We have all been there. You land a new client, you are ready to launch AI SMS follow ups, and then you hit the compliance wall: A2P 10DLC. One wrong dropdown, one missing line in a privacy policy, or one weak opt in flow and you wait days just to get rejected.
In this guide, we are going to walk you through the exact approval flow we use: set your Twilio account up the right way for an agency, create sub accounts per client, submit the correct customer profile and brand, build a clean Low Volume Mixed campaign with proven templates, and connect Twilio directly into GoHighLevel without breaking your phone system. If you want to make money with AI without guesswork, this is the infrastructure that protects your deliverability and your future.
Step 1: Set Twilio up for an agency (ISV)
If you plan to register A2P for multiple clients, you want Twilio set up as an ISV. Twilio’s ISV onboarding model is built around you having a Primary Customer Profile for your own business and Secondary Customer Profiles for each client.
Why this matters: if you are not set up correctly, you end up only being able to register A2P for your main account instead of per client, which blocks scale and creates messy compliance later.
Step 2: Create one Twilio sub account per client
Treat each client like their own “container” inside Twilio.
Twilio’s recommended ISV flow is: for each customer, create a Secondary Customer Profile, register a Brand, and register Campaigns for each messaging use case.
Action checklist
Create a Twilio sub account named after the client.
Enter the sub account before you start A2P registration for that client.
Do not register a client brand inside your main account unless you intentionally run a different ISV architecture.
Step 3: Create the client’s customer profile (use their real details)
Inside that client’s Twilio sub account, create a Secondary Customer Profile using the client’s legal business info, not your own. Twilio explicitly says to use the customer’s details rather than the ISV’s details when creating Secondary Customer Profiles and registering Brands.
Action checklist
Legal business name, address, website, and registration info must match real world records.
Double check everything before submitting, because mismatched details are a common reason for delays.
Step 4: Register the Brand (this comes before the Campaign)
Once the customer profile is submitted and approved, register the Brand for that client. Twilio’s onboarding flow is built around creating customer profiles first, then registering brands, then registering campaigns.
Step 5: Register the Campaign (pick the closest real use case)
Now you register the Campaign under that Brand.
The most important part of the Campaign is not fancy copy. It is proving real consent and keeping your campaign description consistent with your sample messages and your website. Twilio’s approval guidance highlights that opt in requirements and message flow issues are common causes for rejection.
Keep it simple: choose a campaign type that matches what you actually send and your expected volume. Twilio’s A2P 10DLC docs describe the registration process and explain that different campaign types exist, including low volume options.
What to write in the Campaign fields (plain English)
Use case description: One sentence that matches reality (example: following up with people who requested info or opted in on a form).
Sample message: A real example of what you will send, with your business name and a clear opt out instruction when appropriate.
Message Flow or Call to Action: Exactly how the person gave consent (example: they filled a web form and checked a consent checkbox). Twilio notes the checkbox should not be preselected and that opt out must be present in the opt in language.
This is the number one rejection reason
Your website must visibly show the same consent story you wrote in the Campaign, and Twilio recommends providing URLs or proof of the opt in request from your site.
Step 6: Switch the GoHighLevel sub account to Twilio Direct
Once Twilio is ready, connect it to the correct GoHighLevel sub account (location) by switching that sub account’s phone system from LeadConnector to Twilio Direct.
Practical steps
In GoHighLevel, open support chat and request technical support for the Phone section. (GoHighLevel also publishes A2P campaign approval best practices that mirror the consent requirements.)
Provide the Location ID for the sub account you want to switch.
In Twilio, make sure you are inside the matching Twilio sub account, then copy the Account SID and Auth Token from that sub account dashboard and share them with the GoHighLevel rep.
Important caution:
If that GoHighLevel sub account already has numbers, switching providers can cause you to lose existing numbers in that sub account, so plan the migration.
Step 7: Buy a new number and ramp up slowly
After the sub account is connected to Twilio, buy a number, confirm it appears in GoHighLevel, then ramp sending volume slowly. This matters because A2P 10DLC throughput and deliverability are tied to your approved campaign type, brand, and messaging behavior.
Where this fits if you want to make money with AI
f your goal is escaping the 9 to 5, A2P approval is one of the unsexy steps that lets you sell AI SMS follow up systems confidently to businesses because you are building on compliant infrastructure instead of “hope it works” texting.
If you want a proven playbook for turning AI automation into an offer you can sell, The Instant AI Agency is going to help you: https://link.flexxable.com/mynewbook
Conclusion
To get Twilio A2P 10DLC approved fast, we do it in this order every time: ISV setup, client sub account, client Secondary Customer Profile, client Brand, client Campaign with a crystal clear opt in message flow that matches the website, then connect Twilio Direct to the right GoHighLevel sub account and ramp volume slowly.
Which part are you stuck on right now: proving opt in on the website, writing the message flow, or switching GoHighLevel to Twilio Direct?
