Short code

What is a short code?

A short code is a five- or six-digit number that organizations use to receive and send text messages at volume. People text a word to it ("Text DEMO to 33777") to sign up for something, vote, request a download, or answer a question. Mobile carriers review each short code program before it goes live, and short codes are designed to handle many messages arriving at once, which is why they appear on event screens, TV spots, and stadium boards.

Short codes are text-only and are approved for one country at a time. They come in two kinds. A dedicated short code belongs to a single organization. A shared short code is used by many organizations at the same time, and the keyword at the start of each message tells the system whose program the text belongs to.

How does it work?

When someone texts a short code, their carrier routes the message to the company that operates the code. That company reads the keyword, finds the matching program, and sends a reply, often a question or a link. From the person's side it looks like any other text thread on their phone, and they answer the same way they'd answer a friend.

Getting a dedicated short code means leasing the number and going through carrier approval, where the organization describes what it will send and how people agree to receive it. That process takes time and paperwork. On a shared short code, the operator holds the approval and each customer reserves a keyword instead.

Every short code program is expected to follow carrier rules. The person has to start the exchange or otherwise agree to messages, and the program has to answer STOP and HELP whenever someone sends them.

Why it matters at live events

A live audience puts a lot of people on their phones in the same 30 seconds. A speaker says "Text DEMO to 33777" on the last slide, and half the room types at once. A short code is the kind of number built for that spike. Five digits are also easy to read off a screen at the back of a ballroom, or to call out from the stage between songs.

The call to action stays short enough to print anywhere. "Text JOIN to 55444" fits on a banner at the merch table, a booth backdrop, a table tent at a gala, or the bottom of a church bulletin, and people remember it long enough to type it.

Textiful runs on two shared short codes, 33777 and 55444. You reserve a keyword on one of them, and nobody else on Textiful can use that word on that code. If you'd rather people scan than type, a Textiful QR code opens the texting app with the message already written and addressed to a Textiful short code. For a longer walkthrough, read What is a short code and how does it work?

Key takeaways

• A short code is a five- or six-digit, text-only number that carriers approve for an organization's program.
• Shared short codes let many organizations use one number, with each program identified by its keyword.
• Carriers expect consent and working STOP and HELP replies on every program.
• At events, a short code and a keyword give you a sign-up you can read off a slide or say from the stage.

Try it at your next event → Start a free trial