STOP, UNSUBSCRIBE, and the carrier opt-out keywords

Learn how InnerText handles text messaging opt-out keywords like STOP, START, and HELP. Understand TCPA compliance rules and what happens when a fan opts out.

US carriers require every text-message sender to honor specific keywords. If a fan texts one of them to your number, InnerText handles it automatically: no human review, and nothing for you to do.

The keywords

A fan can opt out by texting any of these (case-insensitive):

STOP
STOPALL
UNSUBSCRIBE
CANCEL
END
QUIT

They can opt back in with START or UNSTOP, and reach support with HELP.

These are mandated by the TCPA and the carriers. We do not get to override them. If a fan types STOP mid-conversation, that conversation is done until they choose to come back.

What happens when a fan opts out

The instant a keyword is detected:

The fan's status changes to unsubscribed in your CRM. This is a different status from blocked, which is the hard block you or an admin apply by hand.
One confirmation text is sent, automatically. It tells the fan they have been unsubscribed and how to come back. This single reply is required by the carriers, not forbidden by them, and InnerText sends it for you.
Nothing else goes to that number. The confirmation is the last message they receive unless they opt back in.
Mass sends skip them automatically. You do not need to keep a separate list.

Stopping texts does not cancel a paid subscription

This is the one thing worth reading twice. A stop keyword ends the messages. It does not cancel a paid subscription or stop it renewing.

If a fan wants to stop being charged, they need to cancel as well, using the cancellation link in their confirmation message or by emailing support@inner-text.com. If a fan tells you they have stopped their texts and expects the charges to stop too, point them at that link.

What if they unsubscribed by accident?

They can opt back in by texting START or UNSTOP to your number. They receive a confirmation and the conversation resumes.

Only the fan can do this. You cannot resubscribe them from the dashboard, and neither can support. That is a carrier rule about consent, and it is deliberate: the person who opted out is the only person who can opt back in.

Why you must not keep messaging after a STOP

Carriers monitor for senders that keep going after an opt-out. If your number sends anything beyond the automatic confirmation, you can land on a carrier deny list.

InnerText marks an unsubscribed fan clearly in the conversation header and in the composer, and any message you try to send to them is refused before it reaches the fan. Treat that refusal as the system doing its job, not as a bug to work around. Do not try to reach an unsubscribed fan through another number or another creator's line.

How this affects mass messages

Mass sends exclude any fan who is currently unsubscribed. A fan who opted out and later texted START is included again, because their consent is current. It is enforced platform-wide, so there is no separate list to maintain.

What about A2P 10DLC?

A2P 10DLC is the carrier registration framework that lets your number send at scale. As part of your InnerText onboarding, your brand (legal name + EIN) and your campaign use case ("Social Media / Creator Fan Engagement") are registered with The Campaign Registry. You don't need to do anything for this; it happens in the background. Keeping STOP compliance clean is what protects your registration.

SHAFT: what you can and can't text: the other carrier rule that matters