Is it possible to remove or opt-out a contact from an email type?

[Recurly]

Trying to figure out how to automatically opt a user out of an email type using an automated workflow but can't seem to figure out if it's even possible to do.

Looks like any time a user fills out any hubspot form, they are automatically opted into ALL email types, but I only want them to be opted into a single email type if they fill out a certain form. The reason for this is because I don't want them to receive any of the other email types; only the one that they subscribed to.

Any ideas?

[Phil_Vallender · Accepted solution]

Hi @Recurly

Interesting question. I've had a look and I can't see any way to automate the opt-out process. 

I suppose this is because opt-in, opt-out and subscribe are three subtly different actions. 

I bet the thinking is that you don't want to opt a contact out of a type of email until they have had a chance to express whether they would like to see it or not. 

The only solution I can think of for you at the moment is to proactively ask people which email types they want to receive, using on-form questions or some sort of post-conversion follow-up process, and then create inclusion or exclusion lists for those types of emails. 

Blog emails are easier to handle because of the specific subscription lists that you can add or remove people from. 

HubSpot may have to change things in the future around email subscription as GDPR comes into force - for example introducing double opt-in.

Hope that helps a bit?

[JoeDavies]

Hi there! 

Have you had any further thoughts on this or know if HubSpot are doing anything further with it?

With consent tickboxes becoming a necessity it would be a far more robust solution to enroll anyone who selects no into a workflow that opts them out, than it would to have a smart list that everyone needs to remember to use as a suppression for every email workflow.

Would be great to get your thoughts!

Thanks,

Joe

[rbutler-jpi]

This is somethine we are very interested in having as we have multiple brands so the way hubspots uploading of contacts works initiallay, the preferences are not tallying up with our own opt in fields thus to end users it looks like they are signed up to everything although they are not.

Our lists are based on our opt in fields so we don't actually email them everything and we have workflows setup to catch changes to Hubspots preferences and update our custom fields but the issue is we can't make the preferencespage match our fields from an initial upload of double opted in data (i.e. checking our field and if our field is set to opt out then it should opt out of that corresponding email type).

I understand not allowing use to update the email types to opt users in, that's not a problem. The problem is we need that ability for a workflow to opt a user out based on a condition. The fact this doesn't exist is an issue for us.