How do I create an unsubscribe form where contacts can update their permission preferences?

What is an unsubscribe form with permission preferences?

An unsubscribe form with permission preferences is a profile form in Spotler Mail+ that lets contacts manage their own subscriptions. Instead of unsubscribing completely, a contact chooses per type of communication what they do or don't want to receive. The form reads the contact's existing permissions from the database and shows them as selected options.

What steps are needed to set up the unsubscribe form?

You set up an unsubscribe form with permission preferences in Spotler Mail+ in three steps:

1. Create a profile form with checkbox options
2. Link the checkbox options to your permissions
3. Create an unsubscribe package for each permission

Before you start

The form works with permissions that already exist in your Spotler Mail+ account. Make sure every newsletter preference you want to offer in the form exists as a permission in your database.

Step 1: Create a profile form with checkbox options

An unsubscribe form with permission preferences uses a profile form with a checkbox question. With checkboxes, a contact can select or deselect several preferences at once.

1. Go to the Forms module and click + New form.
2. Fill in the form properties and select Profile under Type.
3. In the form, add a Checkbox block from the Multiple choice questions tab.
4. Add an answer option for each permission.
5. Give each option a clear label, such as General newsletter, Latest updates and offers or Event invitations.

Step 2: Link the checkbox options to your permissions

Every answer option in the unsubscribe form must be linked to a permission in your Spotler Mail+ database. This link makes sure changes made in the form are saved directly to the contact profile, and that contacts see their current subscriptions already selected.

1. Open the link settings of the checkbox question via the link icon in the question block.
2. Under Prefill answer with the attribute, select Permissions.
3. Link each answer option to the matching permission within this attribute.
4. Check that every option has a link.

Step 3: Create an unsubscribe package for each permission

An unsubscribe package in Spotler Mail+ connects your unsubscribe form to a permission. Without an unsubscribe package, there is no connection between the form, the dynamic lists based on that permission and the message in which you select the unsubscribe package.

1. Go to Settings → Settings → Permissions.
2. Add a package. The pop-up for a new unsubscribe package opens.
3. Under Unsubscribe form, select the profile form you created in step 1 under Custom form.
4. Under Unsubscribe type, select Permission and choose the permission.
5. Repeat these steps for every permission in the form.

Read more about setting up and using unsubscribe packages in the article about unsubscribe packages.

What is the result?

Contacts manage their own subscriptions through a single unsubscribe form. When the form opens, the permissions the contact already has are selected. If the contact deselects a checkbox and submits the form, that permission is switched off on the contact profile right away. Dynamic lists and campaigns based on these permissions keep working correctly as a result.

Frequently asked questions

Can a contact switch off all permissions with this form?

Yes. If a contact deselects all checkboxes and submits the form, all permissions included in the form are switched off on the contact profile.

Why don't I see any changes on the contact profile after the form is submitted?

Usually, an answer option isn't linked, or isn't linked correctly, to a permission. Check the link settings of the checkbox question (step 2) and whether an unsubscribe package using this form exists for every permission (step 3).