Automate Follow-Up Emails with n8n & HubSpot Integration

What This Automation Does

This workflow helps sales managers send follow-up emails automatically and record results in HubSpot.
It finds contacts last reached over 30 days ago, sends a friendly email via Gmail, and logs the outreach back in HubSpot.
This stops missed follow-ups and reduces manual work drastically.

The process saves nearly 10 hours weekly by handling outreach and CRM updates without needing user action.

Inputs, Processing Steps, and Output

Inputs

• HubSpot Contacts: Contacts with a recorded last contact date.

Processing Steps

• Search HubSpot for contacts with notes_last_contacted property.
• Filter contacts last contacted more than 30 days ago.
• Retrieve engagement records for each contact via HubSpot API.
• Filter contacts with exactly one prior engagement.
• Compose personalized follow-up email content using contact details.
• Send the email through Gmail with OAuth2 authentication.
• Create a new engagement record in HubSpot for sent emails.

Output

• Sent follow-up emails to the right contacts.
• Updated HubSpot engagement logs for accurate contact tracking.

Who Should Use This Workflow

This workflow suits sales teams or managers using HubSpot and Gmail who want to reduce manual follow-ups.
It fits busy teams needing to keep contacts engaged with timely and tracked outreach.

Tools and Services Used

• n8n: Workflow automation platform.
• HubSpot API: To read contacts, check engagements, and log outreach.
• Gmail API: To send personalized follow-up emails.

Beginner Step-by-Step: How to Use This Workflow in n8n

Step 1: Download and Import

1. Click the Download button provided on this page.
2. Inside the n8n editor, select Import from File and upload the workflow JSON.

Step 2: Configure Credentials

1. Add your OAuth2 credentials for Gmail node and HubSpot node.
2. Ensure permissions include reading contacts and sending email.

Step 3: Update Variables

1. Check any hardcoded IDs or emails and update them to match your HubSpot and Gmail accounts if needed.
2. Review the Set node with email content and change messages or sender names if preferred.

Step 4: Test the Workflow

1. Run the workflow manually inside n8n to verify emails send and contacts update.
2. Check inbox and HubSpot engagement history.

Step 5: Activate for Production

1. Enable the workflow to run daily at 9 AM automatically.
2. Monitor first few runs for errors or missed contacts.
3. Consider connecting alert nodes or logging for ongoing visibility.

For users running self-host n8n instances, refer to self-host n8n options to maintain OAuth tokens securely.

Common Issues and Edge Cases

• OAuth2 tokens expire — reauthorize HubSpot node or Gmail node as needed.
• If date filters exclude all contacts, check date formatting in filter expressions.
• Incorrect HubSpot API endpoints or permissions can cause engagement retrieval errors.
• Missing association of engagements to contacts can prevent last contact date updates.
• API quotas — running for large contact lists may require throttling or batch processing.

Customization Ideas

• Change follow-up interval days by altering the date condition in the If node to 14, 60, or other.
• Personalize email content further in the Set node using more contact properties.
• Filter contacts with different engagement counts or types.
• Add logging of emails sent to Google Sheets or databases for audit.
• Use different Gmail accounts or domain aliases to send emails.

Summary

✓ Sends well-timed follow-up emails automatically.
✓ Updates HubSpot engagement records correctly.
✓ Saves many hours of manual work each week.
→ Prevents missed sales opportunities.
→ Keeps outreach polite and not spammy.