The Dos and Don'ts of Peer-to-Peer Texting for Campaigns

Political campaigns are increasingly turning to peer-to-peer (P2P) texting as a powerful tool for voter outreach. At Political Comms, we've successfully delivered hundreds of millions of text messages to registered voters for over 2,000 campaigns. Through this experience, we've learned what works and what doesn't.

Here's your comprehensive guide to the dos and don'ts of P2P texting for campaigns.

The Dos: Best Practices for Success

DO Personalize Your Messages

Personalization is the foundation of effective P2P texting. Use voter names, reference their specific district or precinct, and tailor messages to their interests when possible.

Why it matters: Voters can tell the difference between a mass blast and a message crafted for them. Personalization shows respect and increases response rates dramatically.

Implementation tips:

Segment your voter file by demographics, voting history, and issues
Use merge fields for names and locations
Reference local concerns or events when relevant
Customize calls-to-action based on voter type (supporter, persuadable, undecided)

DO Choose a Compliant, Reliable Platform

Not all texting platforms are created equal. Your platform choice directly impacts deliverability, compliance, and campaign success.

What to look for:

Strong deliverability track record - Ask for carrier-specific delivery reports
Compliance features - Automatic opt-out handling, TCPA compliance
Fast 10DLC registration - This is the #1 factor in delivery rates
Isolated opt-out lists - Don't lose 10-30% of your reach to shared suppression lists
Direct carrier relationships - One hop, not multiple resellers

Red flags:

Vague deliverability claims without data
Shared opt-out lists across all clients
Slow or unclear 10DLC registration process
No carrier-level error reporting

DO Keep Messages Clear and Concise

Text messages have character limits, and voters have attention limits. Get to the point quickly.

Best practices:

Keep initial messages under 160 characters when possible
Use simple, conversational language
Avoid political jargon or acronyms
Include one clear call-to-action per message
Make it scannable - short sentences, clear structure

Example of a good message:

Hi Sarah! This is Mike with the Johnson campaign. Can we count on your vote on Nov 5th? Reply YES to confirm or STOP to opt out.

Example of a poor message:

Attention voter: The Johnson for Congress campaign needs your support for our comprehensive policy platform addressing fiscal responsibility, healthcare reform, and infrastructure development. Visit our website to learn more about our positions and make a donation today.

DO Test Your Message Variations

What works for one audience may not work for another. A/B testing helps you optimize performance.

What to test:

Message length and structure
Calls-to-action (donate, volunteer, vote, learn more)
Tone (formal vs. conversational)
Timing (morning, afternoon, evening)
Personalization elements

How to test:

Send variation A to 50% of a segment
Send variation B to the other 50%
Measure response rates, opt-outs, and conversions
Roll out the winner to remaining audiences

DO Maintain Proper Timing

Respect voters' time and daily schedules.

Recommended sending windows:

Weekdays: 10 AM - 8 PM local time
Weekends: 11 AM - 6 PM local time
Avoid: Early mornings, late nights, major holidays

Strategic timing:

Send GOTV messages the day before and day of the election
Fundraising asks on paydays (1st and 15th of the month)
Event invitations at least 48 hours in advance
Issue-based messages when topics are in the news

The Don'ts: Common Mistakes to Avoid

DON'T Over-Message

Sending too many texts to the same voters damages your campaign's reputation and increases opt-outs.

Guidelines:

Maximum frequency: 2-3 messages per week during active campaign periods
Space out messages: At least 48 hours between texts to the same voter
Respect engagement levels: If someone doesn't respond after 2-3 messages, reduce frequency

Warning signs you're over-messaging:

Increasing opt-out rates
Declining response rates
Negative replies ("stop texting me!")
Social media complaints

DON'T Use Deceptive Tactics

Honesty builds trust. Deception destroys it - and can result in legal penalties.

Never do this:

Pretend to be someone you're not
Misrepresent your candidate's positions
Hide the campaign's identity
Use fake "one-on-one" language when sending mass texts
Promise things you can't deliver

Always include:

Campaign or organization name
Clear identification of who's texting
Honest calls-to-action
Opt-out instructions

DON'T Ignore Opt-Out Requests

This is both legally required and ethically essential. Ignoring opt-outs violates TCPA and damages your campaign.

Requirements:

Process opt-outs immediately (within seconds, not days)
Honor all opt-out keywords (STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, QUIT, etc.)
Confirm the opt-out with a final message
Never contact them again from any campaign number

Watch out for:

Platforms that share opt-out lists across all clients (you lose 10-30% reach)
Manual opt-out processing (too slow, too error-prone)
Opt-outs that don't sync across systems

DON'T Send Messages Outside Appropriate Hours

Late-night or early-morning texts annoy voters and can result in complaints to carriers.

Never send:

Before 9 AM local time
After 9 PM local time
During major holidays (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc.)

Account for time zones:

Use voters' local time, not your campaign's time zone
If your list spans multiple zones, schedule sends accordingly

DON'T Neglect Message Formatting

Poor formatting makes messages hard to read and looks unprofessional.

Common formatting mistakes:

ALL CAPS TEXT (looks like shouting)
No spacing between thoughts
Excessive emojis or special characters
URLs that break across lines
Numbers/letters that get autocorrected (l vs 1, O vs 0)

Better formatting:

Use sentence case
Add line breaks for readability (most platforms support this now)
Test links before sending
Use URL shorteners for cleaner appearance
Include clear sections: greeting, message, call-to-action, opt-out

DON'T Send Irrelevant Content

Generic, impersonal messages feel like spam and get ignored.

Avoid:

Sending the same message to your entire list
Generic fundraising asks without context
Messages about issues voters don't care about
Information that's already outdated
Content that doesn't match the voter's language or district

Instead:

Segment by voter interests and demographics
Reference recent news or events
Tailor asks to voter engagement level
Update messages as the campaign evolves

Track the Right Metrics

You can't improve what you don't measure. Monitor these key performance indicators:

Delivery metrics:

Delivery rate (target: 95%+)
Carrier-specific delivery (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile separately)
Error codes and failure reasons

Engagement metrics:

Response rate (target: 15-25% for quality lists)
Opt-out rate (under 0.5% is good)
Click-through rate on links (if applicable)
Conversion rate (donations, RSVPs, pledges to vote)

Quality metrics:

Cost per engagement
Cost per conversion
Volunteer recruitment rate
Negative response rate

Questions to Ask Your Platform Provider

Before you commit to a texting platform, get clear answers to these questions:

"Can I see per-carrier delivery reports?" (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile separately)
"What error codes do you provide?" (Carrier filters, invalid numbers, opt-outs)
"Are opt-outs isolated per organization, or shared across all clients?"
"How fast is your 10DLC registration?" (24-48 hours or 7-14 days?)
"What compliance features are built-in?" (Automatic opt-outs, TCPA compliance)
"Can I export my data anytime?" (Opt-outs, responses, full message history)

The Bottom Line

Successful P2P texting requires balancing personalization with respect for voter preferences, maintaining regulatory compliance, and using data to continuously optimize performance.

Focus on:

✅ Personalization and segmentation
✅ Choosing a compliant, high-delivery platform
✅ Clear, concise messaging
✅ Testing and optimization
✅ Proper timing and frequency