Connecting Feathery to HubSpot for seamless lead management

If you’re using Feathery forms to capture leads and HubSpot as your CRM, you’re probably tired of copy-pasting info or losing track of leads altogether. This guide is for people who want their lead data to just land in HubSpot, reliably, without hours of fiddling or surprise headaches. We’ll walk through what actually works, what to watch out for, and how to avoid common integration traps.

Why Connect Feathery to HubSpot?

Clean lead flows save time and sanity. When someone fills out a form built with Feathery, you want that info in HubSpot right away—no manual steps, no data missing, no duplicates. This cuts down errors, speeds up response times, and lets your team focus on actual conversations, not wrangling spreadsheets.

But let’s be honest: It’s easy to get lost in the weeds with integrations. Not every tool plays nice, and “seamless” often means “you’ll have to fight with it a bit.” That’s what this guide is for.

Step 1: Get the Basics in Place

Before you start connecting anything, double-check you’ve got the basics sorted. It sounds obvious, but most snags happen here.

  • Feathery account: You’ll need admin access to the Feathery workspace where your forms live.
  • HubSpot account: You need at least edit rights on Contacts. Admin is best.
  • Form ready: Have your Feathery form built, tested, and collecting the fields you want in HubSpot (name, email, company, whatever matters to you).

Pro tip: Map out which questions on your form should go into which HubSpot fields. Do this in a doc or spreadsheet first—you’ll thank yourself later.

Step 2: Decide How You Want to Connect

There are two main ways to connect Feathery forms to HubSpot:

  1. Native Integration (if available): The easiest option—if Feathery offers a built-in HubSpot integration.
  2. Via Zapier or Similar Tool: Good old Zapier (or Make, or Pipedream) can bridge the gap if there’s no direct integration.

Let’s break down how each works, what’s good, and what to avoid.

Option 1: Using Feathery’s Native HubSpot Integration

As of early 2024, Feathery offers a native HubSpot integration on their paid plans. It’s the least painful route if you have access.

How to Set It Up

  1. Open your form in Feathery.
  2. Go to the “Integrations” tab.
  3. Find and select “HubSpot.”
  4. Click “Connect” and follow the prompts to sign in to HubSpot and approve access.
  5. Map your Feathery form fields to HubSpot properties. For example, Feathery’s Email field → HubSpot’s Contact Email.
  6. Set when you want the integration to trigger (usually “On Form Submission”).
  7. Save and test it—fill out your own form, then check HubSpot for a new contact.

What Works

  • Direct field mapping: You can send data exactly where it needs to go.
  • No third-party fees: No Zapier or Make to pay for.
  • Quick setup: Usually done in 10–20 minutes.

What Doesn’t

  • Limited customization: If you want to do complex logic (conditional mapping, lookups, etc.), you might hit a wall.
  • Not always instant: Data typically pushes within seconds, but there can be delays—especially on cheaper Feathery plans or if HubSpot is slow.
  • Bugs happen: Sometimes the integration breaks after a HubSpot API update. Keep an eye out.

Ignore: Overengineering. If your use case is just “send form data to HubSpot contact,” use this and move on.

Option 2: Connecting via Zapier (or Make, Pipedream, etc.)

If you need more control or Feathery’s native integration isn’t cutting it, Zapier is the fallback. Think of Zapier as the universal adapter—it’s not glamorous, but it works.

How to Set It Up

  1. Create a new Zap.
  2. Trigger: Choose Feathery. If Feathery isn’t listed, set up a Webhook trigger (“Catch Hook”).
  3. Action: Choose HubSpot > “Create Contact” or “Update Contact.”
  4. Map fields: Connect each Feathery form field to the right HubSpot field.
  5. Add filters or conditions if you want (e.g., only send submissions where “Newsletter Opt-In” is checked).
  6. Test the Zap. Fill out your form and see if the data lands in HubSpot.

What Works

  • Flexibility: You can add filters, delays, or even multi-step logic.
  • Works around field mismatches: Zapier can reformat data (e.g., dates, phone numbers) on the fly.
  • Can update, not just create: Set up Zaps to avoid duplicate contacts.

What Doesn’t

  • Extra cost: Zapier isn’t free if you’re running a lot of submissions.
  • Lag: There’s usually a 1–5 minute delay unless you pay for premium Zapier.
  • More moving parts: More to break, and debugging can be a pain.

Ignore: Chaining too many steps. Keep your Zap(s) simple unless you need more.

Step 3: Map Fields—Don’t Guess

This is where most integrations go sideways. HubSpot field names aren’t always obvious (“First Name” vs. “firstname”). If you mismatch fields, data disappears or overwrites the wrong info.

Checklist:

  • Match required fields. HubSpot needs an email for contacts. Don’t skip it.
  • Handle custom fields. If your Feathery form collects info that doesn’t fit HubSpot’s defaults (like “Favorite Snack”), create custom properties in HubSpot first.
  • Test edge cases. What happens if someone leaves a field blank? Or enters weird characters? Try breaking your form to see how data lands.

Pro tip: Always do a few real submissions yourself—don’t trust “test” data.

Step 4: Watch for Duplicates and Data Mess

Nothing clogs up a CRM like duplicate contacts. By default, HubSpot uses email to prevent duplicates, but it’s not foolproof.

  • Set Zaps or integrations to “Update” contacts if email exists, not just “Create.”
  • Regularly check for duplicates in HubSpot—especially if you have other forms or sources feeding in leads.
  • Decide what happens with partial data. If someone only gives an email, do you want that in your CRM?

Ignore: Fancy deduplication tools until you actually have a duplicate problem. Start simple.

Step 5: Test (for Real)

Before you roll this out to your team or launch campaigns, fill out your own form a bunch of times:

  1. Use real-sounding test data (“Jane Smith, jane@example.com”).
  2. Try bad data (“asdf” for phone number, blank fields).
  3. Submit twice with the same email—does it update or create a new contact?
  4. Check HubSpot: Is everything landing where you expect?

If something’s wrong, fix your field mappings or integration logic, then test again.

Pro tip: Set up a test list or pipeline in HubSpot to catch these before you dump junk into your real CRM.

Step 6: Maintain and Monitor

Integrations aren’t “set and forget.” Every so often, check:

  • Are leads still flowing in? If not, look for Feathery or HubSpot API changes.
  • Are field mappings still correct? If you update your Feathery form, remember to update mappings.
  • Any errors or duplicates creeping in? Better to catch these early.

Ignore: Overcomplicated monitoring tools. A simple monthly check is enough for most teams.

Bonus: What About Workflows, Lists, or Marketing Automation?

Once your data’s landing in HubSpot, you can trigger all sorts of workflows—email nurturing, lead scoring, automation, you name it. But don’t automate too soon. Start by making sure your basic lead data is solid. It’s not glamorous, but it saves a ton of pain later.

Honest Takes and Common Pitfalls

  • Don’t integrate for the sake of integrating. If you only get a handful of leads a week, manual entry might be less hassle.
  • Be wary of “all-in-one” integration tools. They promise the moon, but you’ll still need to map fields and monitor stuff.
  • If you’re not technical, ask for help. Some of this is fiddly—don’t be afraid to lean on support from Feathery or HubSpot. That’s what you’re paying for.

Keep It Simple and Iterate

Start with the basics: get your form data into HubSpot automatically, reliably, and with as little fuss as possible. Don’t overthink it or chase shiny automation features you don’t need yet. Once you’ve nailed the basics and trust your flow, you can always layer on more.

Connecting Feathery to HubSpot should make your life easier, not harder. Keep it simple, test often, and tweak as you go. The fancy stuff can wait.