Why Shared Opt-Out Lists Cost You 10-30% Reach

One of the hidden costs of many political texting platforms is shared opt-out lists.

When voters opt out of messages from one organization, platforms like Peerly add them to a global opt-out list that blocks all organizations on the platform from contacting that voter.

This costs you 10-30% of your potential reach.

How Shared Opt-Outs Work

Most platforms work like this:

1. Voter receives text from Organization A
2. Voter replies STOP
3. Platform adds voter to global opt-out list
4. Your organization (B, C, D) can never contact that voter, even though they never opted out of your messages

You're punished for another organization's conversation.

The Real-World Impact

Let's say you want to text 100,000 voters in a swing district:

• With shared opt-outs: 15,000 voters are already on the global opt-out list from other campaigns
• Your actual reach: 85,000 voters
• Lost contacts: 15,000 voters you could have reached

In a close race, 15,000 contacts could be the difference between winning and losing.

Real Campaign Example

A 2024 congressional campaign switched from Peerly to Political Comms mid-cycle:

• Target universe: 250,000 voters
• Peerly's global opt-outs: 42,000 voters blocked
• Political Comms isolated opt-outs: 8,000 voters blocked (only those who opted out of their messages)
• Additional reach: 34,000 voters (13.6% increase)

That campaign won by 8,432 votes. Every contact mattered.

Why Platforms Use Shared Opt-Outs

There are a few reasons platforms pool opt-outs:

1. Easier for Them

Single database instead of per-organization tracking. Less engineering complexity, lower operational costs.

2. Reduced Complaints

Lower chance of voter complaints to carriers if voters who opt out from anyone are blocked from everyone.

3. Compliance Interpretation

Some believe TCPA requires it (it doesn't - more on this below).

But the cost is passed to you: reduced reach, fewer conversations, potentially lost elections.

The Alternative: Isolated Opt-Outs

At Political Comms, we maintain isolated opt-out lists - one per organization.

When a voter opts out of Organization A's messages, they're only added to Organization A's opt-out list. Your organization can still contact them (unless they opt out of your messages too).

This gives you 10-30% more reach compared to shared opt-out platforms.

How It Works

Organization A sends to voter → Voter replies STOP → Added to Org A's opt-out list
Organization B sends to same voter → Message delivers successfully
Voter can choose to opt out from Org B separately if desired

Each organization maintains its own suppression list. No cross-contamination.

But What About Compliance?

The TCPA doesn't require shared opt-outs. It requires:

• ✅ Honor opt-out requests for your organization
• ✅ Respect DNC lists
• ✅ Obtain prior express consent

Isolated opt-outs fully comply with TCPA. You're honoring opt-outs for your messages, which is what the law requires.

Legal Standard

The Telephone Consumer Protection Act (TCPA) requires:

"A person or entity may not... make any call using an automatic telephone dialing system... to any telephone number assigned to a... cellular telephone service... without the prior express consent of the called party."

And:

"The called person may revoke his or her consent at any time and through any reasonable means."

Key point: Consent is granted to your organization. Opt-out revokes consent from your organization. Not from every organization on the platform.

How to Check Your Platform

Ask your current platform:

1. "Are opt-outs shared across all organizations?"
2. "If another campaign gets an opt-out, does it affect my contact list?"
3. "Can I see the size of my organization's opt-out list vs. the platform-wide list?"

If the answer is "yes" to shared opt-outs, you're losing 10-30% of your reach.

Red Flags

• ❌ "We maintain a universal suppression list for compliance"
• ❌ "All clients share one opt-out database"
• ❌ "We aggregate opt-outs to reduce carrier complaints"
• ❌ Vague or evasive answers

Green Flags

• ✅ "Each organization has an isolated opt-out list"
• ✅ "Your opt-outs belong to you"
• ✅ "We separate suppression lists per client"
• ✅ "You can export your org-specific opt-outs anytime"

Platforms We Know Use Shared Opt-Outs

Based on our research and customer reports:

• Peerly - Confirmed to pool all client opt-outs globally
• Others - Many platforms use this approach but don't disclose it publicly

Ask before you sign up.

The Math

Let's run the numbers for a statewide campaign:

Scenario: 500,000 Voter Target Universe

Difference: 60,000 additional voters reached (12% increase)

At a 5% conversion rate, that's 3,000 additional votes.

The Bottom Line

Shared opt-out lists are:

• ❌ Bad for campaigns - reduced reach by 10-30%
• ❌ Unnecessary for compliance - TCPA doesn't require it
• ❌ Unfair - punishes you for others' mistakes

Isolated opt-out lists are:

• ✅ Better for reach - 10-30% more contacts
• ✅ Fully TCPA compliant - honor opt-outs for your org
• ✅ Fair - you own your opt-out list

Choose a platform with isolated opt-outs. Your win margin might depend on it.

What to Do If You're on a Shared Opt-Out Platform

Option 1: Ask Them to Change

Request isolated opt-out lists. Some platforms may accommodate if you push.

Option 2: Switch Platforms

Migrate to a platform with isolated suppression lists.

At Political Comms:

• Isolated opt-outs per organization
• Export your opt-out list anytime
• Import your existing suppression list
• Full TCPA compliance

Option 3: Run a Test

Send the same list through both platforms and compare deliverability:

1. Export your target list
2. Send via current platform (note delivery rate)
3. Send via Political Comms (compare delivery rate)
4. Calculate the reach difference

You'll see the 10-30% uplift in real numbers.

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Ready to maximize your reach? Get started with Political Comms today.

Questions about opt-out compliance? Contact our team - we're happy to explain.