Prerequisites & what you’ll build

• Access to HubSpot Workflows (available on Marketing Hub Professional+). If you’re on Starter, you can use basic automations; UI may differ.
• Permission to send marketing emails and a published email set to Saved for automation.
• Contacts with the correct subscription type (or use transactional email if appropriate).

You’ll build a workflow that watches for a trigger (e.g., a form submission, list membership, or property change) and then sends a specific email.

Workflow at a glance

Step 1 — Create the email

1. Go to Marketing → Email and click Create email.
2. Choose a template, write the copy, set the From address, and assign the correct subscription type.
3. In the email editor’s settings, set Save for automation (a.k.a. Automated email), then Publish the email.

Step 2 — Create the workflow

1. Go to Automation → Workflows → Create workflow.
2. Pick From scratch and choose the object type (usually Contact-based).
3. Name your workflow and click Next.

Step 3 — Define the enrollment trigger(s)

Click Set enrollment triggers and choose your condition(s). Common options:

• Form submission (e.g., “Corporate Gifting Inquiry”).
• List membership (e.g., added to a smart list).
• Contact property changes (e.g., Lifecycle stage became MQL).
• Deal stage changes (for deal-based workflows).

Step 4 — Add actions (Send email)

1. Click the + node to add an action.
2. Choose Send email, then select your published automated email from the list.
3. (Optional) Add a Delay before sending, or an If/then branch to segment by properties (e.g., country, persona).

Step 5 — Review, test & turn it on

1. Click Review to see a summary of triggers and actions.
2. Use Test (top right) to enroll a sample contact, or submit your form to simulate real flow.
3. When ready, switch the workflow ON.
4. Monitor History to verify contacts enroll and emails are logged as sent/delivered.

Troubleshooting & FAQs

• My email doesn’t appear in the picker: Make sure it’s Published and Saved for automation, and that your user has permission to use it.
• No one is enrolling: Check that your trigger field values actually match (use the filter preview), and verify enrollment timing (e.g., “became equal to” vs “is currently equal to”).
• Contact didn’t receive the email: Confirm subscription type & consent, spam suppression, and that the contact isn’t globally unsubscribed or bounced. Review the email’s event log.
• I need a transactional message: Use a transactional send (separate add-on/API) instead of marketing email to bypass subscription requirements where allowed.
• I only want one send ever: Disable re-enrollment, or add a property flag (e.g., Received Gifting Follow‑up) and guard with an if/then branch.

Example: Form submit → immediate follow‑up

This example sends a confirmation email when someone submits the “Corporate Gifting Inquiry” form.

1. Email: Create “Corporate Gifting — Thanks for Reaching Out,” save for automation, and publish.
2. Workflow: Contact‑based → From scratch.
3. Trigger: Form submission is any submission on Corporate Gifting Inquiry.
4. (Optional) Delay: 5 minutes.
5. Action: Send email → choose the email from step 1.
6. Turn on and test by submitting the form.

Trigger: Form submission (Corporate Gifting Inquiry)
 └─ Action: Delay 5 minutes (optional)
    └─ Action: Send email (Corporate Gifting — Thanks for Reaching Out)

Note: HubSpot features and plan availability can change. If a control looks different in your portal, check the latest HubSpot documentation for your plan level.