How to Automate Emails with HubSpot: A Step-by-Step Tutorial

Key Takeaways

• HubSpot email automation saves hours by triggering messages based on contact behavior, form submissions, and lifecycle stage
• Set up workflows in under 15 minutes using pre-built templates or custom triggers and conditions
• Use conditional logic to send different emails to different segments without manual intervention
• Track automation performance with open rates, click rates, and conversion metrics built into HubSpot's dashboard

Email marketing is one of the highest-ROI channels for businesses, but sending emails manually doesn't scale. Learning how to automate emails with HubSpot eliminates repetitive tasks and ensures timely, relevant messages reach your contacts at exactly the right moment. Whether you're nurturing leads, onboarding customers, or re-engaging inactive contacts, HubSpot's automation tools handle the execution while you focus on strategy. This guide walks you through the exact steps to set up email automation in HubSpot, from basic sequences to advanced workflows with conditional logic.

Step 1: Set Up Your Email Template

Before you automate emails with HubSpot, prepare the emails you'll send. Go to Marketing > Email and click Create Email. Choose either a blank template or select a pre-built design from HubSpot's library. Personalization is critical—use merge tags like {{contact.firstname}} and {{contact.company}} to make each email feel individual. According to HubSpot's 2025 marketing report, personalized emails have 26% higher open rates than generic messages (Source: HubSpot Marketing Statistics). Write subject lines that encourage opens and keep body copy concise. Save your template once complete. You can create multiple templates for different stages of your automation sequence.

Use Merge Tags for Personalization

Merge tags pull data from each contact's profile into the email automatically. Click Insert > Personalization to add first name, company, or custom properties. This makes bulk emails feel one-to-one and increases engagement.

Step 2: Create a New Workflow in HubSpot

Navigate to Automation > Workflows and click Create workflow. HubSpot offers two workflow types: contact-based (triggers when a contact matches criteria) and deal-based (triggers on deal activity). For most email automation, use contact-based workflows. Choose to start from scratch or select a pre-built template for common scenarios like welcome series, lead nurturing, or customer onboarding. The workflow canvas appears with a trigger node already selected. This is where you define what action starts the automation. Many users skip this step and jump straight to actions, but defining a clear trigger is essential for how to automate emails with HubSpot effectively.

Contact-Based vs. Deal-Based Workflows

Contact-based workflows trigger when a person takes an action (form submission, email open, page visit). Deal-based workflows trigger when a sales opportunity moves through stages. For email sequences, contact-based is standard.

Step 3: Define Your Trigger Conditions

The trigger determines when the automation starts. Click the trigger node and select your condition. Common triggers include: form submission, email open or click, website page visit, contact property change, or list membership. For example, if you want to automate emails with HubSpot for new leads, set the trigger to "Contact submitted a form on your website." You can add multiple conditions using AND/OR logic. If you want to trigger only for leads in a specific industry or company size, add those conditions. Be specific—vague triggers lead to emails sent to the wrong people. Test your trigger logic before publishing to ensure it catches the right contacts (Source: HubSpot Workflows Best Practices).

Time-Based Triggers

Use date-based triggers to automate emails on anniversaries, renewal dates, or after a specific time period passes. This is useful for birthday emails or re-engagement campaigns.

Step 4: Add Email Actions to Your Sequence

After defining the trigger, add an email action. Click the + icon below the trigger and select Send Email. Choose the template you created in Step 1. Set a delay if needed—for example, send the email 1 hour after the trigger fires, or 2 days later. This timing is crucial for email open rates. Emails sent immediately may get lost in crowded inboxes, while emails sent too late lose relevance. HubSpot allows you to add multiple email actions in sequence. For a welcome series, you might send Email 1 immediately, Email 2 after 3 days, and Email 3 after 7 days. Each email action is independent, so you can customize timing for each one. This is the core of how to automate emails with HubSpot—stacking actions to create a complete customer journey.

Optimal Send Times

HubSpot can analyze your contact data and suggest the best time to send each email. Enable "Optimize send time" to let HubSpot send emails when each individual is most likely to open them.

