So, you want to stop manually chasing every new contact and actually get your leads to do something—like open your emails, book a call, or, you know, buy from you. This guide is for marketers, sales folks, and founders who are tired of spraying emails into the void and hoping for magic.
If you’re using HubSpot Forms, you’ve already got the foundation. The real game-changer is automating what happens after someone fills out a form. Done right, lead nurturing workflows can save you hours and help you focus on leads that are actually worth your time. But they’re easy to overcomplicate, and the last thing you want is a mess of “automations” that just annoy people or make more work for you.
Let’s cut through the noise and get you set up with a lead nurturing workflow that actually works.
Step 1: Get Clear on Your Goal
Before you even open HubSpot, decide what you want to happen after someone submits a form. Be specific. Are you trying to:
- Nurture cold leads until they’re ready for sales?
- Send a resource and follow up to book a meeting?
- Qualify and route contacts to the right team?
- Just send a thank you and leave it at that?
Pro tip: If your answer is “all of the above,” start smaller. The more complex your workflow, the more likely it is to break (or just confuse people).
Step 2: Map Your Lead Nurturing Sequence
This is where most people skip ahead and regret it later. Grab a piece of paper or a whiteboard. Map out what you want to happen, step by step. For example:
- Lead fills out a form.
- Lead gets a confirmation email with a resource.
- Two days later, lead gets a follow-up email.
- If the lead opens or clicks, notify sales.
- If not, send a final check-in email.
Plotting this first keeps you focused and helps you spot gaps before you’re knee-deep in HubSpot’s workflow builder.
Step 3: Set Up or Review Your HubSpot Form
If you’ve already got a form, double-check it:
- Are you collecting the info you need (but not too much)?
- Is the form actually connected to the right lists or properties?
- Did you set expectations for what happens next? (If you promise a “quick follow-up,” people expect it.)
If you need to build or edit a form, do it now. Be ruthless: Every extra field drops your conversion rates.
Step 4: Create a Static List (Optional, but Helpful)
HubSpot lets you trigger workflows directly from form submissions, but using a static list can make things cleaner—especially if you want to reuse the workflow or add more triggers later.
- Create a static list called something like “Leads from Demo Request Form.”
- Set the list to automatically add contacts who submit your form.
Why bother? Because if you change your form or add another, you just update the list’s criteria—no need to rebuild your workflow triggers.
Step 5: Build Your HubSpot Workflow
Now for the main event. Go to Automation > Workflows in HubSpot.
Choose the Right Workflow Type
- Contact-based workflows are what you want for lead nurturing.
- Start from scratch, or use a template if you want, but honestly, the templates are often overkill.
Set the Enrollment Trigger
- You can trigger the workflow directly from a form submission (“Contact has submitted form X”) or from your static list.
- Don’t overthink it. If you only have one form, trigger from the form. If you want more flexibility, trigger from a list.
Add Workflow Actions
Here are the basics:
- Send an email: Choose a pre-built marketing email. (You’ll need to create these in advance. Personalization helps, but don’t get hung up on “dynamic content” unless you really need it.)
- Delay: Add a delay (e.g., wait 2 days) before sending the next email. Don’t hammer people with emails every few hours.
- Branching: Use “If/Then” branches to check if contacts opened/clicked. Only get fancier if you have a real reason.
- Internal notifications: Notify sales or yourself if someone engages.
Reality check: You don’t need a 10-step “journey” with dozens of branches. Most leads either engage or they don’t. Start with a simple path, then build out based on real behavior.
Step 6: Write (or Rewrite) Your Nurture Emails
This is where most automations fall flat. If your emails are boring, generic, or sound like they were written by a robot, people will tune them out.
- Keep emails short and useful. Get to the point.
- Make the next step obvious. Want them to book a call? Say it.
- Don’t overdo the personalization. Using someone’s first name is fine. “We noticed you’re in the software industry…”—unless you’re actually tailoring content, skip it.
- One call-to-action per email. Don’t ask them to download a resource and book a call and follow you on LinkedIn.
Test your emails. Send them to yourself and a colleague. If you wouldn’t reply, neither will a lead.
Step 7: Test the Workflow (Don’t Skip This)
Nothing’s worse than blasting a broken workflow to real leads. Here’s how to avoid that:
- Enroll a test contact. Use a personal or dummy email address.
- Fill out the form yourself. Walk through the whole process.
- Check each step. Did the right emails send? Did the delays work? Did notifications go to the right people?
- Fix typos and logic errors. You’ll find them—everyone does.
Pro tip: If you’re testing with your real email, check your spam/promotions folder. If your emails are landing there, it’s usually because they look too “salesy” or have too many links/images.
Step 8: Turn It On (But Monitor Closely)
Once you’ve tested everything, turn your workflow on. But don’t walk away just yet.
- Check activity daily for the first week. Are leads getting stuck? Are emails bouncing?
- Watch for complaints or unsubscribes. If you get a lot, your emails are probably too frequent or not valuable.
- Tweak as needed. Don’t be afraid to pause and fix things.
Step 9: Measure What Matters
HubSpot is loaded with vanity metrics. Focus on what actually shows you’re nurturing leads:
- Open rate: Not everything, but if it’s below 20%, something’s wrong.
- Click rate: Are people actually clicking your call-to-action?
- Reply rate: If you ask for replies, are you getting any?
- Conversion to next step: Are leads booking meetings, requesting demos, or moving to sales?
Ignore “workflow completion rate” and other fluffy numbers. You care about leads moving forward, not just finishing a sequence.
What to Ignore (For Now)
- Overly complex branching: Unless you have thousands of leads and clear segmentation, keep it simple.
- Lead scoring: Useful, but not required for basic nurturing. Add it later if you need to prioritize leads.
- Fancy integrations: You don’t need to connect every tool you use right away. Get the basics working first.
Wrapping Up: Start Simple, Iterate Often
Automating lead nurturing in HubSpot isn’t hard—but it’s easy to make it harder than it needs to be. Start with a clear goal, a basic sequence, and real, human emails. Once that’s working, tweak it based on what actually gets results. Don’t buy the hype that you need a 20-step “AI-powered journey.” Most leads just want real info and a clear next step.
Keep your workflow lean. The best automation is the one you barely notice—because it just works.