Manage your contacts' email subscriptions

Learn how to view and manage your contacts' email subscription types. Contacts can manage their email preferences using the links in the footer of your marketing emails. You can also send contacts a link to manage their own email preferences.

Please note: email subscription preferences are tied to an email address, rather than to a contact. For example, if you delete a contact who opted out of email communication, a new contact created with the same email address will also be opted out.

Manage subscriptions of individual contacts

• In your HubSpot account, navigate to Contacts > Contacts.
• Click the name of the contact.
• In the left sidebar, under the Communication subscriptions section, click View subscriptions.
• In the right panel, the Subscriptions tab lists a contact's current subscriptions.
  • If you've purchased the Business Units add-on, you can filter the contact's subscriptions by business unit. Click the Business Unit dropdown menu and select a business unit.
  • You can review the history of the contact's subscription activity by clicking the History tab.

• To manually subscribe or resubscribe a contact to a specific subscription type:
  • Hover over the subscription type:
    • If the contact hasn't yet specified their preference on receiving emails for the subscription, click Subscribe.
    • If the contact had previously opted out of receiving emails for the subscription type, you can resubscribe them by clicking Resubscribe.
  • In the dialog box, click the Communication subscription types dropdown menu, then select a subscription type.
  • Select a legal basis for communicating and enter the explanation for communication consent. Additionally, you'll also need to add a lawful basis to process to track and store the contact's details in your database.
  • Click Save.
• If you want to manually unsubscribe a contact to subscription, hover over the subscription then click Unsubscribe.

Update subscriptions in bulk from the contacts dashboard

You can opt contacts into or out of  a subscription type in bulk from the contact dashboard. You can also remove an opt-out of all email status that was added manually by a user in your HubSpot account.

• In your HubSpot account, navigate to Contacts > Contacts.
• Select the checkboxes next to the records you want to edit.
• Click the More dropdown menu, then select Edit communication subscriptions.

• In the right panel:
  • Click the Communication subscription types dropdown menu, then select a subscription type.
  • Select the subscription status of the contacts.
  • If they've been opted out by a HubSpot user, you can opt them back in by selecting Remove opt out from all emails.
  • Enter an Explanation for communication consent for these contacts.
  • If you have GDPR functionality enabled: 
    • Select the opt-in status of the contacts.
    • Select a legal basis for communicating with contact and enter an Explanation for communication consent for these contacts. You'll also need to add a lawful basis to process to track and store the contact's details in your database.

• Click Save.

Update the subscription status of contacts with a workflow

You can opt your contacts into a communication subscription type in bulk using a contact-based workflow.

Please note: a subscription can't be added with a workflow if the contact has previously opted out of this subscription type. 

• In your HubSpot account, navigate to Automation > Workflows.
• Click Create workflow.
• Select a Contact-based workflow, then click Create workflow.
• Click the pencil icon edit and enter a workflow name.
• Click Set enrollment triggers to select the contacts you want to enroll.
• Click the plus icon + to add your workflow actions.
• Under Property management, select the Manage email subscription status action.
• Click the New opt status dropdown menu to select an opt status.
• Click the Communication subscription type dropdown menu, then select a subscription type.
• If you have GDPR functionality enabled, select a lawful basis for communicating and enter the explanation for communication consent. Additionally, you'll also need to add a lawful basis to process to track and store the contact's details in your database.
• Click Save.

• Add any additional actions to your workflow.
• Click the Settings tab and edit the workflow settings.
• When you're done, in the upper right click Review, then click Activate.

Opt a contact out of a subscription

If you disabled your GDPR functionality, you will be able to send marketing emails to a contact without explicit opt-in from them. HubSpot will track when a contact opts out themselves from your mailing list, but you can also opt a contact out manually or opt out a list of contacts through an import.

Please note: your legal team is always the best resource to give you compliance advice for your specific situation.