Email preference management gives winery subscribers more control over what lands in their inbox, how often they hear from you, and what they actually want to hear about. Instead of making people choose between getting every. single. email. or unsubscribing completely, a simple preference strategy can help you keep the right people around longer, collect better customer data, and send emails they’re more likely to care about.
Before They Unsubscribe, Give ‘Em Another Way to Stay
Growing your email list? Great. We love that for you.
But keeping the right people on that list?
That’s where things get interesting.
Most winery email programs give subscribers two pretty dramatic choices:
Get everything we send.
Or…
Unsubscribe.
There’s not a whole lot of room in between… and that’s the missed opportunity.
Someone can love your winery and still not want every release email, event reminder, club update, shipping deadline, sale, and “just popping into your inbox!” message you’ve got on the calendar.
That doesn’t necessarily mean they’re done. They might just need a smaller pour.
That’s where email preference management comes in.
Sometimes they’re getting too many emails. Maybe the content isn’t relevant anymore. Or perhaps their inbox is simply a dumpster fire and SOMETHING has to go.
Preference management gives them another option besides the door.
Subscriber Preferences = Liquid Gold
We spend lots of time looking at tasting room activity, club status, website behavior, email engagement, clicks, purchase history, and whatever other data our platforms are kind enough to spit out…
Then we make educated guesses about what to send next.
Preference data flips that whole thing around.
They’re literally telling you what they want.
No crystal ball required.
If someone tells you they want to know about winery events, new releases, limited wines, or tasting room happenings, you’ve just learned something you can actually use.
The catch?
You actually have to use it.
Collecting a gorgeous pile of preferences and then sending everybody the same emails anyway is like opening a great bottle and forgetting to pour it.
Tragic.
Behavior tells you what they did. Preferences tell you what they want.
Behavior + preference = a much fuller glass.
3 Types of Email Preferences Wineries Can Actually Use
You do not need a 27-question form asking someone to identify their preferred varietal, vacation style, rising sign, and feelings about screw caps.
Start simple. Here are three useful places to begin.
1. How Often Do They Want to Hear From You?
Some subscribers would happily hear from you every week.
Others are more of a “catch me once a month with the highlights” crowd.
Both can still be valuable customers.
So give them options.
Preference options:
- Weekly winery emails
- Monthly highlights
- Major releases and announcements only
This can be especially helpful when your sending cadence starts heating up… hello, holiday season.
A subscriber who’s perfectly happy hearing from you twice a month in March may feel VERY differently when November rolls around and suddenly you’re in their inbox every other day with another offer.
Give them a frequency option to turn down the volume without turning off the relationship.
2. What Do They Actually Want to Hear About?
Not everyone on your list cares about the same stuff.
Some people are waiting for every new release like it’s Christmas morning.
Others are here for events.
Some want recipes, wine education, vineyard updates, club news, special offers, or the occasional excuse to plan another tasting room visit.
Let them tell you.
Preference options include:
- New releases
- Winery events
- Tasting room news
- Wine club or membership
- Wine education
- Limited-production wines
- Special offers
But please don’t add a preference just because you can.
If someone checks “winery events” and that choice never changes a single email they receive, what are we doing here?
Only collect information you’re prepared to use.
3. How Do They Buy From You?
Your email list isn’t one giant blob of Wine People™.
Some customers buy online. Some live for tasting room visits. Others want events, club perks, or limited releases.
Let them tell you which lane they’re in.
You might ask whether someone is most interested in:
- Shopping wine online
- Visiting the tasting room
- Winery events
- Wine club or membership
- Limited releases
- Particular wines or styles
Now you’ve got another layer of data to help answer one of our favorite email marketing questions:
Who should actually get this email?
And Please Don’t Build the Taj Mahal of Preference Centers
Start with one useful question. Pick something you can actually act on, test it, and build from there.
No need to boil the whole barrel on Day One.
