An Overview of TCR Requirements
Registering a Campaign is very nuanced because it requires lots of information and there is a ton of room for misinterpretation or confusion. This list is not exhaustive. Additional details will be provided for each item under the “Best Practices” section:
Your business must have a functioning website.
If your website has a form that asks for a phone number, you must add a clear and visible disclosure under the form to explain that users may receive text messages. This message should be easy to understand and provide all necessary information.
Your website or online presence must have a Privacy Policy - No Exceptions!
Your website must not mention any CBD/Hemp products or services. This includes links to external stores where these products are available for purchase.
Best Practices
To improve the chance your campaign is approved the first time it is submitted, the following best practices should be implemented wherever possible:
Website
Your website should be completed before the registration is submitted. Websites displaying a page equivalent to “Coming Soon” or “Under Construction” will be automatically rejected.
Every link should navigate to a valid page. Be sure to correct or remove any buttons that bring a user to a page similar to the one below:
Your website must be considered secure and start with HTTPS (e.g. https://www.joinblvd.com/). If your website only uses HTTP, please contact a web developer or reach out to the support team of your respective hosting platform.
SMS consent language on website
An SMS disclosure informs the person using your website what to expect when providing their phone number and opt-in to receive text messages from your business.
The disclosure must be visible on every form where their phone number is requested, even if multiple forms exist on a single page. Omitting this disclosure will result in your registration automatically being rejected.
The SMS disclosure is required to have the following language:
Language stating how clients can opt out
“Reply STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE to opt-out”
Language stating how to receive help managing client consent states
“Reply HELP for more information”
Language indicating the expected communication frequency
“Message frequency may vary”
The phrase “Message & Data rates may apply”
“Message & Data rates may apply”
A link to your business’s privacy policy.
Below is an example of a compliant SMS Disclosure:
By entering your phone number, you are agreeing to receive text messages from [YOUR BRAND NAME]. Message & data rates may apply. Message frequency may vary. Reply HELP for more information. You can reply STOP or UNSUBSCRIBE to opt-out. See our Privacy Policy for additional details.
Privacy Policy
Data sharing with third parties and affiliate marketing is strictly prohibited. The Privacy Policy must explicitly state that no mobile details or personally identifiable information will be shared with third parties or affiliates for marketing or promotional purposes.
If the business’s privacy policy states information is shared or sold to unaffiliated third parties, you must specify the reason(s) and indicate that mobile information will not be shared. Including a copy of the SMS disclosure in the privacy policy is not required, but does build confidence.
The privacy policy must be hosted under the same domain as the business’s website. It should be on a dedicated webpage with its own unique URL, and accessible by a conspicuously placed link on the footer.
An example privacy policy is linked here.
If you use a social media page as an online presence, the privacy policy can be typed into a Google Doc and published on the web. The URL should be included in a “Bio” section, or pinned as a top post.
An example has been linked here.
Need help creating a privacy policy page? Check out this free tool.
CBD/Hemp & Other Illicit Content
Your website can not include any mention of CBD or other illicit content. This includes offering services with CBD, selling products that contain CBD or Hemp as an ingredient, or including links on your website to stores that offer these types of services or products. These are considered prohibited items and is a violation of your service agreement with Boulevard.
Please note that the ecosystem is constantly improving the vetting criteria as it comes across additional types of violations. Please do not consider these best practices as a “catch-all” that will guarantee approval as long as you follow them all; instead, consider them as a baseline that illustrates the general direction of compliant, high-quality messaging that the ecosystem is moving towards.
[2] May require changes in your privacy policy.