A topic is something a person signs up to hear about, like your Newsletter, Volunteer Updates, or event invitations. It belongs to the person, not to any one list. People choose their topics on your sign-up forms, and they can change their mind anytime from the unsubscribe page.

Topics are durable. A person stays subscribed to "Newsletter" until they opt out, no matter how many times you send or how your lists change.

How topics and lists work together

Point a mailing list at a topic and the list becomes everyone who signed up for it, kept current on its own. If ten new people subscribe to your Newsletter this week, they're on the list automatically. If three opt out, they drop off.

Writing a good description

Every topic has a description, and it's the most important thing you'll write here. It's what a person reads when they're deciding whether to sign up, so a vague one costs you subscribers.

Say two things plainly: what you'll send, and roughly how often.

• Good: "Our monthly newsletter. About one email a month, and you can leave anytime."
• Weak: "Stay connected with our organization."

Write it in the subscriber's words, not yours. Skip the mission statement and the jargon. Just tell them what lands in their inbox and how often.

Two switches on each topic

• Open for signups. On means people can subscribe. Turn it off to close a topic to new sign-ups without removing anyone already on it or deleting anything.
• Show on public forms. On means the topic appears as a choice on your public sign-up forms, so visitors can opt in themselves. Off keeps it internal, for topics only your staff assigns.