Generate the URL for a specific contact to access the subscription preferences page

[Karena]

Currently there's no way to generate a direct link for a contact to access their subscription preferences page. The only way we can direct a contact to resubscribe is 1) ask them to find an old email we sent them before they unsubscribed, 2) tell them to click on the "Manage Preferences" link at the bottom, and 3) subscribe to the email types that are relevant. 

It'd be much easier if we could generate an individual link to a specific subscription preferences page. Then we could just email them the new link (through a personal email, since they won't get any emails we send them through HubSpot) and have them resubscribe. This eliminates the potential roadblock if the contact has already deleted all emails they've previously received from us. 

[titta]

We also are wondering ways to solve this issue. Possibility to share the subscription preferences page as a link on the webpages would help solve the problem. This might be a growing problem due to the new EU regulation.

[Karena]

Definitely. As the GDPR date looms closer and closer, others are coming up with the same idea: https://community.hubspot.com/t5/HubSpot-Ideas/Personalization-token-for-contact-s-email-preferences...

[granthbrown]

HubSpot has the ability to send an update preferences link through an email using {{unsubscribe_link}} - https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/email/how-to-send-contacts-an-email-with-an-opt-o....

However, there is no way to include this link on a webpage or embed the form on a landing page. We would like to have this option to encourage users to update their email preferences rather than unsubscribing outright. We would link to this form from places like our contact page. By way of comparison, MailChimp provides their customers with a page that lets users update their preferences by default. For example, here's ours: http://eepurl.com/b6vM2f

[Marina]

Hi there, 

I think it would be very useful to have the possibility to generate a link to the subscription preference page in order to insert it in forms or in the privacy policy and be fully compliant with the GDPR request.

At the moment it is possible to link this page only in the email footer but it can be tricky to explain users where they can find the page.

[jknapp]

I have customers that have opted out of email last year, but they really wanted to stop getting certain types of email and now that our renewal season is here they are not getting some notices about pricing and expirations. The HubSpot opt in process is not very user friendly  and we have had people try several times to complete the process but they don't  see the text to click the link that appears below the email field. 

My Customer service manager has bee getting email dircelty from customers asking about their renewals if we could just send them a link to the preference center page and they could enter the email and make the selections that would be so much better UX. Right now we are getting frustrated internally and our clients are getting a bad CX from Hubspot and associating the experience to us.

[jveler_ecrs]

This is needed for unsubscribing and also for allowing a contact to resubscribe to their emails. Implementation seems like it would be easy. Either one or all of these:

1) Provide a personalization token you can put in an email to the user.

2) Provide a HubSpot field for all contact records where we can grab the URL to provide.

3) In the contact "actions" drop-down, just add a button for "Preferences URL" and it open a modal box where you can copy to the clipboard.

My question, though, is how would this prevent someone with the link from unsubscribing or resubscribing a user. If we generate a link to provide a user, then couldn't we use that same link to "cheat" adding them back if they opt-in.  Perhaps the reason HubSpot does it this way is so that the User if the only one that can access that link by virtue of it being emailed to them.  The other problem is that if a contact opts-out, then HubSpot won't send them an email. By implementing something like this, they could allow us to only send the resubscribe email one time after they have opted-out. If HubSpot sends the email directly through an action button, it might not violate policy?

For unsubscribing though, perhaps it would be better to have a update your preferences email. The only requirements for sending out an email in HubSpot Marketing is to have the unsubscribe OR preferences link along with company contact information. I'm working on us to have a template that includes those in the body content rather than a footer, like this. You *could* set it up in a simple workflow and just click the contact and enroll them in it to send the email to make it easier on your admin and team.

Hello {name},

You have requested to update your email preferences. You may do so at the following link:

{preferences_link}

Thank you,

{my_name}

{my_signature}

* Note - these are not real tokens, it's just an example of what could be done.

If we don't want to all create a template for this, then perhaps HubSpot could either:

1) Add it to their template library ("Update Preferences Template")

2) Provide in the "Actions" drop-down an item that says "Send Preferences Link" and the system automatically send an email to the user. For this, we would need somewhere that we could edit the default contents.

