Wallet · Merchant guide
A keyword is the word a customer texts to join your SMS list, like JOIN, TV, or INFO. Give each channel its own keyword and every subscriber arrives tagged with where they came from, so you can tell at a glance which ad actually built your list and which one did not.
One word, one channel
Put a different keyword on each place you advertise. The word a customer texts is the receipt that tells you which channel sent them.
Subscribers land sorted
Every keyword is its own list. People who text TV and people who text INFO stay separate, so you can see and message each group on its own.
Attribution you can read
Your default might be JOIN, but if a television spot asks viewers to text TV, the TV list’s count is the honest score of that spot.
How a keyword builds your list
You create it
Set up a keyword
Click Create New Opt-In Keyword, choose the word customers will text (JOIN, TV, INFO), and pick which of your mobile numbers answers it. Each keyword has to be unique across your lists.
You promote it
Put a different keyword on each channel
Print INFO on your flyer, say TV in your ad, show JOIN in store. Because the word travels with the customer, the channel labels itself.
A customer texts in
Someone texts your keyword to your number
Texting the keyword (in any mix of upper or lower case) subscribes that person to that keyword’s list, and only that list.
Setting up a keyword
You need an approved mobile number first. If you do not have one yet, add it under SMS Numbers and come back once it is approved. Then click Create New Opt-In Keyword and fill in the dialog.
| Field | What it does |
|---|---|
| Status | Active means the keyword automatically subscribes and unsubscribes people who text it. Set it Inactive to make the keyword stop responding entirely. |
| Keyword Nickname | A private label for your own tracking, for example “June TV spot”. Customers never see it. |
| Estimated Msgs/Month | Your best estimate of how many messages this list gets a month. It appears in the disclosure customers see (for example “4msgs/mo.”). |
| Mobile Number | Which of your approved numbers this keyword answers on. |
| Age Validation 21+ | Turn on to require subscribers to declare their date of birth and be 21+ before joining. Use it for lists about alcohol, firearms, gambling, tobacco, or other adult content. |
| Opt-In Keyword | The word customers text to join. It is forced to uppercase letters and numbers with no spaces, and must be unique across your lists. |
| Opt-In Response | The automatic reply a new subscriber receives when they join. |
| Opt-Out Keyword | Set for you as STOP plus your keyword, and cannot be edited. You never have to configure how people leave. |
| Opt-Out Response | The automatic reply someone receives when they leave the list. |
Check the preview before you save
Under each reply is a preview of what the customer actually receives. It matters because your number’s footer and the “msgs/mo.” disclosure are appended for you, so the message that goes out is longer than the words you typed.
Watch the character count under the preview. Those automatic additions are usually what tips a reply over the limit for a single message, and the count turns red to warn you when it does. Shorten your reply if you want it to stay in one message.
Read your subscriber counts
Every keyword row shows three counts, and each one is a button you can click to open the full list of those people.
Subscribed
People currently on the list. This is the number that tells you how well a channel is working.
Pending
People who have texted in but have not finished confirming their date of birth. It only appears on keywords where you turned on 21+ validation, and it is not an error.
Unsubscribed
People who have left this list. Everyone can always leave by texting STOP plus your keyword.
Let your website collect subscribers for you
Every keyword row has a Keyword Tools button (the screwdriver and wrench icon). Open it for two ready-made ways to gather subscribers without anyone having to type a keyword:
- A QR code you can download as a PNG or SVG and place anywhere. A customer scans it with their phone and their messaging app opens, already filled in with your number and keyword, ready to send.
- A 1-click opt-in button you paste into your website. It shows a “Join our SMS List!” button to visitors on a phone, and one tap opens their messaging app pre-loaded to subscribe. It hides itself automatically for desktop visitors.
Good to know
Keywords must be unique. Two lists cannot share the same opt-in keyword. If you try to save a keyword that another list already uses, you will be asked to pick a different one.
You do not set the opt-out. The opt-out keyword is always STOP plus your keyword, filled in for you and locked. Every subscriber can leave any list this way.
Keywords are not case sensitive. A customer can text join, JOIN, or Join, and the system tidies your keyword to uppercase letters and numbers as you type it.
Pending is normal on a 21+ list. People in Pending are simply waiting to confirm their date of birth. They are not lost, and the count only shows on keywords where 21+ validation is on.
Why it matters
A keyword per channel turns “which ad worked?” into a number. Instead of guessing, you look at each keyword’s Subscribed count and see exactly which flyer, spot, or sign built your list, and which one did not. That is how a stranger who saw one ad becomes a subscriber you can reach again.
Merchant guide. A plain-language explanation of how SMS keywords work, not a substitute for the terms in your agreement.