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Terms and Conditions

Before any run can be started, the person launching it has to read and accept a disclaimer. This page explains what the disclaimer covers and why it exists.

Why the Disclaimer Exists

Outreach sends messages to real people at scale. The disclaimer makes clear that the person launching a campaign understands and accepts responsibility for:

  • The lawful collection and use of recipient contact data
  • The appropriateness and legality of the message content
  • Compliance with applicable regulations, such as anti-spam laws and telecommunications regulations
  • The inclusion of required opt-out or unsubscribe mechanisms

It is a safeguard, to reduce the risk of a non-compliant campaign going out.

What You Must Confirm

When a run is started, the Start Run page displays a disclaimer with a Learn more link. Accepting it confirms:

  1. Consent: everyone in the audience has given appropriate consent to receive the communication being sent.
  2. Content compliance: the message content is lawful, accurate and appropriate for the audience and jurisdiction.
  3. Opt-out and unsubscribe: the message includes the required opt-out instructions for SMS or an unsubscribe link for email, and no contact who has previously opted out has been included.
  4. Data responsibility: you are responsible for the accuracy and lawful handling of all recipient data.

What Happens if You Do Not Accept

  • The run will not start.
  • No messages are sent.
  • The run stays in Ready to Run and can be started later once the disclaimer is accepted.

When the Disclaimer Appears

The disclaimer is shown every time a run is started. Accepting it for one run does not carry over to the next, so the person launching each run has reviewed the terms for that specific send.

Best Practices

  • Review the audience before running. Check the estimated recipients on the run page, or the contact report for a file, so you know who is about to be messaged.
  • Include clear opt-out language in every SMS campaign, for example "Reply STOP to opt out".
  • Include an unsubscribe link in every email campaign. This is enforced as a required check when finishing the campaign wizard.
  • Do not message opted-out contacts. Outreach marks opted-out contacts and prevents future sends, but known opt-outs should also be excluded from any file you upload.

Opt-out handling in detail

Opt-outs for SMS campaigns are enforced at two layers:

  1. Carrier level. The delivery provider intercepts inbound replies matching any of the standard opt-out keywords and stops further messages to that number from your messaging service. The supported keywords are:

    STOP, STOPALL, UNSUBSCRIBE, CANCEL, END, QUIT

    These are case-insensitive and processed before the reply reaches Outreach. Once a recipient sends one of these keywords, the provider responds with a confirmation, blocks further messages to that number, and adds the recipient to your messaging service's opt-out list. For the full carrier behaviour, including resubscribe keywords such as START and UNSTOP, see Twilio's STOP filtering article.

  2. Application level. Outreach records the opt-out against the contact and marks the message status as Opted Out. Future campaigns that include the same recipient skip them automatically.

For email, opt-outs are handled through the unsubscribe link in the template. A recipient who selects it is recorded as opted out and excluded from future sends.

Because opt-out handling is partly carrier-enforced, it cannot be bypassed from Outreach. Always include opt-out wording recipients can act on, and treat the opt-out list as the source of truth for who can be contacted.