How to automate follow up emails using Storydoc and HubSpot integration

If you’re chasing leads, proposals, or client responses, you know how much time is wasted on manually sending follow-up emails. Automation sounds like a magic fix—but only if the setup is reliable, doesn’t create more headaches, and actually gets results. This guide is for marketers, sales folks, and anyone tired of chasing their own inbox. We’ll walk through how to automate follow-up emails using Storydoc ([storydoc.html]) and HubSpot together, call out what actually works, and flag the stuff you can safely ignore.

Why bother automating follow-ups?

Let’s get real: A single email almost never closes the deal. Most of the time, it’s the well-timed, personal follow-up that gets the reply. But nobody enjoys copying, pasting, and scheduling those reminders by hand. Automating follow-ups:

  • Saves hours every week (really)
  • Reduces leads slipping through the cracks
  • Lets you scale outreach without hiring an army

But—done badly—it can annoy your prospects or fill your CRM with junk. So, let’s do it right.

What you need before you start

Before we get into the weeds, make sure you have the basics:

  • A Storydoc account ([storydoc.html]) and at least one deck or presentation ready to share.
  • A HubSpot account with permissions to access workflows and contacts. (Starter plan and up is best—free plan is pretty limited for automation.)
  • Access to HubSpot’s integrations marketplace (you’ll need Admin rights).
  • Some patience—connecting tools can be fiddly.

If you don’t have these, bookmark this and come back after setup. No sense banging your head against permissions errors.

Step 1: Connect Storydoc and HubSpot

The integration lets HubSpot and Storydoc talk to each other. That means when someone views your Storydoc, HubSpot can trigger actions—like sending or scheduling a follow-up email.

How the integration works:

  • Storydoc tracks who opens your deck (if you send it via HubSpot, or use unique links).
  • That viewing data syncs back into HubSpot as an event or property.
  • You can use that event to trigger workflows in HubSpot (like sending an email).

Here’s how to connect them:

  1. Go to Storydoc’s Integrations Settings
  2. In your Storydoc dashboard, find the Integrations or Settings menu.

  3. Look for HubSpot in the list. If you don’t see it, check you’re on a paid plan (integrations are often paywalled).

  4. Connect to HubSpot

  5. Click “Connect” or “Authorize.”
  6. You’ll be redirected to HubSpot—log in, and grant the requested permissions.

  7. If HubSpot asks about what data Storydoc can access, allow “contacts” and “workflows.” Don’t stress about “all permissions”—they just need contact and engagement data.

  8. Test the Connection

  9. Send yourself a test Storydoc link and open it.
  10. In HubSpot, check the contact record for your test email—see if Storydoc activity shows up.

Pro tip: If you don’t see any events in HubSpot, double-check that the Storydoc link you sent is personalized (not just a public link). HubSpot can’t track anonymous viewers.

Step 2: Set up your follow-up email template in HubSpot

You want your follow-ups to feel personal, not like a robot is spamming everyone. HubSpot lets you build email templates that pull in contact info—like first name, company, etc.

What works:

  • Short, specific follow-ups (“Saw you viewed the deck yesterday—any questions?”)
  • Personalization tokens (use the contact’s name, company, or even the Storydoc title)
  • One clear call to action (reply, book a call, etc.)

What to skip:

  • Overly fancy HTML emails (plain text or simple formatting feels more natural)
  • Generic “Just checking in…” messages

How to set up:

  1. Go to Marketing > Email in HubSpot
  2. Click “Create Email.”

  3. Choose “Automated” type if prompted.

  4. Build your template

  5. Write a direct, human-sounding message.
  6. Use personalization tokens (like {{ contact.firstname }}).
  7. Add a line referencing Storydoc (“I noticed you checked out our [deck] yesterday…”).

  8. Save the template.

  9. Test send to yourself

  10. Make sure the tokens fill in properly.
  11. Double-check links and formatting.

Pro tip: If you’re not getting replies, keep your follow-ups even shorter. Most people skim.

Step 3: Create a workflow in HubSpot to automate the follow-up

This is where the magic happens: you set up rules in HubSpot to send your follow-up email when someone interacts with your Storydoc deck.

Here’s how:

  1. Go to Automation > Workflows
  2. Click “Create Workflow.”

  3. Choose “Contact-based workflow.”

  4. Set the Trigger

  5. Add a trigger based on Storydoc activity.
  6. Look for something like “Contact has viewed Storydoc” or a custom property/storydoc event.

  7. If you don’t see it, you might need to refresh the integration, or check Storydoc’s documentation for the exact event name.

  8. Add an Action: Send Email

  9. Select your email template from earlier.
  10. Set a delay if you want (e.g., send 1 hour after viewing, not instantly).

  11. You can chain actions (e.g., if no reply after 3 days, send a second nudge).

  12. Review and Turn On

  13. Walk through the workflow logic—make sure you’re not going to email the same person 10 times.
  14. Turn the workflow on.

Stuff to watch out for:

  • Duplicate triggers: If someone views the deck 3 times, do they get 3 emails? Add logic to limit sends.
  • Bounces and unsubscribes: Make sure your workflow respects opt-outs—HubSpot handles this, but double-check.

Pro tip: Start simple. One follow-up email is enough to start. You can always add more steps later.

Step 4: Test with a real contact (not just yourself)

Don’t trust “test mode” alone. Run through the process as a real recipient:

  • Add a test contact in HubSpot with a non-work email.
  • Send them a Storydoc link (use the real workflow).
  • Open the deck, wait for the follow-up.
  • Check for personalization, correct timing, and that it doesn’t land in spam.

If you spot issues, fix before rolling out to real leads.

Step 5: Monitor, tweak, and don’t set-and-forget

Automation isn’t “fire and forget.” Some things to keep an eye on:

  • Open and reply rates: If you’re getting ghosted, try new subject lines or shorter copy.
  • Broken links or tokens: Occasionally, integrations break or tokens don’t render. Check every couple of weeks.
  • Unsubscribes and complaints: Too many? Dial back frequency or tweak your message.

What to ignore: Don’t obsess over tiny tweaks—if your follow-up gets a decent reply rate, that’s good enough. Move on to the next bottleneck in your process.

Honest pros, cons, and gotchas

What works well:

  • Sending fast, relevant follow-ups based on real activity (not just guesswork)
  • Personalizing emails without spending hours per lead

The catch:

  • If you send Storydoc links via non-HubSpot channels (like Gmail or LinkedIn), tracking may break or get patchy.
  • Free-tier HubSpot plans are pretty limited for automation—you’ll outgrow it fast.
  • Over-automation can backfire. If you sound like a robot, people tune out.

Stuff people overcomplicate:

  • Chaining 5+ follow-ups. Most leads don’t want a drip campaign. One or two polite nudges is enough.
  • Tracking every possible metric. Focus on replies, not vanity stats.

Wrapping up: Keep it simple, keep iterating

Automating follow-ups with Storydoc and HubSpot isn’t rocket science, but it does take a bit of upfront setup and testing. Start with a basic workflow, send it to yourself, and fix the obvious stuff. Don’t get distracted by shiny features or over-complicated logic. The goal is to save time and get more real replies—nothing more, nothing less.

Set it up, watch it work, and tweak as you go. That’s how the pros do it.