On this page
Set up a preference centre
Let subscribers choose what they hear about with interests, reducing unsubscribes and giving you ready-made segments.
A preference centre lets subscribers choose what they hear from you about, rather than facing an all-or-nothing unsubscribe. It's a quietly powerful tool: people who can dial their interests down are far less likely to leave entirely, and the choices they make hand you ready-made segments. This guide covers setting one up using interests.
Set up your interests
- Select Campaigns, then the Emails tab.
- Choose your contact list from the dropdown.
- Click the gear icon on the right to open Manage Lists and Attributes.
- Click the Interests tab.
- Select + New Interest, name it (for example "Sports"), and click Save.
- Set its visibility to public so subscribers can see it.
- Add as many interests as your content needs.
- Click Preview to see your preference centre, and customise its look in your brand settings.
- Test it by clicking the unsubscribe link in a campaign - subscribers reach the same place and can toggle their interests there.
Public versus private interests
- Public interests appear in the preference centre for subscribers to opt in and out of - Sports, Technology, Health, and so on.
- Private interests aren't shown to subscribers; you use them internally to segment and target.
Why it's worth it
A preference centre reduces unsubscribes by giving people an alternative to leaving, lifts engagement because the content is more relevant, and builds a richer picture of what your audience actually wants - all of which is good for your sender reputation.
Troubleshooting
It doesn't show to subscribers - check the interests are set to public visibility, the preference-centre link is in your emails, and test the URL directly.
Subscribers can't update preferences - check the link hasn't expired, that their status is active, and test across browsers.
Selections don't save - avoid special characters in interest names, check your connection, and confirm you haven't hit a plan limit.
To group people by the interests they choose, see Create segments. If a preference centre won't display, open a support ticket.