Marketing automation is no longer optional—it’s a must-have. And when it comes to email, a well-executed HubSpot drip campaign can dramatically improve engagement, conversions, and customer retention.
Unlike blast emails, drip campaigns nurture contacts with targeted content based on their behavior and stage in the funnel.
In 2025, where inboxes are more crowded than ever, timing and relevance are everything. That’s where email drip campaigns in HubSpot stand out.
They’re not just about sending emails. They’re about building relationships—automatically.
Whether you're onboarding new users, re-engaging cold leads, or guiding prospects toward a demo, a drip campaign in HubSpot ensures you’re always one step ahead—without manual work.
So, how does HubSpot help you automate these experiences? And what are the drip campaign best practices in HubSpot that really move the needle?
This guide will walk you through everything—from creating a drip marketing campaign in HubSpot to tracking your results and testing for improvements.
Ready to scale your lead nurturing strategy? Let’s dive into what makes HubSpot drip campaigns such a powerful tool for modern marketers.
A HubSpot drip campaign is a sequence of automated emails sent to leads over time based on actions they’ve taken or attributes they possess.
It’s part of HubSpot’s Marketing Hub and relies on workflow automation to deliver the right message at the right moment—without manual intervention.
Think of it like a personal assistant following up with leads, educating them, and guiding them toward your CTA—be it a demo, download, or purchase.
These campaigns are different from newsletters or one-off blasts. Drip campaigns in HubSpot are dynamic, personalized, and event-triggered.
Let’s say a contact downloads an eBook. You can trigger a HubSpot email drip campaign that sends:
A thank you email immediately
A related case study 3 days later
A webinar invite 7 days after that
The timing, content, and logic are all customisable using HubSpot’s workflow builder.
You can build multiple paths in the same drip campaign HubSpot workflow using if/then logic, filters, delays, and goals.
Some marketers ask, “Does HubSpot have the drip email campaign option?” Absolutely. Not only that, it’s one of the most intuitive platforms to build, test, and optimise email sequences.
Whether you're creating a drip campaign in HubSpot for lead nurturing or post-purchase engagement, the platform gives you total control—from segmentation to analytics.
Creating a HubSpot drip campaign is easier than you might think—especially with the platform’s visual workflow builder. Whether you're nurturing leads, onboarding customers, or upselling services, HubSpot gives you full control over your drip logic.
Here’s a step-by-step breakdown for creating a drip marketing campaign in HubSpot:
Go to your HubSpot dashboard.
Head to Automation → Workflows and click Create workflow.
Choose Start from scratch and select the Contact-based workflow.
This is where your email drip campaign in HubSpot comes to life.
Decide what action will trigger your workflow.
Examples:
Contact filled out a lead form
Contact joined a specific list
Contact viewed a pricing page
This is where drip campaigns in HubSpot shine—by targeting based on behavior.
Start adding the emails you want to send in your sequence.
You can:
Create new emails directly in the workflow
Or choose existing emails you've already built
Insert delays between emails—e.g., 3 days, 7 days, etc.
You can also branch logic using "If/Then" splits based on actions taken (like email opens or form submissions).
Set goals or conditions to remove someone from the campaign once they convert or qualify.
This avoids over-emailing and keeps your HubSpot drip campaign relevant.
Review the workflow and click Review + Publish.
That’s it! You’ve just launched a drip campaign using HubSpot.
Not sure where to start? These HubSpot drip campaign examples will show you how to align automated emails with each stage of the buyer's journey—so you're always delivering the right message at the right time.
When leads first subscribe or download a lead magnet, your goal is education.
Example Drip Sequence:
Day 1: Welcome email with eBook download
Day 3: Follow-up blog post or video
Day 7: Customer success story relevant to their interest
This email drip campaign in HubSpot builds trust and introduces your value.
Here’s where you nurture curiosity and build intent.
Example Drip Campaign HubSpot Style:
Day 1: Product comparison guide
Day 4: Invite to a live webinar
Day 8: Personalized use case or integration email
Day 12: Mid-funnel CTA—book a demo or trial
Using segmentation rules in HubSpot, you can tailor content based on the industry, role, or behavior.
The lead is warm. Time to seal the deal.
Example HubSpot Email Drip Campaign:
Day 1: Sales rep introduction or trial follow-up
Day 3: Limited-time offer or case study
Day 6: Customer testimonials or ROI calculator
Day 10: “Still interested?” email with FAQ link
These HubSpot drip campaign examples are proven to increase conversions when paired with well-timed CTAs and relevant offers.
A HubSpot drip campaign can be powerful—but only if done right. Let’s look at the key best practices that drive open rates, clicks, and conversions.
Every drip campaign should have one job.
Is it lead nurturing? Trial conversion? Upselling?
Define success first—then build backwards.
HubSpot makes personalisation easy. Use contact properties like company name, industry, or lifecycle stage to make each email feel crafted for the reader.
You can even add smart content in HubSpot to show different text blocks or CTAs based on segmentation.
Too many emails = burnout. Too few = forgotten.
A good rule:
2–3 days between top-funnel emails
3–5 days for middle
7–10 days for bottom
Use HubSpot’s delay logic to control pacing.
