What is the difference between a short code and a 10-digit, long code, local number?

A short code is a five-digit number which one company leases. A short code usually costs $12-$20,000/year. That’s why PastorsLine decided to buy a dedicated short code and share the costs by having clients “sublease” the use. A 10-digit, long code, local number is a regular phone number, usually costing a few dollars/month. Read more here .

A keyword is a combination of letters and numbers which can trigger a campaign or data capture. Find out more at this link .

Why do I need to choose short code keywords?

As you know, keywords are a great way to trigger campaigns. You have probably been using them with your local, 10-digit PastorsLine number(s). Since each PastorsLine number is unique, churches can use any triggers/keywords they want, and more than one church can use the same trigger. For example: Texter A - 555 7777 welcome Texter B - 333 9999 welcome Since the local numbers are unique, there is no problem. However, getting your own short code is very expensive, not to mention full of bureaucracy. PastorsLine has made it easier for you by leasing one dedicated short code (77411) which is available all our clients. The only drawback is that now, the triggers/keywords have to be unique since the number is not. For example: Texter A - 77411 welcome Texter B - 77411 welcome Which campaign should be triggered? The solution: Texter A - 77411 welcome Texter B - 77411 wellcome ( notice the difference in spelling )

What is the difference between free and premium short code keywords?

A free short code keyword is any word that is: 1) similar to a real word but spelled differently and/or 2) 11 digits or more. For example: KIDZ, WELLCOME, and PRAYZE would all be free keywords as per category 1. PRAISEHISNAME would be free as per category 2. PRAYZEHISNAME would be free as a combination of both categories. Words which are spelled correctly (real words) and are 10 digits or less are premium keywords. ***All 1-3 digit phrases are also considered as premium regardless of spelling.*** Numbers are considered regular/free except for 1-3 digit numbers. NOTE: PastorsLine reserves the right of final judgement.

What are the costs of the short code keywords?

The costs depend on factors such as the word itself and the discount available for the plan you are on. Recurring monthly costs range from $10-$60. There is also the one-time, access fee. Use our estimator table (link to table above on page) to get a good idea of the pricing.

How often do I have to pay the one-time, access fee?

There is a one-time Access fee for each premium, short code keyword you choose.

Why do some of the short code keywords have a higher, recurring monthly cost?

These short code keywords are in higher demand. While we want to offer people a chance to reserve keywords, we don’t want them to just “squat” on these high demand keywords, not using them and preventing others from using them either. Reserved keywords belong to the client as long as their account is active or they release the keyword. We want our keywords to be used for God’s work.

Why is there a one-time, access fee for short code keywords?

Our short code keyword program offers each plan more keywords than other mass texting companies. Snagging the more meaningful keywords can make a difference to the effectiveness of your texting campaigns and data captures. Also, we let you get creative with your keywords. For example: the short code keyword “welcome home” would be possible...and free—even though it is two words, we remove the space for you, combining it into one. This one-time access fee helps share the development costs for this high demand feature. In addition, these brand new, short code keywords are not leftovers. They are fresh, high quality, “straight out of the box” triggers which will be unique for your ministry. We want them to be used by churches who appreciate these characteristics.

What is Christianese?

Some keywords are particularly Christian-centric or faith-oriented. These keywords carry an additional cost.

How is the PastorsLine short code keyword program different from that of other companies?

We want to offer you more short code keywords, so you have more communication power. Other church text messaging services assign a small number of keywords per payment plan. We are giving you more. For example, our least expensive plan includes 10 short code keywords . Each step up, the number of short code keywords increases exponentially, quickly reaching unlimited keywords for the more expensive plans. Also, we are giving you access to a larger pool of free short code keywords, no matter which plan you’ve signed up for—even our least expensive. Those ministries who prefer to communicate with more meaningful triggers can opt for premium keywords.

How does the plan discount work?

This video will give you more information and examples about how the plan discount works.

What happens if I want to change a premium keyword I already paid for?

If you are releasing/canceling a premium keyword, we would apply the prorated amount from your recurring costs towards the costs of the new keyword. The one-time access fee can be transferred to the costs of the new short code keyword. Example: You have already paid for a 6-letter premium keyword. Now, you would like to release that keyword and choose an 8-letter keyword. We will apply the one-time access fee and any prorated recurring costs of the 6-letter keyword towards the cost of your new, 8-letter keyword.

What happens if I want to add an additional premium keyword?

We calculate the pricing based on your plan and the length of your keyword + the setup fee. Example: You have already paid for a 4-letter premium keyword. Now, you would like to add an additional premium keyword. Your pricing starts from the beginning, including an additional one-time access fee.

Do spaces count when calculating short code keyword length?

No. So, the short code keyword “WELCOME HOME” can trigger a campaign. You would set it up as “WELCOMEHOME” in the backend. As we don’t count spaces, “WELCOME HOME” will work.

How is the PastorsLine program different from other keyword programs?

Other church text messaging services assign a small number of keywords per payment plan. We offer more short code keywords, so you have more communication power. Even though they may not have a fee to access the premium keywords, in most cases you don’t have access to those because they are already taken. Effectively, you have less keywords per plan and limited options. For example, our least expensive plan includes 10 free short code keywords. Each step up, the number of short code keywords grows exponentially, quickly reaching unlimited, free, short code keywords for the more expensive plans.

What is keyword squatting and how are we helping avoid this?

As mentioned on this page, the PastorsLine dedicated short code (77411) is shared amongst our church partners. Hence, the keyword or phrase would need to be unique to each church account. This is standard practice by companies like ours—so that you don’t have to spend $10k+ per year for your own short code. Since the short code keywords are a finite commodity, some users may decide to add several keywords to their account and not use them for months or years, removing them from the pool that you have access to. With our tiered fee structure, the most desired keywords come with costs, ensuring that each church makes a conscious decision about the short code keywords they want to use. Then, if they see that these short code keywords are not in use, they would release them back to the pool, instead of sitting on them. We think this is good stewardship of this resource for churches.

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