# Message Categories

Message Categories let you tag every campaign with a **purpose** (example: promotions, order tracking, security).

Use categories for:

* **Purpose-based consent** (granular opt-in / opt-out per purpose)
* **Campaign hygiene** (every message has a clear intent)

For the full model (channel permission + purpose permission), see [Granular User Consent Management](/netmera-user-guide/customer-data/granular-consent-management.md).

{% hint style="info" %}
Create categories once under [Settings > Message Categories](/netmera-user-guide/panel-settings/netmera-panel-settings/message-categories.md). Then select a category while building each campaign.
{% endhint %}

### Create a message category

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Open Message Categories

Go to **Settings > Message Categories**.
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Create and save

1. Click **Create**.
2. Fill in **Category ID** and **Category Name**.
3. Click **Save**.
   {% endstep %}
   {% endstepper %}

<figure><img src="/files/LHhfvrp6Ygho5L1xMysb" alt=""><figcaption><p>Create a category in Settings</p></figcaption></figure>

#### Field definitions

**Category ID**

Stable key used in reporting and exports. Treat it like an immutable identifier.

**Category Name**

Human-readable name shown in the panel. You can adjust naming later without breaking analysis (as long as the ID stays stable).

#### Best practices for Category ID

* Keep it **short** and **stable** (example: `promo`).
* Use a **purpose**, not a channel. Categories are cross-channel.
* Prefer lowercase and avoid spaces (example: `order_tracking`).
* Don’t change IDs after launch. Create a new category instead.

<figure><img src="/files/JWXJgSHbJKuJAAbdtX0F" alt=""><figcaption><p>Category ID and Name</p></figcaption></figure>

### Assign a category to a campaign

{% stepper %}
{% step %}

#### Go to the content step

While creating a campaign, open **Step 2: What** (or the channel’s equivalent “Content” step).
{% endstep %}

{% step %}

#### Select the category

Pick the category that matches the campaign’s purpose.
{% endstep %}
{% endstepper %}

<figure><img src="/files/naNOAsERfxQRneX5fTgm" alt=""><figcaption><p>Select a category in the campaign flow</p></figcaption></figure>

#### More examples (different channels)

<figure><img src="/files/m6NrjVMOxJJdYnQ7gJsZ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/hpNT1rsf3ZrzD71qghfJ" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/0PiRp01RPDCNPICMEYyY" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

{% hint style="warning" %}
If you don’t assign a category, you can’t reliably analyze campaigns by purpose. If you use purpose-based consent, Netmera can’t enforce it without a category.
{% endhint %}

### Reporting by message category

#### Channel Reachability (opt-in / opt-out by category)

Use this to validate how many users are reachable **per purpose**.

* [Channel Reachability](/netmera-user-guide/reports-and-analytics/reports/channel-reachability.md)

<figure><img src="/files/50ewav97nJnNO2oaT3CM" alt=""><figcaption></figcaption></figure>

<figure><img src="/files/4svcVA9XUayVdUEN1DBD" alt=""><figcaption><p>Opt-in and opt-out users by message category</p></figcaption></figure>

### Related pages

* [Granular User Consent Management](/netmera-user-guide/customer-data/granular-consent-management.md)
* [Message Categories (Settings)](/netmera-user-guide/panel-settings/netmera-panel-settings/message-categories.md)
* [Message Labels](/netmera-user-guide/panel-settings/netmera-panel-settings/message-labels.md)
* [Channel Reachability](/netmera-user-guide/reports-and-analytics/reports/channel-reachability.md)


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