Whether you’re creating a HubSpot email drip campaign for 10 or 10,000 contacts, keep the tone human, relevant, and focused.
Can you test a drip campaign in HubSpot?
Yes—and you should.
Use A/B testing on subject lines, CTAs, send times, and content formats to improve performance over time.
Each email should guide the user to one action—download, reply, book, or click. Avoid multiple competing CTAs.
We’ll cover this in detail later, but always monitor your campaign’s open rate, click-through rate, goal completions, and drop-offs. HubSpot’s analytics tools make this easy.
Following these email drip campaign best practices in HubSpot will help you maximise engagement—and avoid sending emails that go unread.
One of the most powerful features of a HubSpot drip campaign is precision targeting — but that also means knowing who not to include.
Let’s break down how to properly filter out contacts so your campaign stays relevant, effective, and compliant.
When creating a drip campaign in HubSpot, the first step is to choose the right enrollment criteria.
You can filter by:
List membership
Form submissions
Lifecycle stage
Deal stage
Website activity
For example:
You might enroll only those who downloaded a specific guide AND haven’t booked a demo.
To exclude a contact:
Use suppression lists
Add "AND NOT" conditions in your enrollment filters
Or create if/then branches in the workflow to skip them
This is crucial if someone already converted or unsubscribed but still meets initial criteria.
Contacts who’ve already booked a meeting
Current customers (for prospect-focused emails)
Users tagged as “Do Not Contact” or opted out of marketing
HubSpot makes it easy to create these filters and smart lists using contact properties, form behavior, or deal status.
Workflows in HubSpot are dynamic—if a contact no longer qualifies mid-campaign (e.g., converts to customer), they can automatically exit.
That’s how HubSpot drip campaigns stay clean and relevant—no more awkward “Ready to buy?” emails to paying clients.
Testing is a crucial part of any HubSpot drip campaign strategy. Without it, you’re flying blind—guessing what might work instead of knowing.
So, can you test a drip campaign in HubSpot?
Absolutely. HubSpot offers built-in A/B testing, preview tools, and reporting features that let you iterate with confidence.
Inside any HubSpot email drip campaign, you can test key variables like:
Subject lines
CTA buttons
Email design/layout
Personalization tokens
Send times
Just select the A/B Test option when creating an email in your workflow. HubSpot will split traffic between variants and automatically pick a winner based on your chosen metric (opens, clicks, etc.).
Before you launch, always use the preview and test feature. This allows you to:
View how the email appears on desktop and mobile
Test personalization tokens
Send a test email to yourself or your team
This is especially helpful when using smart content in HubSpot, which adapts based on user segments.
Want to see how a lead in the US sees your content vs one in the UK?
Use HubSpot smart content by location or IP to preview variations by country, device, or list membership.
Once live, monitor your workflow performance in HubSpot’s analytics dashboard. You’ll see:
Email open and click rates
Drop-off points
Goal completions
Contacts stuck in a workflow
Use these insights to tweak and improve your drip campaigns in HubSpot over time.
Once your HubSpot drip campaign is live, tracking its performance is key to understanding what’s working—and what needs fixing.
HubSpot offers robust attribution reporting and email analytics that make it easy to measure the impact of your campaigns across the entire buyer’s journey.
Here are the most important performance metrics you should track in your email drip campaign HubSpot dashboard:
Open Rate – Are your subject lines compelling?
Click-Through Rate (CTR) – Are people engaging with your content?
Unsubscribe Rate – Are you sending too often or to the wrong audience?
Reply Rate or CTA Conversion – Are users taking the next step?
These give you immediate feedback on email-level performance.
If you want deeper insights, use HubSpot attribution reports to track how your drip campaign influenced revenue and conversions.
For example:
Did a contact book a demo after the 3rd email in your sequence?
Was the drip campaign a first-touch or last-touch interaction?
These answers come from HubSpot campaign reporting and the contact attribution report HubSpot offers under its Analytics Tools.
In HubSpot, a conversion typically means a user took a desired action—like submitting a form, clicking a CTA, or booking a meeting.
You can set your workflow goals around these events to better measure success.
HubSpot lets you compare different models like last touch attribution and first touch so you understand exactly which email (or campaign) sealed the deal.
Want to show ROI? This is how you connect email engagement to pipeline impact.
In an era where attention spans are short and inboxes are flooded, HubSpot drip campaigns give marketers and sales teams a serious edge.
They let you reach the right person, at the right time, with the right message—automatically.
From onboarding new leads to re-engaging old ones, a HubSpot email drip campaign ensures consistent and personalized communication without manual effort. And with smart segmentation, A/B testing, and detailed analytics, you can refine and optimize continuously.
Whether you're:
Creating a drip campaign in HubSpot
Testing different content using smart fields
Tracking conversions via last touch attribution
Or aligning campaigns with full-funnel journeys
HubSpot gives you everything you need to scale effectively and strategically.
Just remember: start with clear goals, keep content relevant, and track your results closely.
Use smart content, define exclusion logic, and let automation do the heavy lifting—so you can focus on strategy, not just sending emails.