How to Work Aged Insurance Leads by Text (2026 Guide)
Every name on your aged lead list asked for an insurance quote once. That same afternoon, every agent who bought the lead called, so they quit answering unknown numbers, and one short text with your name, sent inside the rules, is how you get back in.
- Check that the lead's consent covers texts from you. Medicare leads: no unsolicited texts at all.
- Open with your name, one easy question and STOP language. No pitch.
- Four texts over two weeks, then stop. Any "no" ends it.
Aged leads did not stop shopping; they stopped answering strangers
An aged lead is any lead past its first few days, usually sold in age bands: 30 to 90 days, six months, a year or more. The price drops with age because the first wave of agents already called, texted and gave up.
That is why they still work. The person did ask for a quote; their phone just filled up with strangers. A text with your name, your reason and an easy way out reads nothing like those calls.
Before the first text: the 60‑second consent check
- Open the lead record and find the consent text the person agreed to.
- Look for the word "text" or "SMS". Consent to calls alone does not cover texts.
- Find your name, your agency, or a partner list you are on.
- Note the date. Past 3 months, that consent is the only thing covering a Do Not Call number.
- Ask the vendor for a claimed consent certificate and save it with the lead. A TrustedForm certificate nobody claimed is deleted after 72 hours (90 days at most), so on an aged lead, no claimed certificate means skip it.
- Run the number and the consent date through the FCC's Reassigned Numbers Database. A "no" answer means the number has not changed hands since they agreed, and it is your safe harbor if the database turns out wrong (64.1200(m)).
Covers texts: "By submitting, I agree to be contacted by Ortiz Insurance and its partners by phone, text message and email, including by automated technology, about insurance offers. Consent is not required to buy."
A consent that only says "phone calls", or names a list of partners you are not on, does not cover you. Skip those leads for texting, or call them by hand within the rules instead.
The first text: your name, one question, a way out
The first text has one job: get a reply of any kind. Not a quote, not a call: a question they can answer with one word, sent only to leads that passed the check above.
Leave links out of the first text.
Match the opener to the lead’s age: 3 months, a year, older
| Lead age | What changes | Open with |
|---|---|---|
| Under 3 months | The quote request still covers a Do Not Call number, and they likely remember asking. | The month they asked: "You asked about final expense in August." |
| 3 to 12 months | A Do Not Call number now needs the form's written consent. Run the Reassigned Numbers Database. | "You looked at coverage earlier this year." |
| Over a year | More numbers have changed hands, and unclaimed certificates are long gone. Text only leads with a claimed certificate and a clean database check. | "Hi Ruth, Sam Ortiz, licensed agent. Over a year ago you asked about life insurance. Still something you want? Reply STOP to opt out." |
Four texts in two weeks, then stop
| Day | What you send | Why it works |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | The first text above | One easy question |
| 3 | "No rush, Linda. If the timing is off, say so and I'll stop. Sam, Ortiz Insurance. Reply STOP to opt out." | A polite exit is often what gets the reply |
| 7 | "Sam at Ortiz Insurance: I can compare a few carriers for you in about 10 minutes by phone. Worth it? Reply STOP to opt out." | One concrete offer, still no price |
| 14 | "Sam at Ortiz Insurance. I'll close your file so you stop hearing from me. Reply YES for a quote, or STOP to opt out." | The last text, and often the one answered |
After day 14, stop. A lead who never answered four polite texts is telling you something, and every extra text is one more chance at a complaint. Any reply that means no ends the sequence that day.
When they reply, call within 5 minutes
A reply from an aged lead is warm for a short window, so call while they are still holding the phone. On fresh web leads, Oldroyd's Lead Response Management study found the odds of qualifying a lead fell 21 times when the first call came at 30 minutes instead of 5 (more on that window).
| They reply | You send |
|---|---|
| "Yes" or "still looking" | "Great. Can I call you in 5 minutes, or is later today better?" |
| "Who is this?" | Your name, your agency, and when and where they asked for a quote. Then the question again. |
| "Already have coverage" | "Glad you're set. I'll take you off my list." Then stop. |
| "Stop", "no thanks", "wrong number" | Nothing more, ever. Mark it so nobody on your team texts them again. |
Can you text aged insurance leads? What the rules say
Yes, if four things are true, and each one matters more once a lead is past 90 days.