Hubspot already provides a convoluted process for doing this with a form and workflow. You could certainly add that to the process, but it's more complicated. The reason you need the form to RESUBSCRIBE a contact is so that they opt back in on submission. If not, well the automated workflow won't send a opted-out customer an email.

https://knowledge.hubspot.com/articles/kcs_article/email/how-can-i-resubscribe-a-customer-who-accide...

https://knowledge.hubspot.com/email-user-guide-v2/how-to-set-up-resubscription-emails-for-forms-and-...

Either way, Hubspot - make it easy for us!

[jimkring]

It is rediculous that there is no easy way for a user to visit my website and opt back in to emails. The current process is rediculously unobvious.  There should be a single (generic, not custom) link that a user can go to, type their email address, and hit a submit button to initiate the double-opt-in process. Right now the magic little text that says "Looks like you've opted out..." that appears below their email address and above the form submit button is horrendous:

- most users will just try to hit the submit button

- if auto-populate form fields is enabled, then the email address will be pre-populated and the "Looks like you've opted out..." text/link will NEVER APPEAR UNLESS THEY DELETE THEIR EMAIL ADDRESS AND RETYPE IT

- if auto-populate form fields is disabled, then the "Looks like you've opted out..." text/link does not ever show up.

Please fix this, hubspot.

[TJ_Price]

If anything, it should be possible to create a form for which contacts could put in their email address which would then re-direct to their personal preferences page, although it is filling out another form...

[lsubirana]

I agree with @jimkring. HubSpot's solution is not at all user-friendly. I am trying to implement a proper profile page on our website that allows logged in users to update their profile, including email subscriptions. But HubSpot doesn't allow this with their API.

This suggested idea puts the ball back in HubSpot's court to create something for us. I don't think it's the best solution. HubSpot should simply remove their API limitation and allow us to update contact's subscriptions. 

My website visitors are logged in to their account which is protected by their own password. There is no more secure way for them to update their subscriptions. As far as I know, there is no way for contact’s to login to HubSpot and change their subscriptions (is email tracking more secure???). HubSpot's “Resubscribe contacts to your marketing emails” directions are frustrating for visitors. They expect to not have to change “channels” to manage preferences.

[jrhie]

+1
I agree with all contributors here. 

It's major flaw to make a user go through an old email to access the subscription management page or resubmit their email address to a form on the site to trigger a resubscription email via an error message 'Looks like you've opted out...'

[TaniaFuchs]

It would be great to be able to have such a link

[ahenry]

Under the email platform we are leaving for HubSpot, we are able to point our members to their custom Manage Your Subscription page via "blanket link". When they are logged under their account via our CRM, it recognizes them and points them to their subscription page. If they were to access that link not logged in, that link then points recipients to a page that asks them to confirm their email. From there, they get an email that points to their subscription page.

This is a must as we don't want to have to send our members digging through their inbox for an email in order to manage their subscription. How can we get a workaround in order?

[ColleenB]

I agree, being able to add this link to a landing page or blog post would be extremely helpful. It would allow us to give our customers a much better experience for managing their preferences, and give us more opportunities to help them do it so that we can better communicate with them.

[dlosapio]

+1 .

I really wanted to be able to capture preferences right when a user signs up for email on our website, but was disappointed to find out that is not an option.

[JenBergren]

I would like to add to the idea of having a token or link for manage preferences that works on landing and website pages, not just in emails. I tried multiple ways to connect a thank you page, after filling out a form, with the manage preferences page and it does not work. This is very disappointing when a client specifically asked for this, I have to tell them it is not possible, the only possible way for people to manage preference is through a token link sent via email not a link on a website or landing page even immediately after they fill out the signup form.

[NL]

We would like to give our contacts the option to select email preferences. 

[LotteSelen]

Agree on this point. We need to be able to use the link on our website and as an extra option in emails via CTA's to give our contacts access to their subscription settings. Is there an update anytime soon? 

[ridingforlife]

+1 We need an easier way to allow contacts to re-subscribe.

It's natural for contacts to refill out an email subscribe form (I've seen opted-in contacts re-opt-in even though they never unsubscribed... I can just see in their timeline they're doing it more than once), and expect to be subscribed again.

[StefKnapp]

I would love for Hubspot to allow users to log-in using their own password to update/manage their preferences.

[Aleksandersen]

Fully agree that this should be a feature. Today our workaround is to have an email template ready to send to the individual person, which links to the contacts preferences. 

It works well but should be easier....