In this article
What is a pre-filled form? A pre-filled form recognises the subscriber from the link in your email and loads what you already hold about them — their email, consents, and attributes — so they review and adjust rather than start from scratch. Less friction, better data.
Why pre-filled forms
Asking people to re-enter details you already have is the fastest way to lose them. With a pre-filled form, the subscriber lands on a page that already shows their current choices. They tick, untick, and submit — and their profile updates instantly. It's the cleanest way to run a preference centre, enrich profiles, and keep your data healthy for GDPR.
Three strong use cases
A preference centre is the obvious place to start, but the same mechanism powers three distinct jobs:
Preference centre — invite profiles to update which Subscriptions they're opted into, or opt out of individual ones, without unsubscribing from everything. Let them choose interest areas and what they want to receive.
Profile enrichment — ask for information you don't yet have (role, industry, birthday, interests) without making people re-enter what you already know.
Data refresh push — prompt subscribers to confirm their details are still correct. Great for GDPR hygiene and data-quality rules.
What you need to prepare
Before building, line up four ingredients. The example below builds a preference centre for a Marketing folder.
Area | What to set up |
Consent | Folder: Marketing. Subscriptions: Newsletters, Event Invitations, Press & Media. |
Data model | Custom Attributes: Language, Region, Main areas of interest. |
Form | Consent element for subscriptions, Terms & Conditions paragraph, Radio (language), Radio (region), Checkboxes (interest areas). |
Email asset | Design the rows in an email, add the link to the form with the pre-filled option checked, then save the row as an asset with the link. |
Understanding the data model
It helps to picture how Apsis One is structured before you start. At the top sits your Account, then a Section, which contains Folders. Each folder holds Subscriptions. Segmentation, Attributes (default and custom), Tags, and Events all sit within this model.
For this preference centre, the Marketing folder holds three subscriptions (Newsletters, Event Invitations, Press & Media), and the profile preferences by three custom attributes: Language, Region, and Interest areas.
Step 1 — Create the folder and subscriptions
Go to Audience > Subscriptions. Use Create folder to add the Marketing folder, then Create subscription to add Newsletters, Event Invitations, and Press & Media inside it.
Step 2 — Create the data model (custom attributes)
Open your Section settings > Data Model. Under Custom Attributes, choose + Add New attribute and create Language, Region, and Main areas of interest.
Tip: Match the attribute type to how you'll collect it. Single-choice fields (Language, Region) pair naturally with radio buttons; multi-choice fields (interest areas) pair with checkboxes.
Step 3 — Build the "Update my preferences" form
In the Forms & Pages tool, create a new form. Add and arrange these elements from the Collect panel:
Input field — Email (mandatory; this is the key that ties the submission back to the profile).
Consent element — for the three subscriptions.
Radio — language preference (English / Swedish / French).
Radio — region (Nordics / BeNeLux & France / DACH / Other).
Checkbox — interest areas.
Terms & Conditions paragraph.
The email address is what matches the submission to the existing profile. Tell subscribers it can't be changed here and point them to a contact address if they need it updated.
Step 4 — Publish (activate) the form
Once the layout and elements are right, move through the form steps and activate it so it's live and ready to receive submissions. A draft (or paused) form can't collect data.
Step 5 — Create the email content and save the row as an asset
In the Email tool, design the row that promotes the form — a heading, a short message, and a button. Add the link to your form and check the pre-filled option so the form loads the subscriber's existing data. Then save the row as an asset with the link, so you can reuse it across emails.
Why save it as an asset? Reusing one maintained asset keeps the link and the pre-filled setting consistent everywhere, and lets you drop the preference-centre prompt into any future email in seconds.
Step 6 — Update your Marketing Automation emails
Bring the preference-centre asset into your live flows. Open a flow such as Welcome new subscribers, edit the email node, and add the saved asset row. New and existing subscribers then get an easy route to manage what they receive.
Step 7 — Send the email/s
Finalise your draft in the Email tool and send (or schedule) it. From Drafts, open your email — for example Newsletter with update my preferences — and send it to your audience.
The subscriber experience
The subscriber opens your email, clicks the button, and lands on the form with their details already filled in: their email shown, their current consents ticked, their language and region pre-selected. They adjust whatever they want and submit.
The result: an updated profile
On submit, the profile updates immediately. Subscriptions reflect the new choices, custom attributes (Areas of Interest, Language, Region) are written, and a Consent Timeline plus Form & Page Interactions record the change with a timestamp. Any segments built on these fields update too.
The result:
Everything is logged. The Consent Timeline and interaction history give you a clear, auditable trail of exactly what each subscriber chose and when — invaluable for GDPR accountability.
Other activities & tips
Once your preference centre is live, build on it:
Segments — create segments to honour the preferences people set.
Landing page — instead of an email-only message, build a dedicated landing page in Apsis One or on your website.
Stand-alone — reuse the same form (or a duplicate) in other channels.
Consent only — create a slimmed-down form that only asks for consent updates, linked in the footer near the unsubscribe, to offer an easy opt-out.
Thank-you flow — trigger an MA flow on form submit.
Insights — segment on form submit and data collected to follow trends and confirm you're getting the result you want.
Abandoned flow — nurture profiles who clicked the link but didn't submit.
Created data — send a follow-up to new profiles after a set time, reminding them they can update their data anytime in any email where the form appears.
Want hands-on help?
