How to Choose a Political Texting Service: Decision Framework

How to Choose a Political Texting Service: Decision Framework

Choosing the right political texting service is one of the most important technology decisions your campaign will make. The right service helps you reach more voters, raise more money, and win elections. The wrong one costs you reach, wastes budget, and creates compliance headaches.

With dozens of texting services competing for your business, how do you evaluate them objectively? This guide provides a systematic framework for choosing the best political texting service for your specific campaign needs.

Why Your Choice Matters

Not all texting services are created equal, and the differences directly impact your campaign's success.

Real Impact of Your Decision

Reach: The difference between shared and isolated opt-outs can cost you 10-30% of your potential contacts.

Delivery: A platform with 85% delivery vs. 97% means 12,000 fewer voters reached per 100,000 messages.

Cost: Hidden fees and inefficient pricing can drain thousands from your budget.

Compliance: Poor opt-out handling or TCPA violations can lead to legal issues and fines.

Time: Complicated setup, poor support, or clunky interfaces waste precious campaign hours.

Results: Better engagement tools mean higher response rates and more conversions.

Step 1: Understand Service Types

Political texting services come in different flavors. Know what you're evaluating.

P2P vs A2P Services

Peer-to-Peer (P2P):

• Human volunteers individually send each message
• Real two-way conversations
• More personal and engaging
• Favorable legal treatment
• Best for political campaigns

Application-to-Person (A2P):

• Automated mass messaging
• One-way broadcasting
• Faster but less personal
• Stricter legal requirements
• Better for transactional messages

Most political campaigns should prioritize P2P services.

Learn more: P2P vs A2P texting comparison

Full-Service vs Self-Service

Full-Service:

• Platform handles setup, training, and campaign management
• More expensive but less work for you
• Good for campaigns without texting experience

Self-Service:

• You manage everything yourself
• Lower cost but requires more time and expertise
• Good for experienced campaigns

Platform-Only vs Managed Services

Platform-Only:

• You get access to software
• You provide volunteers and manage operations
• Standard pricing (pay per message)

Managed Services:

• Provider recruits volunteers and manages campaigns
• Higher cost but turnkey operation
• Good for campaigns without volunteer infrastructure

Step 2: Define Your Requirements

Before evaluating services, clarify what you actually need.

Campaign Size and Scope

Local campaigns (city council, school board):

• 5,000-50,000 messages
• Simple setup and interface priority
• Budget-conscious pricing
• May not need advanced features

State legislative:

• 20,000-200,000 messages
• CRM integration important
• Need reliable delivery at scale
• Balance features and cost

Congressional/statewide:

• 100,000-2,000,000+ messages
• Enterprise reliability required
• Advanced features and analytics
• Dedicated support essential

Learn more: Running a campaign with limited budget

Primary Use Cases

What will you use texting for?

GOTV (Get Out The Vote):

• Need high deliverability
• Timing flexibility crucial
• Real-time conversation management
• Polling location lookup tools

Fundraising:

• Link tracking essential
• Personalization features important
• Integration with donation platforms
• Response management for questions

Volunteer recruitment:

• Easy onboarding for new texters
• Shift scheduling features
• Performance tracking
• Training materials built-in

Persuasion:

• Sophisticated segmentation
• Issue-based messaging
• Conversation threading
• Quality control tools

Technical Requirements

Integration needs:

• Which CRM do you use? (NGP VAN, EveryAction, Action Network, other)
• Need API access?
• Email platform integration?
• Custom reporting requirements?

Volunteer infrastructure:

• How many volunteers will you have?
• Will they work remotely or in office?
• Mobile app needed or web-only okay?
• What level of technical skill do they have?

Data requirements:

• Need to export all data?
• Real-time reporting important?
• Compliance audit trails required?
• Data retention policies?

Step 3: Evaluate Core Capabilities

Now assess services against critical success factors.

Deliverability (Most Important)

This is the single most important factor. Messages that don't reach voters are worthless.

What to ask:

1. "What is your overall delivery rate?"
2. "Can you show carrier-specific delivery rates?" (AT&T, Verizon, T-Mobile)
3. "How long does 10DLC registration take?"
4. "Do you have direct carrier relationships or use resellers?"
5. "Can I see recent delivery reports from similar campaigns?"

What to look for:

• 95%+ overall delivery rate (minimum acceptable)
• Carrier-specific visibility and reporting
• Fast 10DLC registration (24-48 hours, not weeks)
• Direct carrier connections (fewer hops = better delivery)

Red flags:

• ❌ Vague answers like "industry leading" without specific data
• ❌ No carrier-specific breakdown
• ❌ Can't explain routing infrastructure
• ❌ Slow or unclear 10DLC process

Learn more: 10DLC registration guide

Opt-Out Management

This factor can cost you 10-30% of your potential reach.

The critical question: "Are opt-outs shared across all clients or isolated per organization?"

