Topics vs. tags
Both group contacts, but a tag is something you assign and the contact never sees, while a topic is an interest the contact manages themselves.
Both group contacts, but a tag is something you assign and the contact never sees, while a topic is an interest the contact manages themselves.
The difference between a tag and a topic (interest) is who controls it. A tag is assigned by the sender to sort addresses into groups; a topic is something the recipient can change themselves — for example on an unsubscribe form.
- Tag — set by you, the sender. Not visible to the recipient. Use it for internal grouping and segmenting.
- Topic — a preference the recipient sees and manages themselves. Carries their implicit consent because they opted in.
Pre-assign interests at importAs the sender you can also attach an interest during an import — placing recipients into target groups up front. From there they manage those interests themselves, so you get a head start without taking the choice away from them.
Keep contacts instead of losing themWhen a recipient clicks the unsubscribe link and has interests linked to their address, they can tick and untick those interests. The unsubscribe form shows the available interests above the unsubscribe reasons — so instead of leaving entirely, a recipient can choose to keep just the monthly newsletter and skip the weekly and daily ones. That prevents losing someone who was only uninterested in one specific mailing.
When should I use a tag and when a topic?
Use a tag for grouping you control internally and never want the recipient to see or change. Use a topic when the recipient should be able to opt in or out themselves — that opt-in is also what makes topic-targeted campaigns legitimate.
Can I segment on both?
Yes — both "has tag = X" and "has topic = Y" are valid segment rules, and you can combine them, e.g. "tag = customer AND topic = product-news".
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Updated about 9 hours ago