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Getting Started

Getting started: from sign-up to your first message

The fastest path from a new account to a real, delivered message — and what to set up while you wait.

Start by preparing a draft and completing the readiness steps on Home. Carrier approvals take external review; you can work on your audience and message while waiting.

1. Start your brand registration first

To send text messages in the US, carriers require your business to be registered (this is called 10DLC). It’s a one-time thing and approval can take anywhere from a few hours to a couple of days — so kick it off immediately. Enter your business details once and we submit it for you after a quick human review. You’ll see a “pending” badge; you don’t have to wait on this screen.

2. Send a test to your own phone

While your brand pends, send yourself a message so you can see it work end to end — the message goes out, you get it, and you see exactly what it cost. This is the fastest way to feel the product actually doing its job.

3. Bring in your contacts

Upload a CSV and map your columns, or add a few by hand to start. You don’t need your whole list to try things — a handful is enough to build and preview a flow.

4. Build your first flow from a template

Don’t start from a blank canvas. Pick a template — a welcome message, a follow-up, a reminder — and edit it. You’ll have a working automation in a minute instead of twenty.

5. Connect a sending domain (for email)

If you’ll send email too, verify a sending domain so your mail lands in the inbox. We generate the exact DNS records; you paste them into your domain provider and click Verify. See “Email authentication explained” and your provider’s guide.

6. Go live

Once your brand is approved, your campaigns and flows can send for real. That’s it — you’re running.

A note on what Focal is: it’s a messaging platform. Things like “appointment reminders,” “loyalty,” and “review requests” are types of campaigns you run here — not separate booking, rewards, or review systems. You bring the audience and the message; Focal sends it, on time and compliantly.