SMS Opt-in Design Strategy for Best Results

Navigating the different limitations presented by SMS Marketing Apps when it comes to Single opt-in vs Double opt-in

At a glance:
Introduction
Hybrid Approach
Why This Matters
Show Me How

Last update 2/20/2025

Introduction

You may have already ran into changes more than once with the ever changing policies around SMS opt-in requirements by country or even state and solutions both old and new for them.  Justuno has always take the balanced approach by default to utilize the highest opt-in methods while staying within the policy lines.  Of course these options are usually all configurable as desired by our customers at the state/country or universal levels.

Here we are going to review the best practices around how to increate fully opted-in sms lead captures whether combined with email or on their own.

Hybrid Approach for Optimal Mobile Visitor and Desktop Visitor Opt-in Rates

The advanced nature of the Justuno Design Studio let's you create designs that cater differently to desktop visitors than mobile visitors.  This approach will ask the user to input their SMS number when on a desktop but for mobile or tablet users will instead have a CTA that opens the mobile device's SMS app (i.e. IOS messages) with your toll free SMS subscriber number or short code and your message body prefilled in. 

Here's the breakdown from a visual standpoint:

Desktop visitors would see this

While mobile visitors would see this and after clicking this [Send Sign up SMS] button it would open your phone's sms messaging app and pre-fill in the number and message.

Along with this setup, we highly suggest you enable the sms verification feature in your Justuno -> account settings -> advanced settings section so that we can verify in real-time and ensure your desktop users are entering valid, true and active sms numbers.

Why all this matters more or less depending on your connected SMS app 

Basically, some SMS providers like Klaviyo allow you / us to enable opting in sms numbers via their API as single opt-in.  In this scenario the above is far less critical with the exception of enabling the Justuno phone number verification feature.  Because if simply just have them input their sms number and hit submit we can fully opt them in to your sms list.

Some other providers like Postscript don't allow single opt-ins via their api but using the methods above will act as a single opt-in.

Then there are providers like Attentive that won't even do a single opt-in via the sms message approach with any third party integration effectively always requiring the reply Y approach.

How to create these hybrid designs

If pictures are worth a thousand words then videos are worth a million.