# Preference Management (Email Unsubscribe Management)

> Learn how to use preference management in Futuria CRM to let contacts choose which emails they receive, improving deliverability and compliance.

Author: Futuria Support Team · Published: June 18, 2026 · Reading time: 6 min read

Source: https://futuriamarketing.com/en/supporto/gestione-preferenze-email/

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## Preference management

Give your contacts control over the types of marketing email they want to receive. Preference management lets every account create subscription categories, link them to campaigns and automatically honour unsubscribe requests at category level.

**Important:** once enabled, preference management is **irreversible**. Because it introduces account-level unsubscribe controls, this change **cannot be undone** after activation.

For new configurations, Futuria CRM does **not** add a default subscription type. You will need to create the categories that suit your [email marketing](/en/supporto/introduzione-deliverability-email/) programme. Category names can be edited after creation and support up to **100 characters**.

## What is preference management?

Preference management helps businesses stay compliant with regulations by respecting each contact's communication choices — both whether they want to receive email at all and which types of email they prefer. This reduces unwanted communication, minimises the risk of being reported as spam and supports better email deliverability.

With preference management, every account can create and manage custom communication categories (preferences) that align with its own marketing needs. These categories can be linked directly to campaigns, allowing the system to automatically honour the preferences declared by each contact.

When a contact unsubscribes from a specific preference type, any future campaign assigned to that category will exclude them automatically, even if they were part of the campaign's original audience. This ensures more relevant messaging, stronger compliance and a more personalised experience for every contact.

## Key benefits of preference management

### Compliance-driven communication

Automatically honour unsubscribe decisions at category level, so every send respects your contacts' choices.

### Better email deliverability

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

### Personalised engagement

Send content that is more relevant and in line with the preferences your contacts have declared: not everyone wants to receive every type of email.

### Account-level customisation

Each account defines its own communication categories according to its specific marketing strategy.

## Preference types

Preference types are the granular categories that form the foundation of preference management. You can create as many as you need to reflect the different themes in your email marketing programme (for example newsletters, promotions, event updates).

These categories live in **Settings → Preference management hub** and can be edited, disabled or deleted at any time.

## Linking preferences to campaigns

Linking a campaign to a preference category tells the system **"why"** you are sending an email. This allows Futuria CRM to filter the audience according to your contacts' choices before delivery.

When a contact unsubscribes from a category, they are automatically excluded from current and future sends for that category, even if the contact is still present in your static list.

## Automatic audience filtering

If a contact has unsubscribed from a specific preference type, they will automatically be 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 going out.

Once preferences are set, the system will:

- **Automatically exclude conflicts:** it will automatically remove contacts from campaigns that conflict with their declared preferences.
- **Apply unsubscribes by category:** it will honour category-level unsubscribes even if the contact appears in the campaign's original audience.

## How to set up preference management

### Step 1: Create the preference types

Preference types are the subscription categories used to label your email programmes, such as newsletters, promotions or event updates.

1. **Go to the preference management hub**

  Navigate to **Settings → Preference management hub** at account level.
2. **Create a subscription type**

  Click **+ Create subscription type**.

  ![Button to create a new subscription type in the preference management hub.](https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/jOFcdS1QIxGsOiKRyQti/media/6663e6d5-5839-46bc-adb7-2a137ffa86a8.jpg)
3. **Enter the subscription name and description**

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

  ![Window for entering the name and description of a new subscription type.](https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/jOFcdS1QIxGsOiKRyQti/media/2cc8035e-638a-4c40-8b63-ac97a700c3b9.jpg)
4. **Use a clear, descriptive name**

  Choose a name your recipients will understand. Subscription category names support up to **100 characters**.
5. **Save and confirm**

  Save your changes and confirm the action when prompted.
6. **Repeat for each category**

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

### Step 2: Assign preferences to campaigns

Assign a preference category to an email campaign directly from the email editor. This lets the system understand why the message is being sent and who should receive it.

1. **Open the email campaign**

  Open the email campaign you want to assign a subscription type to, then click **Send or schedule**.

  !['Send or schedule' button in an email campaign for assigning a preference type.](https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/jOFcdS1QIxGsOiKRyQti/media/3caf297c-ed50-4187-82b4-69de728c89b7.png)
2. **Select the preference type**

  Choose the **Preference type** you want using the drop-down menu.

  ![Drop-down menu for selecting the preference type in an email campaign.](https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/jOFcdS1QIxGsOiKRyQti/media/4de91e5e-af7b-4e70-9162-60a46afc8e23.png)

## Managing preferences at contact level

From the contact details page, teams can view or manually edit each contact's preferences for full transparency and control. To view or update a contact's preference settings, follow the steps below.

**Note:** when a preference status is updated at contact level, Futuria CRM records the update in Conversations, so that teams can review preference changes in context.

1. **Open the contact's subscription status**

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

  ![DND tab in a contact profile with the 'Subscription status' button.](https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/jOFcdS1QIxGsOiKRyQti/media/ba9f4381-38ea-47db-8b4b-1a1ca3670934.png)
2. **Set each preference type**

  In the **Manage email subscriptions** pop-up, set each preference type to **Subscribed** or **Unsubscribed** as appropriate.

  ![Pop-up for managing a contact's email subscriptions, with options for each category.](https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/jOFcdS1QIxGsOiKRyQti/media/9643e0de-0542-4955-97b0-54aa16b0f833.png)
3. **Provide a legal basis for re-subscribing**

  For any preference category marked as **Unsubscribed**, the account **must provide a legal basis** before the contact can be subscribed again.

  ![Field for providing a legal basis to re-subscribe a contact to a category.](https://assets.cdn.filesafe.space/jOFcdS1QIxGsOiKRyQti/media/4fea53a2-d27f-4b86-aa0e-81e987cc3051.png)

## Frequently asked questions

##### How does a category unsubscribe relate to a global unsubscribe?

A category unsubscribe suppresses only the selected topics. A **global unsubscribe** removes the user from all of the account's marketing emails.

##### 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 category-level choices directly.

##### Do emails sent from workflows respect category preferences?

Yes. Automatic filtering removes contacts whose preferences conflict with the campaign 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 message instead of an empty view, prompting you to create or restore a category.

##### Can preference management be switched off after it has been enabled?

No. Preference management is irreversible once enabled.

Because it introduces account-level unsubscribe controls, activation cannot be undone. Only enable it when you are ready to commit to this approach.

##### Is there a limit to the number of preference types I can create?

You can create as many categories as your email programme requires. Subscription category names support up to **100 characters** and can be edited after creation.