Two models:

Shared opt-outs (AVOID):

• When anyone opts out from any campaign on platform, they're blocked for ALL campaigns
• You lose 10-30% of reach to other campaigns' opt-outs
• Common with many platforms but undisclosed

Isolated opt-outs (PREFER):

• Each organization maintains its own opt-out list
• Voters can opt out from Campaign A but still receive messages from Campaign B
• You only lose reach from your own opt-outs

What to ask:

1. "If another campaign gets an opt-out, does it affect my contact list?"
2. "How many contacts might I lose due to other campaigns' opt-outs?"
3. "Can I export my organization-specific opt-out list?"
4. "Is opt-out processing automatic or manual?"

What to look for:

• Isolated, per-organization opt-out lists
• Automatic, instant processing
• You own your opt-out data
• Can export lists anytime

Learn more: Shared opt-outs problem

Compliance Features

TCPA compliance is mandatory, not optional.

Essential compliance tools:

• Automatic opt-out processing (instant, not delayed)
• Required opt-out language in every message
• Audit trails for all messages sent
• Consent tracking and documentation
• Data retention and exportability

What to ask:

1. "How do you ensure TCPA compliance?"
2. "Is opt-out processing automatic?"
3. "What audit trails do you provide?"
4. "Do you offer compliant message templates?"
5. "How do you document consent?"

Red flags:

• ❌ Manual opt-out processing
• ❌ No audit trail capabilities
• ❌ Vague answers about compliance
• ❌ No consent documentation

Learn more:

• TCPA compliance guide
• 2025 political texting compliance

Volunteer Management Tools

For P2P texting, volunteer tools directly impact success.

Must-have features:

• Intuitive, easy-to-learn interface
• Training materials built-in
• Real-time conversation management
• Suggested responses and talking points
• Admin oversight and quality control
• Performance tracking per volunteer

What to ask:

1. "How easy is volunteer onboarding?"
2. "What training resources do you provide?"
3. "Can volunteers work from mobile devices?"
4. "How do you support volunteers in real-time?"
5. "What quality control tools exist?"

Learn more: Scaling your volunteer texting team

Integration Capabilities

Your texting service should connect with your existing tools.

Key integrations:

• CRM systems (NGP VAN, EveryAction, Action Network)
• Voter databases
• Fundraising platforms (ActBlue, WinRed)
• Email tools
• Analytics platforms

What to ask:

1. "Which CRMs do you integrate with?"
2. "How does data sync? Real-time or batch?"
3. "Can I import and export data freely?"
4. "Do you offer API access?"
5. "What format is data exported in?"

Learn more: CRM integration guide

Message Features

Better messaging tools drive better results.

Important features:

• Personalization with merge fields (name, location, etc.)
• Message templates and libraries
• Character counter and preview
• Link shortening and tracking
• MMS support (images, videos)
• Conditional logic (different messages for segments)

Learn more: Dynamic personalization

Analytics and Reporting

You need visibility into performance to optimize.

Essential metrics:

• Delivery rates (overall and by carrier)
• Response rates
• Opt-out rates
• Volunteer performance
• Conversion tracking (donations, votes pledged, etc.)
• Real-time dashboards

What to ask:

1. "What reports are available?"
2. "Can I export raw data?"
3. "Do you track conversions?"
4. "What real-time visibility exists?"
5. "Can I create custom reports?"

Learn more: Analytics and key metrics

Step 4: Evaluate Pricing Structure

True cost goes beyond the advertised per-message rate.

Cost Components

Per-message fees:

• Outbound messages: typically $0.01-$0.04
• Inbound replies: typically $0.01-$0.02
• MMS (with images): typically $0.03-$0.06

Platform fees:

• Monthly subscription: $0-$500+
• Setup fees: $0-$1,000+
• Per-volunteer or per-seat fees
• Minimum monthly commitments

Additional costs:

• 10DLC registration: $4-$15 per campaign
• Support packages
• Training services
• Premium features

What to ask:

1. "What is the all-in cost per message including ALL fees?"
2. "Are there setup fees or minimums?"
3. "What costs are variable vs fixed?"
4. "Are there volume discounts?"
5. "What's included vs what costs extra?"

Pricing Models to Compare

Transparent pricing (good):

• Clear per-message rate
• All fees disclosed upfront
• No hidden costs
• Flexible monthly commitment

Complex pricing (watch out):

• Base rate plus many add-ons
• Opaque fee structure
• Long-term contracts required
• Volume tiers that may not apply

Calculate total cost for your campaign:

• Expected message volume
• Number of volunteers/seats
• Required features and integrations
• Support needs
• Setup and training

Learn more: P2P texting pricing guide

Step 5: Assess Support Quality

Support quality varies dramatically between providers.

Types of Support

Self-service:

• Documentation and knowledge base
• Tutorial videos
• Community forums
• Email support only

Standard support:

• Email support (24-48 hour response)
• Knowledge base and docs
• Some phone support

Premium support:

• Phone, email, and chat
• Fast response times (1-4 hours)
• Dedicated account manager
• Campaign strategy consultation

What to Evaluate

What to ask:

1. "What kind of support do you offer?"
2. "What are your response times?"
3. "What are support hours?"
4. "Do I get a dedicated contact?"
5. "Can you provide campaign references?"

