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Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)

Enable category‑level email opt‑outs in GHL Customer Care. Improve compliance, deliverability, and personalization with automatic audience filtering by category.

5 min read1,116 words7 explained imagesUpdated Mon, 20 Jul at 1:15 PM
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  1. What is Preference Management?
  2. Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. Preference Types
  4. Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. How to Setup Preference Management
  7. Go to the Preference Management Hub
  8. Create a Subscription Type
  9. Enter the Subscription Name & Description
  10. Use a Clear, Descriptive Name
  11. Save & Confirm
  12. Repeat for Each Category
  13. Open the Email Campaign
  14. Select the Preference Type
  15. Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  16. Open the Contact's Subscription Status
  17. Set Each Preference Type
  18. Provide a Legal Basis to Resubscribe
  19. Frequently Asked Questions
  20. Related Articles
Email Compliance

Preference Management

Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level.

No Default Categories

For new configurations, GHL Customer Care does not add a default "One-on-One" subscription type. Create the categories that fit your email program. Category names can be edited after creation and support up to 100 characters.

What is Preference Management?

Preference Management helps businesses stay compliant by honoring each contact's communication choices — both whether they want to receive emails, and what types of emails they prefer to receive. This reduces unwanted outreach, minimizes the risk of being marked as spam, and supports healthier email deliverability.

With Preference Management, each location can create and manage custom communication (preference) categories that align with its marketing needs. These categories can be linked directly to campaigns, enabling the system to automatically respect every contact's stated preferences.

When a contact opts out of a specific preference type, any future campaigns assigned to that category will automatically exclude them — even if they were part of the original campaign audience. This ensures more relevant messaging, stronger compliance, and a more personalized experience for every contact.

Key Benefits of Preference Management

Compliance-First Communication

Automatically uphold opt-out decisions at a category level so every send respects contact choices.

Healthier Email Deliverability

Reduce spam complaints and unwanted messages, protecting your sender reputation over time.

Personalized Engagement

Send more relevant content aligned with stated contact preferences — not everyone wants every email.

Location-Level Customization

Each location defines its own communication categories based on its specific marketing strategy.

Preference Types

Preference Types are the granular categories that are the foundation of Preference Management. Create as many as you need to reflect the distinct themes of your email program (e.g., Newsletters, Promotions, Event Updates).

These categories live under Settings → Preference Management Hub and can be edited, disabled, or deleted at any time.

For step-by-step instructions on creating Preference Types, jump to How to Setup Preference Management.

Associating Preferences with Campaigns

Linking a campaign to a preference category tells the system "why" you're emailing. This allows GHL Customer Care to filter audiences based on contact choices before delivery.

When a contact opts out of a category, they are automatically kept out of current and future sends for that category — even if the contact is still on your static list.

For instructions on linking preferences to a campaign, see Step 2: Assign Preferences to Campaigns.

Automatic Audience Filtering

If a contact has opted out of a specific preference type, they will be automatically excluded from any campaign assigned to that category — even if they were originally included in the campaign audience. This ensures accurate targeting and prevents unwanted emails from being sent.

Once preferences are set, the system will:

Auto-Exclude Conflicts

Automatically remove contacts from campaigns that conflict with their stated preferences.

Enforce Category Opt-Outs

Honor category-level opt-outs even if the contact appears in the original campaign audience.

How to Setup Preference Management

Step 1

Create Preference Types

Preference Types are the subscription categories used to label your email programs — such as newsletters, promotions, or event updates.

1Go to the Preference Management Hub

Navigate to Settings → Preference Management Hub at the location level.

2Create a Subscription Type

Click + Create Subscription Type.

Create a Subscription Type (image 1 of 7) What this shows Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. What this shows Illustrates the "Create a Subscription Type" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". This screenshot appears in the "Create a Subscription Type" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". For context, this section explains: Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level. No Default Categories For new…. This part of the guide covers 8 fields, listed below. Image 1 of 7
Fields in this part of the guide 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management3 Preference Types4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns5 Automatic Audience Filtering6 How to Setup Preference Management7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level8 Frequently Asked Questions9 Related Articles
Buttons and menus referenced not100 charactersSettings → Preference Management Hub"why"+ Create Subscription TypeSubscription NameDescriptionSend or SchedulePreference TypeContactsDNDSubscription Status
All 9 steps in this procedure
  1. 1 What is Preference Management?
  2. 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. 3 Preference Types
  4. 4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. 5 Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. 6 How to Setup Preference Management
  7. 7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  8. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9 Related Articles

3Enter the Subscription Name & Description

Enter a Subscription Name and Description for the category you want to use.