Step 5: Set Conditions and Branches for Advanced Automation

To go beyond basic sequences, add conditional branches. After an email action, add a condition node to split the workflow based on contact behavior. For example: "If contact opens email, send Email 2. If contact does not open, send a reminder." This creates different paths for different behaviors. Use branches to segment your audience without creating separate workflows. You can branch on properties like company size, industry, engagement level, or lifecycle stage. Advanced workflows might have 5+ branches, each sending different emails to different segments. This is where email automation becomes powerful—each contact gets a personalized journey based on their actions and attributes. HubSpot automation workflows

Exit Criteria

Set exit criteria to remove contacts from the workflow if they meet certain conditions. For example, if a contact becomes a customer, exit them from the nurturing workflow and enroll them in an onboarding sequence instead.

Step 6: Test and Publish Your Automation

Before publishing, test the workflow end-to-end. HubSpot provides a test contact feature—create a test contact and manually trigger the workflow to see how emails flow. Check that emails send at the right times, personalization works correctly, and conditional branches route correctly. Review the email preview to ensure formatting looks good on mobile and desktop. Once satisfied, click Publish. Your workflow is now live and will automatically enroll contacts who match the trigger. Monitor the workflow dashboard for enrollment numbers, email open rates, and click rates. If performance is lower than expected, pause the workflow and adjust the trigger conditions, email content, or timing. Learning how to automate emails with HubSpot is iterative—data informs improvements.

Monitor Workflow Performance

The workflow dashboard shows real-time metrics: contacts enrolled, emails sent, open rates, click rates, and conversion rates. Use this data to optimize your automation over time.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

Many teams make preventable errors when learning how to automate emails with HubSpot. Don't set triggers too broad—vague conditions enroll the wrong contacts. Don't use identical subject lines across all emails in a sequence—variety improves opens. Don't forget to set unsubscribe options in every email; it's legally required and improves deliverability. Don't ignore low engagement—if contacts aren't opening emails, pause the workflow and refine your approach. Don't overcomplicate workflows with too many branches; start simple and add complexity as needed. HubSpot Email Deliverability Guide covers technical requirements like authentication and list hygiene that impact whether automated emails reach inboxes. Finally, don't set and forget—review workflow performance monthly and adjust based on metrics. Automation is not fire-and-forget; it requires ongoing optimization.

Conclusion

Learning how to automate emails with HubSpot transforms how you communicate with leads and customers. By following these six steps—setting up templates, creating workflows, defining triggers, adding email actions, using conditional logic, and testing thoroughly—you can build automation that saves hours each month while improving engagement. Start with a simple welcome series, measure results, then expand to more complex workflows as you gain confidence. email marketing automation best practices offers additional strategies for maximizing your automation ROI.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can you automate emails in HubSpot for free?

Yes. HubSpot's free tier includes basic email automation with up to 1,000 contacts. Advanced features like conditional logic and A/B testing require the paid Professional plan or higher.

How long does it take to set up email automation in HubSpot?

A simple email sequence takes 10-15 minutes to set up. Complex workflows with multiple branches and conditional logic may take 30-45 minutes depending on your requirements.

What's the difference between HubSpot workflows and email sequences?

Workflows are automation rules that trigger actions across HubSpot based on contact behavior or properties. Email sequences are a specific type of workflow focused solely on sending emails at scheduled intervals.

Can HubSpot automate emails based on user behavior?

Yes. You can trigger automated emails based on website visits, form submissions, email opens, link clicks, and custom events using HubSpot's workflow builder and conditional logic.

Is HubSpot email automation better than Mailchimp?

HubSpot offers more advanced automation features and deeper CRM integration, while Mailchimp is simpler and more affordable for basic email campaigns. The better choice depends on your business complexity and budget.

Fouzan Adil has implemented email automation workflows across multiple SaaS platforms since 2024, testing HubSpot's automation features across lead nurturing, customer onboarding, and re-engagement campaigns. He documents practical workflows and optimization strategies for teams new to marketing automation. Learn more about Fouzan.