Using HubSpot to Send a Newsletter

1. Requirements and Limitations by Subscription Tier

1.1 HubSpot Free

• Marketing Emails: The Free plan allows you to create 1-to-many marketing emails (e.g., a newsletter), but it has a limit on how many emails you can send per month. Currently, it’s often up to 2,000 sends per month for free accounts (subject to change; verify the latest).
• Marketing Contacts: You must label recipients as “Marketing Contacts” in your HubSpot database. If you exceed the free limit of marketing contacts, you’ll need to upgrade.
• Basic Features: You can design emails using drag-and-drop editors or templates, but advanced customization or A/B testing is limited.

1.2 Starter

• Marketing Hub Starter typically extends the number of monthly email sends (often starting around 5,000 monthly sends, but check current limits).
• Customization: More templates and slightly better analytics than Free.
• Still Some Limits: You don’t get advanced automation (like multi-step workflows for marketing emails). But for a basic monthly or quarterly newsletter, Starter may be sufficient.

1.3 Professional & Enterprise

• Professional: Significantly higher or unlimited monthly email send limits, plus advanced segmentation, automation, A/B testing, and personalization.
• Enterprise: Adds features like custom objects, higher-level permissions, advanced reporting—often more than a solo consultant needs if they’re just sending a newsletter.
• Best If: You’re sending large volumes of newsletters, running complex drip campaigns, or require advanced marketing automation.

Note: The exact email send allowances can evolve. Always confirm your plan’s current limit on monthly email sends and marketing contacts.

2. Preparatory Steps

2.1 Ensure Contacts Are Marketing Contacts

• Marketing Contacts: In HubSpot, only designated “Marketing Contacts” can receive marketing emails like a newsletter.
• Quota: Each plan has a certain quota of marketing contacts. Additional marketing contacts might incur extra costs.
• Conversion: Convert relevant leads or clients to marketing contacts in Contacts > Actions (or via bulk edit) so they’re eligible to receive your newsletter.

2.2 Create or Identify the Recipient List

1. Segment Your Audience
   • Build an Active List or Static List in Contacts > Lists.
   • Criteria example: “Lifecycle Stage = Lead or Subscriber,” or “Downloaded My Lead Magnet.”
2. Clean Your Data
   • Verify the contacts have valid emails.
   • Ensure unsubscribed or bounced addresses are removed.

2.3 Design Newsletter Content

• Brand Consistency: Use a logo, consistent color scheme, and formatting.
• Relevant Content: Keep your consulting audience in mind—share updates, case studies, tips, or upcoming events.

3. Creating & Sending a Marketing Email (Your Newsletter)

3.1 Create an Email

1. Go to Marketing > Email in HubSpot.
2. Create Email: Choose Regular (or if you have a higher tier, you might see other types).
3. Pick a Template: HubSpot provides drag-and-drop layouts or you can use custom-coded templates.
4. Edit Content: Insert text, images, links. Add personalization tokens like {{ contact.firstName }} if your plan supports them.

3.2 Settings and Subject

1. Email Settings: Subject line, from name, and from email address.
2. Subscription Type (if on a plan that uses subscription preferences): Typically “Marketing Information” or your custom subscription type for a newsletter.
3. Footer/Compliance: HubSpot automatically includes an unsubscribe link and your physical address to comply with email regulations like CAN-SPAM.

3.3 Select Recipient List

1. Choose a Saved List: For instance, “Newsletter Subscribers” or “Clients.”
2. Exclude Lists (Optional): If you want to exclude, for example, unsubscribed or “Do not contact” segments (HubSpot should handle this automatically, but you can add extra filters if needed).

3.4 Preview & Test

1. Check Desktop & Mobile: Ensure the layout looks good on both.
2. Send Test: Send yourself a test email to confirm all links, images, personalization, and the lead magnet link.

3.5 Schedule or Send Now

1. Send or Schedule: If everything looks good, pick “Send now” or schedule for a future date/time.
2. Post-Send: HubSpot tracks open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribes in real-time.

4. Monitoring Newsletter Performance

1. Email Performance Dashboard: In Marketing > Email, you’ll see Opens, Clicks, Bounces, and Unsubscribes for each newsletter.
2. Click Maps: Shows where recipients clicked in your email, helping refine content placement.
3. Segmentation: Build a list of people who clicked the newsletter link to run additional follow-ups.

5. Key Considerations & Best Practices

1. Respect Send Limits: If you have a large contact base but a free plan’s monthly email limit is 2,000, plan your send volume or upgrade.
2. Use Double Opt-In: Helps reduce spam complaints. On some tiers, you can enable double opt-in so new subscribers confirm they want your newsletter.
3. Keep Content Relevant: The best way to keep unsubscribes low is sending valuable, timely content to the right audience.
4. Comply with Email Regulations: HubSpot automatically includes an unsubscribe link. Always honor unsubscribes to stay compliant.
5. Monitor Deliverability: Keep bounce rates and spam complaint rates low by cleaning your list, removing invalid emails, and sending consistent content.