Enter the Subscription Name & Description (image 2 of 7) What this shows Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. What this shows Illustrates the "Enter the Subscription Name & Description" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". This screenshot appears in the "Enter the Subscription Name & Description" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". For context, this section explains: Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level. No Default Categories For new…. This part of the guide covers 8 fields, listed below. Image 2 of 7
Fields in this part of the guide 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management3 Preference Types4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns5 Automatic Audience Filtering6 How to Setup Preference Management7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level8 Frequently Asked Questions9 Related Articles
Buttons and menus referenced not100 charactersSettings → Preference Management Hub"why"+ Create Subscription TypeSubscription NameDescriptionSend or SchedulePreference TypeContactsDNDSubscription Status
All 9 steps in this procedure
  1. 1 What is Preference Management?
  2. 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. 3 Preference Types
  4. 4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. 5 Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. 6 How to Setup Preference Management
  7. 7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  8. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9 Related Articles

4Use a Clear, Descriptive Name

Pick a name that recipients will understand. Subscription category names support up to 100 characters.

5Save & Confirm

Save your changes and confirm the action when prompted.

6Repeat for Each Category

Repeat this process for each preference category you want to use.

Step 2

Assign Preferences to Campaigns

Assign a preference category to an email campaign from within the Email Builder. This enables the system to understand why the message is being sent and who should receive it.

1Open the Email Campaign

Open the Email Campaign you want to assign a Subscription Type to, then click Send or Schedule.

Open the Email Campaign (image 3 of 7) What this shows Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. What this shows Illustrates the "Open the Email Campaign" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". This screenshot appears in the "Open the Email Campaign" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". For context, this section explains: Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level. No Default Categories For new…. This part of the guide covers 8 fields, listed below. Image 3 of 7
Fields in this part of the guide 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management3 Preference Types4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns5 Automatic Audience Filtering6 How to Setup Preference Management7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level8 Frequently Asked Questions9 Related Articles
Buttons and menus referenced not100 charactersSettings → Preference Management Hub"why"+ Create Subscription TypeSubscription NameDescriptionSend or SchedulePreference TypeContactsDNDSubscription Status
All 9 steps in this procedure
  1. 1 What is Preference Management?
  2. 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. 3 Preference Types
  4. 4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. 5 Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. 6 How to Setup Preference Management
  7. 7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  8. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9 Related Articles

2Select the Preference Type

Choose your desired Preference Type using the dropdown.

Select the Preference Type (image 4 of 7) What this shows Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. What this shows Illustrates the "Select the Preference Type" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". This screenshot appears in the "Select the Preference Type" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". For context, this section explains: Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level. No Default Categories For new…. This part of the guide covers 8 fields, listed below. Image 4 of 7
Fields in this part of the guide 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management3 Preference Types4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns5 Automatic Audience Filtering6 How to Setup Preference Management7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level8 Frequently Asked Questions9 Related Articles
Buttons and menus referenced not100 charactersSettings → Preference Management Hub"why"+ Create Subscription TypeSubscription NameDescriptionSend or SchedulePreference TypeContactsDNDSubscription Status
All 9 steps in this procedure
  1. 1 What is Preference Management?
  2. 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. 3 Preference Types
  4. 4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. 5 Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. 6 How to Setup Preference Management
  7. 7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  8. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9 Related Articles

Managing Preferences at the Contact Level

From the Contact Details Page, teams can view or manually adjust each contact's preferences for full transparency and control. To view or update preference settings for a contact, follow the steps below.

Note: When a preference status is updated at the contact level, GHL Customer Care logs the update in Conversations so teams can review preference changes in context.

1Open the Contact's Subscription Status

Go to Contacts and select a contact. From the contact page, open the DND tab and click Subscription Status.

Open the Contact's Subscription Status (image 5 of 7) What this shows Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. What this shows Illustrates the "Open the Contact's Subscription Status" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". This screenshot appears in the "Open the Contact's Subscription Status" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". For context, this section explains: Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level. No Default Categories For new…. This part of the guide covers 8 fields, listed below. Image 5 of 7
Fields in this part of the guide 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management3 Preference Types4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns5 Automatic Audience Filtering6 How to Setup Preference Management7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level8 Frequently Asked Questions9 Related Articles
Buttons and menus referenced not100 charactersSettings → Preference Management Hub"why"+ Create Subscription TypeSubscription NameDescriptionSend or SchedulePreference TypeContactsDNDSubscription Status
All 9 steps in this procedure
  1. 1 What is Preference Management?
  2. 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. 3 Preference Types
  4. 4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. 5 Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. 6 How to Setup Preference Management
  7. 7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  8. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9 Related Articles

2Set Each Preference Type

In the Manage Email Subscriptions popup, set each Preference Type to Subscribed or Unsubscribed as appropriate.