| Rule | What it means for an aged lead | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Consent | The consent has to cover texts, and cover you or your agency. Shared leads are fine federally since the one-to-one consent rule was struck down in January 2025. | IMC v. FCC |
| Do Not Call | A quote request is a business relationship for only 3 months. After that, a number on the National Do Not Call Registry needs the written consent from the lead form. | 47 CFR 64.1200(f)(5) |
| Hours | 8am to 9pm in the lead's time zone. Florida and Maryland: 8am to 8pm, and no more than three a day on one subject. Oklahoma has a near copy of Florida's law. | 64.1200(c)(1), Fla. Stat. 501.616, Maryland |
| Opt‑out | STOP, "no thanks", "take me off": any reasonable way counts, and you have 10 business days at most. | 64.1200(a)(10) |
Florida's statute says calls; treat texts the same. More states add rules like these every year, so the strictest state on your list sets your schedule. This is a field guide, not legal advice.
Medicare leads: no unsolicited texts at all
Medicare Advantage and Part D plans, and the agents and brokers who sell them, may not send unsolicited text messages at all (42 CFR 422.2264(a)(2)(iv)). A text is only allowed when the beneficiary gave consent or contacted you first.
So for an aged Medicare lead, the move is to get them to reach out first. A contact the beneficiary starts is not unsolicited (422.2264(a)(3)), so a mailed card asking them to call you is the safe path when you cannot prove consent to texts.
The Annual Enrollment Period runs October 15 to December 7, when Medicare leads hear from the most agents. CMS guidelines change every year, so check your carrier's rules too. Everything below is written for final expense, life, health outside Medicare (ACA Open Enrollment opens November 1; the end date varies by state), and home and auto leads.
Get your texts past the carriers (errors 30034 and 30007)
Texts sent from software on a 10-digit business number have to be registered for A2P 10DLC: a brand ($4 once) and a campaign (about $15 to vet, then $1.50 to $12 a month). On Twilio, unregistered texts fail with error 30034, and texts the carriers flag as spam fail with error 30007, so the lead never sees them.
An aged list gets filtered faster than a fresh one, because more of its numbers have changed hands or report spam. Clean out disconnected numbers first, keep the first text plain, and pace sends instead of blasting the whole list at 9am. How carrier filtering works.
Four mistakes that turn aged leads into lawsuits
A list bought nationally spans four time zones. Schedule by the lead's state or area code, not by your own clock.
The FCC counts any reasonable opt-out, in any words. You have 10 business days at most; do it the same day.
The inquiry exemption ends at 3 months. After that, a Do Not Call number needs the consent from the lead form, or no text at all.
No opt-out list your team shares, no record of what was sent, no registered business number behind it. When a complaint comes, you have nothing to show.
Let FollowUp send all four texts for you
FollowUp for insurance agents is built for exactly this list. Upload the leads you already bought, and the texts and voicemail drops go out from your own business number on the schedule you pick. AI sorts the replies, so the ones worth a call reach you and the rest wait.
Every text carries your name and STOP language, quiet hours and opt-outs are handled, and a reply pauses the sequence for that person.
Frequently asked questions
Can I text aged insurance leads?
Yes, if the consent the lead gave covers texts from you or your agency, the text goes out between 8am and 9pm in the lead's time zone (8pm in Florida and Maryland), and you honor any opt-out. Shared leads are allowed federally since the FCC's one-to-one consent rule was struck down in January 2025, but the consent still has to cover texts and you. Medicare leads are stricter: agents may not send unsolicited texts to Medicare beneficiaries at all.
Do aged insurance leads need to be scrubbed against the Do Not Call list?
Yes. A quote request counts as a business relationship for only 3 months under 47 CFR 64.1200(f)(5). After that, a number on the National Do Not Call Registry can only be texted with the written consent captured on the lead form, so scrub the list and keep each lead's consent record.
What should my first text to an aged insurance lead say?
Your name, the coverage they asked about and roughly when, one yes-or-no question, and opt-out language. For example, ask whether they are still looking for the final expense coverage they asked about in March, and end with Reply STOP to opt out. Leave links and prices out of the first text.
How many times should I text an aged lead?
Four texts over about two weeks is plenty: day 1, day 3, day 7 and a final text on day 14 offering to close their file. Stop sooner the moment they say no in any words, and do not restart the sequence on someone who never replied.
What time can insurance agents text leads?
Federal rules allow telephone solicitations between 8am and 9pm in the recipient's local time. Florida and Maryland limit it to 8am to 8pm and three per day on the same subject, and other states set their own windows, so schedule by the lead's time zone and stay inside the strictest one that applies.
Built for agents working leads they already bought.