Don’t Wait Until They’ve Got One Foot Out the Door
Don’t wait until the unsubscribe page to introduce preferences. Ask earlier in the relationship.
Ask people about their interests in places like:
- Your welcome series
- A re-engagement campaign
- A customer survey
- An anniversary email
- A post-purchase flow
- A seasonal campaign
Now you’re not desperately yelling WAIT, DON’T GO! as someone reaches for the unsubscribe button.
You’re learning about them while the relationship is still going strong.
Much better vibe.
And for the Love of Cabernet… Use the Data
This is the BIG one.
Someone tells you they only want event emails?
Cool. Don’t keep sending them every single promo.
Someone raises their hand for limited releases?
Remember that the next time one drops.
A subscriber tells you they’re mostly interested in coming to the tasting room?
Give them reasons to come back.
Then here’s the bonus move:
Tell them you listened.
For example:
You told us winery events are your thing, so we wanted you to be the first to hear about this one.
Or:
You said you’re interested in limited releases, so we thought you’d want an early look.
See the difference?
Now it doesn’t feel like another random marketing email.
It feels like:
Oh. They actually paid attention.
That little bit of context can make an email feel WAY more personal without requiring some giant personalization project behind the scenes.
You Don’t Need to Save Every Subscriber
Some people should unsubscribe.
There, I said it.
Preference management isn’t about trapping people on your list forever. It’s about keeping the people who still want a relationship with your winery but need that relationship to look a little different.
Because a smaller list of people who actually want your emails will beat a giant disengaged list all day, every day, every dang day.
Give Your Winery Email Program a Quick Preference Audit
Open your current email setup and take a look.
Ask yourself:
- Is unsubscribe the only real choice we give people?
- Can subscribers easily update their preferences?
- Are we asking about things that would actually change what we send?
- Are we using the preference data we already collect?
- What’s ONE useful preference we could add right now?
Then, pick one. Add it. Test it. Sip, don’t gulp.
Preference Management Is One Piece of a Bigger Email System
Of course, giving subscribers better choices is only one part of building an email program that actually sells wine.
Your welcome series matters.
So does your segmentation.
And your campaigns and automations? Yep, those matter too.
And all of those pieces work a whole lot better when they’re connected by an actual strategy.
That’s exactly what we dig into inside our free masterclass:
How Wineries Build 6- and 7-Figure Ecommerce Revenue with Email
We’ll walk you through the foundational systems, strategies, and campaigns wineries use to create more intentional, revenue-driving email marketing… without making the whole thing feel wildly overwhelming.
Need Help Turning All This Data Into Actual Emails?
Knowing you should use customer preferences is one thing.
Figuring out what to ask, where to ask it, how to build the segments, and what the heck you’re supposed to send differently afterward?
That’s usually where it gets sticky.
Inside Mavens On Demand, you can bring all of that directly to the Email Mavens team.
Bring us your preference center.
Show us your segments.
Or bring that automation you built six months ago that you’re pretty sure is working correctly.
We’ll dig in together.
FAQ'S
How do I reduce email unsubscribes?
Giving subscribers more control can help. Let them choose how often they hear from you or what types of emails they want to receive. Sometimes people don’t want to leave your list… they just want fewer or more relevant emails.
What should I include in an email preference center?
Start simple. Useful options might include email frequency, winery events, new releases, tasting room updates, wine club information, limited releases, or wine preferences. Only ask for information you’ll actually use.
How many email preferences should I offer?
One or two meaningful choices is a great start. You don’t need a mile-long preference form. Add options that can actually change what someone receives, then build from there.
Where should I add a manage preferences link?
Your email footer is an obvious starting point. You can also ask subscribers to update their preferences inside welcome emails, re-engagement campaigns, surveys, post-purchase flows, and other customer touchpoints.
What do I do with subscriber preference data?
Use it to shape your segmentation, content, targeting, and email frequency. If someone tells you what they want and you keep sending them the exact same emails anyway… you’ve missed the whole point.