Set Each Preference Type (image 6 of 7) What this shows Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. What this shows Illustrates the "Set Each Preference Type" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". This screenshot appears in the "Set Each Preference Type" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". For context, this section explains: Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level. No Default Categories For new…. This part of the guide covers 8 fields, listed below. Image 6 of 7
Fields in this part of the guide 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management3 Preference Types4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns5 Automatic Audience Filtering6 How to Setup Preference Management7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level8 Frequently Asked Questions9 Related Articles
Buttons and menus referenced not100 charactersSettings → Preference Management Hub"why"+ Create Subscription TypeSubscription NameDescriptionSend or SchedulePreference TypeContactsDNDSubscription Status
All 9 steps in this procedure
  1. 1 What is Preference Management?
  2. 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. 3 Preference Types
  4. 4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. 5 Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. 6 How to Setup Preference Management
  7. 7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  8. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9 Related Articles

For any preference category marked as Unsubscribed, the location must provide a legal basis before the contact can be resubscribed.

Provide a Legal Basis to Resubscribe (image 7 of 7) What this shows Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. What this shows Illustrates the "Provide a Legal Basis to Resubscribe" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". This screenshot appears in the "Provide a Legal Basis to Resubscribe" section of "Preference Management (Email Unsubscription Management)". For context, this section explains: Email Compliance Preference Management Give contacts control over the types of marketing emails they want. Preference Management lets each location create subscription categories, link them to campaigns, and automatically honor opt-outs at a category level. No Default Categories For new…. This part of the guide covers 8 fields, listed below. Image 7 of 7
Fields in this part of the guide 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management3 Preference Types4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns5 Automatic Audience Filtering6 How to Setup Preference Management7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level8 Frequently Asked Questions9 Related Articles
Buttons and menus referenced not100 charactersSettings → Preference Management Hub"why"+ Create Subscription TypeSubscription NameDescriptionSend or SchedulePreference TypeContactsDNDSubscription Status
All 9 steps in this procedure
  1. 1 What is Preference Management?
  2. 2 Key Benefits of Preference Management
  3. 3 Preference Types
  4. 4 Associating Preferences with Campaigns
  5. 5 Automatic Audience Filtering
  6. 6 How to Setup Preference Management
  7. 7 Managing Preferences at the Contact Level
  8. 8 Frequently Asked Questions
  9. 9 Related Articles

Frequently Asked Questions

How does category opt-out relate to global unsubscribe?

Category opt-out suppresses only the selected topics. A global unsubscribe opts the user out from all marketing email from the location.

Can contacts manage their own preferences?

Yes. When Preference Management is enabled, the unsubscribe link includes a "Manage your preferences" link where contacts can manage their own category-level choices directly.

Do emails sent from workflows honor category preferences?

Yes. Automatic filtering removes contacts whose preferences conflict with the campaign's categories — regardless of how they were added to the audience.

What happens if all preference types are archived?

When all preference types are archived, Preference Management shows a guided zero-state message instead of an empty view — prompting you to create or restore a category.

Can Preference Management be turned off after enabling it?

No. Preference Management is irreversible once enabled. Because it introduces location-level unsubscribe controls, activation cannot be undone. Enable it only when you're ready to commit.

Is there a limit on how many Preference Types I can create?

Create as many categories as your email program requires. Subscription category names support up to 100 characters and can be edited after creation.

Frequently asked questions

What is Preference Management?
Preference Management helps businesses stay compliant by honoring each contact's communication choices — both whether they want to receive emails, and what types of emails they prefer to receive. This reduces unwanted outreach, minimizes the risk of being marked as spam, and supports healthier email deliverability. With Preference Management, each location can create and manage custom communication (preference) categories that align with its marketing needs. These categories can be linked directly to campaigns, enabling the system to automatically respect every contact's stated preferences. When a contact opts out of a specific preference type, any future campaigns assigned to that category will automatically exclude them — even if they were part of the original campaign audience. This ensures more relevant messaging, stronger compliance, and a more personalized experience for every…

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