Test before buying:

• Send questions during evaluation
• Measure response time and quality
• Ask complex technical questions
• See if answers are helpful or generic

Step 6: Check References and Reviews

Don't rely on marketing claims alone.

What to Research

Online reviews:

• Search platform name + "review"
• Check political campaign forums
• Look for complaints about delivery, support, billing

Reference campaigns:

• Ask provider for references
• Call or email those campaigns
• Ask specific questions about experience

Questions for references:

1. "What was your actual delivery rate?"
2. "How responsive was support?"
3. "Were there hidden costs?"
4. "What worked well? What didn't?"
5. "Would you use them again?"

Red Flags in Reviews

Watch for recurring complaints about:

• Poor deliverability
• Hidden fees or surprise charges
• Slow or unhelpful support
• Complicated interface
• Frequent downtime
• Shared opt-outs not disclosed
• Difficulty exporting data

Step 7: Run a Test Campaign

Never commit without testing.

How to Test

Small pilot campaign:

• Upload 500-1,000 test contacts
• Send actual campaign messages
• Recruit 2-5 volunteers to test interface
• Monitor delivery rates and responses
• Test support by asking questions

What to evaluate:

• Actual delivery rate achieved
• Interface usability for volunteers
• Quality of support responses
• Any hidden issues or limitations
• True all-in cost

Questions to answer:

1. Did messages deliver as promised?
2. Was setup easy or painful?
3. Could volunteers use interface easily?
4. Were there any surprise costs or limitations?
5. Would this work at full campaign scale?

Decision Framework: Scoring Services

Use this framework to compare services systematically.

Critical Factors (Must-Haves)

Rate each service on these factors:

Deliverability (30% weight):

• 95%+ delivery rate: 10 points
• 90-95%: 7 points
• Under 90%: 0 points

Opt-Out Model (25% weight):

• Isolated opt-outs: 10 points
• Shared opt-outs: 0 points

Compliance (15% weight):

• Automatic, comprehensive: 10 points
• Manual or limited: 5 points
• Poor or unclear: 0 points

Pricing (15% weight):

• Transparent, competitive: 10 points
• Competitive but complex: 7 points
• Expensive or hidden fees: 3 points

Volunteer Tools (10% weight):

• Excellent, easy-to-use: 10 points
• Adequate: 7 points
• Poor or limited: 3 points

Support (5% weight):

• Responsive, helpful: 10 points
• Adequate: 7 points
• Slow or poor: 3 points

Total possible: 100 points

Scoring:

• 80-100: Excellent choice
• 60-79: Good choice
• 40-59: Acceptable with reservations
• Below 40: Look elsewhere

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Mistake 1: Choosing on Price Alone

The cheapest option often has hidden costs:

• Shared opt-outs lose you reach
• Poor delivery wastes entire budget
• Bad support wastes campaign time

Mistake 2: Not Asking About Opt-Outs

Many services don't disclose shared opt-outs. Always ask explicitly.

Mistake 3: Ignoring Deliverability

A service with 85% delivery vs. 97% costs you 12% of your reach—massive in close races.

Mistake 4: Skipping Testing

Never commit to a full campaign without running a small test first.

Mistake 5: Not Reading Contracts

Understand:

• Contract length and renewal terms
• Cancellation policies
• Data ownership and export rights
• Service level agreements

Mistake 6: Forgetting About Support

You'll need support during high-stakes moments. Slow support during GOTV can kill your campaign.

Recommendations by Campaign Type

Local Campaigns

Priorities:

• Cost-effectiveness
• Simple setup
• Easy for volunteers
• Good support

Recommended:

• Political Comms (best value with quality)
• Relay (budget-focused simplicity)

Learn more: Texting for local campaigns

State Legislative

Priorities:

• Reliable delivery
• CRM integration
• Scalability
• Isolated opt-outs

Recommended:

• Political Comms (delivery and reach)
• Spoke (if tech resources available)

Congressional/Statewide

Priorities:

• Maximum deliverability
• Enterprise reliability
• Advanced features
• Dedicated support

Recommended:

• Political Comms (performance-focused)
• Hustle (enterprise brand name)

The Bottom Line

Choosing the right political texting service requires evaluating:

1. Deliverability — 95%+ non-negotiable
2. Opt-out model — Isolated saves 10-30% reach
3. Compliance — Automatic processing mandatory
4. Volunteer tools — Ease-of-use matters
5. Pricing — True all-in cost, not just per-message rate
6. Integration — Connect with your existing tools
7. Support — Quality matters during crunch time

Process:

1. Define your requirements
2. Research services systematically
3. Ask the right questions
4. Check references and reviews
5. Run a small test campaign
6. Make decision based on data, not marketing

For most campaigns: Political Comms offers the best combination of deliverability (97.8%), isolated opt-outs, transparent pricing, and campaign-specific support.

Don't rush this decision. The right service can be the difference between winning and losing a close race.

Ready to choose the right political texting service? Get started with Political Comms — 97.8% delivery, isolated opt-outs, transparent pricing.

Need help evaluating services? Contact our team — we'll help you ask the right questions and avoid costly mistakes.