registering campaigns can itself draw carrier scrutiny.
Why is my opt-out rate high even though recipients opted in?
Common causes include sending too frequently, content that doesn't match what recipients agreed to at opt-in, unclear opt-out instructions, stale or purchased lists, and STOP requests not being honored immediately. A high rate almost always points to a mismatch between what recipients agreed to and what they're receiving.
What's the fastest way to lower an opt-out rate?
Reducing frequency is one of the fastest levers to move the rate. Beyond that, confirm STOP handling works correctly, match content to consent, include clear opt-out instructions, and clean your recipient list. Track the rate across several sending periods rather than judging from a single send.
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