How do I set up InsertLead myself (free Self-Serve onboarding)?

What Self-Serve onboarding includes

Self-Serve is the default onboarding path for technical wholesalers who are comfortable filling out forms and following step-by-step instructions. It's free — no setup fee on top of your subscription.

Specifically, you get:

• A 2-minute walkthrough video showing the entire setup flow.
• A documented checklist for A2P 10DLC registration with the exact form answers most wholesalers use.
• Email support for setup questions during your first week (response within 24 hours).
• A pre-built sample-message library you can submit during A2P Campaign registration.

Prerequisites you should have ready

• EIN. If you operate as an LLC or corporation, you have one. Sole proprietors can use SSN but EIN is preferred for A2P trust scoring.
• Business legal name + address. Must match your IRS records exactly.
• A credit card or bank account for Twilio billing.
• About $80 in starting balance: $71 for A2P registration fees + ~$10 in initial Twilio number + messaging credit.
• An email + phone number for verification.

The 5-step walkthrough

Step 1: Sign up for Twilio

Go to twilio.com, create an account, verify your email and phone, add billing info. Twilio gives you a few dollars of trial credit; ignore it and add real billing for production use.

Step 2: Register A2P 10DLC under your EIN

Inside Twilio Console, navigate to Messaging → Regulatory Compliance → A2P 10DLC. Register a Brand (your business), then a Campaign (real estate wholesaling outreach). Use Fast Track approval ($3 fee) to land in 3-5 business days instead of 3-4 weeks.

This is the step that takes longest end-to-end because of carrier review. A2P cost details. A2P glossary.

Step 3: Buy 1+ phone numbers

Twilio Console → Phone Numbers → Buy a Number. Pick a US local number with SMS capability. Cost: ~$1.15/mo. For Starter tier, one number is enough. For higher tiers, buy more after upgrade.

Step 4: Get an Anthropic API key

console.anthropic.com → sign up → Billing → drop a $10 prepaid deposit + turn on Auto Reload. Then API Keys → generate new key. Copy it once (you can't see it again later).

Step 5: Paste credentials into InsertLead

In InsertLead Settings, paste:

• Twilio Account SID, Auth Token, sending phone number.
• Anthropic API key.

Both are stored Fernet-encrypted server-side. After pasting, point Twilio's webhooks at InsertLead's inbound URLs (we display them on the settings page). Two-minute job.

Realistic timeline

• Day 1: Sign up for Twilio + Anthropic, drop deposits, generate keys. ~1 hour.
• Day 1: File A2P 10DLC Brand + Campaign with Fast Track. ~30 minutes.
• Days 2-5: Wait for carrier approval. You're not blocked — you can import leads, configure campaigns, and test the AI in dry-run mode while waiting.
• Day 3-5: Approval lands. Buy a phone number, paste credentials, send your first campaign. ~30 minutes.

Total active time: ~2 hours. Total elapsed: 3-5 business days.

When to upgrade to Assist or Full Setup instead

Self-Serve works for most wholesalers, but consider Assist ($29 one-time) if you find Twilio's UI confusing and want us to wire the webhooks for you.

Consider Full Setup ($149 one-time) if A2P 10DLC paperwork feels intimidating and you'd rather pay us to file it correctly the first time.