HubSpot Email Deliverability: Best Practices and Troubleshooting

Best Practices

HubSpot is a powerful email marketing platform, but deliverability still depends on proper configuration and good sending practices. This guide covers how to optimize your HubSpot email setup for maximum deliverability.

HubSpot Email Infrastructure

Shared vs. Dedicated IPs

By default, HubSpot sends email from shared IP addresses used by many customers. Your deliverability is affected by the collective behavior of all senders on those IPs.

Shared IPs (default):

• No additional cost
• Reputation depends partly on other senders
• Good for smaller senders
• HubSpot manages IP reputation

Dedicated IPs (add-on):

• Additional cost (Enterprise required)
• Full control over IP reputation
• Your behavior alone determines reputation
• Requires warmup period
• Best for high-volume senders (100,000+ emails/month)

For most HubSpot users, shared IPs work well because HubSpot maintains them carefully. Dedicated IPs make sense for high-volume senders who want complete control.

Email Sending Domain

HubSpot allows you to configure a custom email sending domain, which improves deliverability and brand recognition:

Benefits:

• Emails come from your domain, not HubSpot's
• Builds reputation on your domain
• Enables full authentication (SPF, DKIM)
• More professional appearance

Setup requires:

• DNS access to add records
• SPF and DKIM configuration
• Time for DNS propagation

Authentication in HubSpot

Setting Up Email Sending Domain

To authenticate email in HubSpot:

1. Go to Settings → Marketing → Email
2. Navigate to Configuration → Email Sending Domains
3. Click "Connect a domain"
4. Follow the setup wizard

HubSpot will provide DNS records to add:

DKIM records: Add the CNAME records HubSpot provides. This enables DKIM signing for your emails.

SPF: You may need to include HubSpot in your SPF record. HubSpot typically uses their own envelope sender, so this may be handled automatically, but verify your specific configuration.

Verifying Authentication

After adding DNS records:

1. Wait for DNS propagation (up to 48 hours)
2. Return to HubSpot email settings
3. Click "Verify" to confirm configuration
4. Check that status shows "Connected"

DMARC Considerations

HubSpot supports DMARC alignment. For DMARC to pass:

• Your DKIM must be configured with your domain
• The visible From address must match your authenticated domain

Check your DMARC policy to ensure proper configuration.

HubSpot Deliverability Tools

Email Health Tool

HubSpot includes a health monitoring tool:

• Found in Marketing → Email → Health tab
• Shows sending reputation indicators
• Displays bounce and unsubscribe trends
• Highlights potential issues

Check this regularly to catch problems early.

Hard Bounce Management

HubSpot automatically handles hard bounces:

• Hard-bounced addresses are marked as undeliverable
• Future sends skip these addresses automatically
• You can view bounced contacts in list filters

This prevents repeated sends to invalid addresses.

Graymail Suppression

HubSpot identifies "graymail" — contacts who receive but don't engage with your emails:

• Chronically unengaged contacts are flagged
• Option to suppress graymail from sends
• Improves overall engagement metrics

Enabling graymail suppression can improve deliverability by focusing on engaged recipients.

Common HubSpot Deliverability Issues

Low Open Rates

If HubSpot shows very low open rates:

Check inbox placement:

• Send test emails to your own accounts
• Verify emails aren't landing in spam
• Check promotional tab placement (Gmail)

Review authentication:

• Ensure email sending domain is connected
• Verify DNS records are correct
• Check for any configuration warnings in HubSpot

Consider content:

• Test subject lines
• Review email preview text
• Ensure mobile-friendly design

Emails Going to Spam

If HubSpot emails land in spam:

Authentication first:

• Confirm email sending domain is set up
• Verify SPF configuration
• Check DKIM is working

Check blacklists:

• Verify your domain isn't blacklisted
• If using dedicated IP, check IP reputation

Review sending practices:

• Ensure you're emailing opted-in contacts only
• Check complaint rates in HubSpot
• Review bounce rates

High Bounce Rates

Elevated bounce rates in HubSpot indicate list quality issues:

Immediate actions:

• Review how contacts were added
• Check for bulk imports of old data
• Verify email collection processes

Ongoing prevention:

• Use confirmed opt-in where possible
• Validate emails at form submission
• Regularly clean inactive contacts

Contacts Not Receiving Email

If specific contacts don't receive HubSpot emails:

Check contact status:

• Is the contact marked as unsubscribed?
• Is the email address hard-bounced?
• Is the contact in a suppression list?

Check sending permissions:

• Does contact have marketing email opt-in?
• Is contact excluded by list criteria?
• Are there workflow conflicts?

HubSpot Best Practices

List Management

Maintain clean lists in HubSpot:

• Segment by engagement level
• Remove chronically unengaged contacts
• Use HubSpot's list tools to identify problems
• Don't import purchased lists

Sending Frequency

Balance frequency with engagement:

• HubSpot tracks email fatigue
• Use the recommended contact frequency limits
• Let contacts choose frequency preferences
• Monitor unsubscribe reasons for frequency complaints

Content and Design

Create emails that perform well:

• Use HubSpot's email templates as starting points
• Test across email clients using preview
• Include clear unsubscribe links
• Maintain good text-to-image ratios

Progressive Profiling

For new contacts:

• Start with welcome/confirmation emails
• Gradually increase sending
• Monitor engagement early
• Adjust based on response

Monitoring in HubSpot

Key Metrics to Track

Monitor these in HubSpot reporting:

• Delivery rate: Should be 95%+
• Open rate: Benchmark against your history
• Click rate: Indicates content relevance
• Bounce rate: Should be under 2%
• Unsubscribe rate: Watch for spikes

Setting Up Alerts

Create notifications for:

• High bounce rates
• Spike in unsubscribes
• Declining open rates
• Email health warnings

Regular Reviews

Schedule periodic reviews:

• Weekly: Check email health dashboard
• Monthly: Review deliverability trends
• Quarterly: Audit authentication setup
• After campaigns: Analyze performance

Advanced HubSpot Configuration

Custom Tracking Domain

Set up a custom tracking domain for links:

• Improves click tracking reliability
• Builds domain reputation for tracking links
• Looks more professional to recipients

Dedicated IP Warmup

If you add a dedicated IP:

1. Start with very low volume
2. Send to most engaged contacts first
3. Gradually increase over 2-4 weeks
4. Monitor reputation closely during warmup
5. Have a fallback plan if issues arise

Integration Considerations

If HubSpot integrates with other systems:

• Ensure contact sync doesn't create duplicates
• Verify subscription status syncs correctly
• Monitor for data quality issues from integrations

When to Seek Help

HubSpot Support

Contact HubSpot if:

• Authentication setup isn't working
• You see unexplained deliverability drops
• IP reputation issues (dedicated IP users)
• Technical problems with email sending

External Help

Consider deliverability specialists if:

• Persistent problems despite good practices
• Complex multi-platform email architecture
• Need for detailed deliverability auditing
• Reputation recovery after major issues

Stop Worrying About Email Deliverability

The Email Deliverability Suite monitors your SPF, DKIM, DMARC, MX records and blacklist status daily. Get alerts when something breaks — before your emails stop arriving.