Is text-to-join legal? Consent basics for live events
Short answer
Text-to-join is built on consent: the person starts the conversation by texting your keyword or scanning your QR code, which is the basis most consent rules for text messages look for. Whether your particular use is legal depends on what you tell people, what you send them, and where they are, so check your plans with a lawyer. The basics are to say clearly what people are signing up for, send only what you promised, and honor STOP and HELP.
Updated November 5, 2026
Text-to-join is built on consent. The person starts the conversation by texting your keyword or scanning your QR code and tapping send, so the first text in the conversation comes from them. That's the starting point most rules on text messages look for. Whether your particular use is legal still depends on what you tell people, what you send them afterward, and where they live, and this page isn't legal advice. Say plainly what people are signing up for, send only what you promised, honor STOP and HELP, and take your specific plans to a lawyer.
What counts as consent when someone texts in?
In general terms, consent for text messages means the person agreed to receive them and knew what they were agreeing to. US rules on text messages, such as the TCPA, and wireless carrier guidelines (see CTIA) both care about that. Text-to-join gives you the first half: the person sends the first text. The second half depends on you, because "knew what they were agreeing to" comes down to what your slide, sign, or spoken ask said.
A text-in is consent to the conversation you described. If you said "Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's slides," that's what they asked for. If you also want them on your email list, say so in the same line.
Some cases need extra care and a lawyer's view: audiences that include minors (school events, youth programs), anything health- or money-related, audiences outside the US, and any plan to contact people in ways beyond what you told them when they texted in.
What should my slide or sign say?
One line that names the offer and the list does most of the work:
Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's slides and join my email list. Reply STOP to opt out.
| Include | Why |
|---|---|
| The keyword and short code | So they know how to start |
| What they'll get | The reason they're texting |
| That they're joining your list | So the signup isn't a surprise |
| How to opt out | So they know they can leave |
Say it out loud the same way. Then make the flow match the promise: if the sign says slides, the flow sends slides.
What happens if someone wants out?
On Textiful, STOP and HELP are handled automatically on every keyword and QR code. You don't build anything for them, and they never count as conversations on your plan. What happens when someone texts STOP? covers this in more detail.
Opting out of texts and unsubscribing from email are separate. Once a contact reaches your email tool, that tool's unsubscribe link and rules apply. Handout emails sent through Textiful come from your name, and recipients can unsubscribe from them.
What does Textiful do, and what's still on you?
| Textiful | You |
|---|---|
| People start the conversation themselves | Write an ask that says what they're joining |
| STOP and HELP handled automatically | Send only what you promised |
| Questions asked one at a time, in the thread the person started | Decide what to do with the contact in your email tool |
| Handout emails include an unsubscribe | Follow your email tool's rules for later emails |
Textiful makes no promise that any specific use is lawful. It handles the mechanics so the consent you collect is clear, and the legal judgment about your situation belongs with your lawyer.
How does Textiful help?
Every Textiful capture flow starts with a text the person sends, and STOP and HELP work on every keyword and QR code. Your contacts then go to your own email tool through our integrations, where you follow up.
Try it at your next event → Start a free trial
Questions people ask
No. Textiful makes no legal guarantees, because whether a use is lawful depends on how you run it. Textiful is built so people start the conversation themselves, and STOP and HELP are handled automatically. For your situation, talk to a lawyer.
The text itself is how they start. What matters is that your sign, slide, or spoken ask says clearly what they'll get and what they're joining, so the person knows what they agreed to when they hit send.
Name the offer and the list in one line, for example: Text DEMO to 33777 to get today's slides and join my email list. Reply STOP to opt out.
Yes. On Textiful, STOP and HELP are handled automatically on every keyword and QR code, and those texts never count as conversations.
Keep exploring
Opt-in
An opt-in is a person's permission to receive messages from an organization, given through an action they take themselves, such as texting a keyword, ticking a box, or submitting a sign-up form. It's the record that someone asked to hear from you.
ReadTCPA
The TCPA (Telephone Consumer Protection Act) is a US federal law passed in 1991 that restricts telemarketing calls, autodialed and prerecorded calls, and text messages sent without the recipient's consent. Text messages are treated as calls under the law, which makes it the main US law behind consent rules for texting programs.
ReadSTOP and HELP keywords
STOP and HELP are standard reply words in US texting. Texting STOP to a program unsubscribes the sender from its messages, and texting HELP returns a message saying who runs the program and how to get support. Carriers expect every short code program to respond to both.
ReadCTIA
CTIA is the US trade association for the wireless industry, whose members include the major mobile carriers. For texting, it's known for publishing messaging principles and short code guidelines that carriers use to approve and monitor short code programs.
ReadConference lead capture for event organizers
Conference lead capture happens in a dozen rooms at once: the main-stage poll, the breakout session survey, the sponsor's giveaway. Textiful gives each moment its own QR code or keyword, asks a question or two by text, and sends the answers and contacts where your team works.
ReadA digital connection card for church guests
A digital connection card for church works from the guest's own phone: during welcome time, they scan a QR code in the bulletin or text a keyword to 33777, give a name and email, and your guest follow-up team gets an email right away. It replaces the card in the seat-back pocket for the people who were never going to fill it out.
ReadCampus event sign-ups for schools and student orgs
For a campus event sign-up, students and families scan a QR code at the club table or open house check-in, answer a question or two by text, and land in the right list. One account can give every club at the activities fair its own free QR code, so each one gets its own sign-ups.
ReadReady for your next event?
Try Textiful free for 14 days. Set up a QR code or keyword in minutes and see who shows up.