September 15, 2025

How To Text Market The Right Way For Firearm Businesses: Insights From Ben Nelson Of OtterText

By Daphane Cassidy

Text marketing is one of the most effective and often underutilized tools available to firearm retailers, ranges and e-commerce businesses.

Texting provides firearm businesses with a direct, high-engagement way to communicate with their customers. Messages can highlight sales, promote training opportunities or drive event attendance in real time.

In this exclusive NSSF Industry Insights interview, OtterText founder and CEO Ben Nelson explains how ranges, retailers and e-commerce businesses can use text messaging to grow revenue while staying compliant with carrier regulations. From age-gate requirements to best practices for campaign frequency, Nelson shares practical strategies every firearm business should know.

Staying Compliant with Carrier Regulations

Compliance is the cornerstone of successful text marketing in the firearms industry. Carriers have recently begun re-auditing campaigns and businesses found to be out of alignment risk losing their ability to send messages. One common misstep is failing to maintain a 21+ age gate, which must require full month, day and year entry, not a simple yes/no box and not an 18+ threshold.

Nelson emphasized: “Just because you see someone else in the industry getting away with 18 plus, don’t follow bad examples. Actually follow what’s in the guidelines for the carriers. Otherwise, you might be sending text messages today and you might get banned tomorrow if they re-audit you.”

In addition to age-gating, businesses must:

Include proper opt-in language that assures customers their phone number will not be sold to third parties.
Use clear opt-in processes, whether via online forms, account creation or in-person collection, that document a customer’s consent.

Best Practices for Text Campaigns

Frequency matters. Businesses that send too few texts risk being flagged by carriers for “low-quality” engagement, while those that overwhelm customers risk opt-outs. OtterText recommends staying in the two to eight texts per month range.

This “sweet spot” keeps customers informed without creating fatigue, while also ensuring carriers see the account as active and reliable. Content should be timely, relevant and actionable, highlighting sales, events and new product arrivals, rather than sporadic or unfocused.

Choosing the Right Provider

Not all text platforms are equipped to handle the unique compliance challenges of the firearms industry. Businesses should look for providers that:

Have documented experience with firearm retailers and ranges.

Publish educational resources, blogs, compliance guides and campaign samples that demonstrate industry knowledge.

Offer features designed for regulated industries, such as S.H.A.F.T. (Sex, Hate, Alcohol, Firearms, and Tobacco) specific safeguards and ROI tracking.

Nelson cautioned new adopters: “For someone that’s interested in texting for the very first time, you need to do your research. I tell everyone, don’t trust a salesperson. You want to actually do your research, look at their blog, make sure they have firearm content, because if they don’t, they might not be working in the firearm space.”

Supporting the Industry Through Membership

OtterText is not only a frequent Summit sponsor but also an NSSF member. For the company, membership is about strengthening the entire firearms community while gaining valuable opportunities to network and share expertise at events like the Range-Retailer Business Expo and SHOT Show.

Access the NSSF Portal Become an NSSF Member

Member Benefits & Exclusive Discounts

OtterText has recently become an NSSF Affinity Partner, offering exclusive discounts to members. Benefits include:

Waived $400 onboarding fee for OtterText services
10% off all monthly OtterText plans
5% off all monthly OtterWaiver plans, the company’s digital waiver solution

These discounts demonstrate OtterText’s commitment to helping firearm businesses adopt compliant text marketing and waiver automation tools more affordably.

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Takeaway

Texting is a powerful way to engage customers, drive revenue and build loyalty if done correctly. Firearm businesses that follow compliance rules, maintain consistent outreach, partner with knowledgeable providers and take advantage of member benefits can confidently use this tool to grow their operations.

Helpful OtterText Resources for Firearm Businesses

Stay compliant and effective with these OtterText guides and tools:

SHAFT Compliance Guide
- Overview of carrier rules for firearms, alcohol, and tobacco businesses.
Age-Restrictions vs. Age-Gating
- Why a full 21+ age gate (month, day, year) is required.
Opt-In Compliance
- How to properly collect and document customer consent.
Firearm Event Texts
- Best practices for driving sales and event participation with text campaigns.
10DLC, Short Codes & Toll-Free Numbers
- Choosing the right type of phone number for your campaign.

Learn More with NSSF Educational Webinars

Ben Nelson hosted an NSSF Webinar helping industry members understand the benefits and compliance rules of text marketing. A recording of this webinar and past Firearm Industry Compliance Education sessions are available through NSSF’s SHOT University™ Online – the firearm industry’s premier resource for education and training – available for free to NSSF Members and their staff. Log in today!
Webinar Text Marketing