I’ve been using HubSpot for cold email outreach and things worked well initially, but now I’m running into problems. My messages keep bouncing back, my campaigns get suspended automatically, and my sender reputation keeps getting worse.
I’m already doing the basics like warming up my domain properly, adding delays between sends, and creating good email content. So I’m wondering if the problem might be with the contact information I’m using. I’ve been pulling prospect data from LinkedIn and using data enrichment services, but I’m not sure how reliable these tools actually are.
Has anyone experienced similar issues? What’s the best approach for validating and improving lead data quality before uploading it to HubSpot? I want to avoid these deliverability problems going forward.
yeah, it’s tough once you get flagged by HubSpot. starting fresh with a new domain might be your best bet. focus on good practices from the get-go, like warming up that domain and keeping your lists clean. it’ll save you headaches later!
It’s your sending patterns, not data quality. HubSpot’s spam filters hate sudden volume spikes - even with clean lists. I hit the same wall going from 50 to 500 emails daily in two weeks. They see rapid increases as spam and throttle you automatically.
Email validation won’t fix this. You’ve got to ramp up slowly over months. Start at 20-30 daily, then add 10-15 each week. Watch your engagement like a hawk - bad open rates plus high volume = more restrictions.
I fixed mine by segmenting campaigns by industry and personalizing subject lines. Better engagement got me past HubSpot’s thresholds. If you’re doing heavy cold outreach though, switch to a dedicated ESP. HubSpot’s built for relationship marketing, not aggressive prospecting.
Data quality’s part of your problem, but there’s a bigger issue nobody’s mentioned - you’re manually managing everything when you should automate the whole workflow.
I’ve seen this exact scenario dozens of times. The real fix isn’t just validating emails or warming domains. You need everything working together: validation, sending patterns, engagement tracking, and automatic list cleaning.
Here’s my approach: Build automated workflows that research prospects, validate contacts across multiple sources, then feed clean leads into HubSpot with proper timing. The system monitors bounce rates and engagement in real time, pausing campaigns when metrics tank.
It handles the boring stuff too - rotating sending IPs, adjusting daily volumes based on performance, cleaning dead contacts before they wreck your reputation.
The key is connecting your tools so they work together instead of against each other. When everything runs automatically, you avoid the human errors that destroy sender reputation.
I built my entire outreach system this way using Latenode. Handles all the API connections and logic without needing developers.
You’re experiencing low email deliverability in HubSpot due to poor contact data quality, leading to high bounce rates, campaign suspensions, and a damaged sender reputation. You’ve already implemented basic best practices like domain warming and email content optimization, but your data from LinkedIn and enrichment services is unreliable, resulting in invalid email addresses and causing issues with HubSpot’s spam filters.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
HubSpot, like all ESPs (Email Service Providers), prioritizes sender reputation and deliverability. Sending emails to invalid addresses (bounces) or recipients who haven’t opted-in (spam complaints) significantly harms your reputation. This leads to HubSpot’s systems flagging your account, resulting in campaign suspensions and decreased deliverability. Using LinkedIn data and enrichment services introduces significant risk because this data often contains outdated, inaccurate, or non-permission-based contacts. This results in a cascade effect: poor data leads to bounces and complaints which then lowers your sender score, further impacting future sends. The core problem isn’t HubSpot’s settings; it’s the quality of the data being fed into it.
Step-by-Step Guide:
This guide focuses on building an automated data validation pipeline to clean your prospect data before it reaches HubSpot. This proactive approach prevents bad data from impacting your sender reputation. We’ll leverage a no-code platform like Latenode for ease of implementation, but other similar platforms can work.
Step 1: Setting up your Automated Validation Pipeline with Latenode (or similar):
Create a Latenode account: Sign up for a free trial if needed.
Import your prospect data: Upload your contact list (CSV or similar) to Latenode.
Build your validation workflow: Latenode allows you to create visual workflows without coding. Design a workflow using their pre-built components (or create custom ones) to perform the following checks on each email address:
Email Verification: Use a verification service (many are integrated into Latenode) to check the syntax and deliverability of each email address. Flag or remove invalid emails.
Domain Verification: Check the domain’s reputation and blacklist status. Remove emails from known spam-heavy domains.
Cross-Referencing: If possible, cross-reference email addresses with other data sources (e.g., your CRM or website) to verify their accuracy and opt-in status.
Data Enrichment (Optional but Recommended): Use reliable data enrichment services (if necessary) focusing only on validated email addresses. Always prefer opting for first party data collection over scraped third party data.
Configure Output: Configure Latenode to output a cleaned list of validated contacts, separate the invalid ones for analysis or removal.
Step 2: Integrating with HubSpot:
Export Cleaned Data: Export the validated contacts from Latenode.
Import into HubSpot: Import the cleaned data into HubSpot using their import tool.
Step 3: Ongoing Maintenance:
Monitor Bounce and Engagement Metrics: Regularly monitor bounce rates, open rates, and click-through rates in HubSpot.
Automated List Cleaning: Configure Latenode to regularly update your contact lists by removing bounced emails and inactive subscribers.
Incremental Imports: Avoid large bulk imports. Instead, import smaller batches of validated contacts regularly to maintain a cleaner list and avoid overwhelming HubSpot’s systems.
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Data Source Quality: Re-evaluate the sources you use for prospect data. Over-reliance on LinkedIn scraping and unreliable enrichment services should be avoided.
API Rate Limits: If using multiple services (verification, enrichment), be aware of API rate limits and adjust your workflow accordingly.
Insufficient Logging: Ensure your Latenode workflow is properly logged to track performance and identify any issues.
Email Content Quality: While you state your email content is good, re-examine it. Poor subject lines or emails that look spammy will trigger filtering even with great data.
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!
You’ve got reputation cascade failure. HubSpot flagged your sender profile, so now they scrutinize every campaign harder - creates a nasty downward spiral. Hit the same thing last year switching from relationship marketing to cold outreach. HubSpot wasn’t built for aggressive prospecting and their algorithms punish accounts that don’t follow expected patterns. Your bounce rates look fine individually, but they track cumulative reputation scores across everything. Here’s what worked for me: scale back to tiny test batches of 10-15 emails using only your best contacts. Watch your engagement metrics like a hawk for two weeks. Once your reputation stabilizes, slowly ramp up volume while keeping those engagement numbers solid. Also check for compliance triggers. HubSpot auto-suspends campaigns for certain keywords or sending patterns that look automated. Support won’t give you specifics, but they’ll hint at what caused the blocks if you ask directly.
Data enrichment tools often deliver outdated information, particularly when it comes to emails, which frequently change due to job shifts. I learned this lesson the hard way when my domain faced flags from Gmail and other platforms. The main issue lies in relying on LinkedIn scraping coupled with third-party enrichment services, which can lead to a cascade of problems. Even if an email address is valid, reaching out to individuals who haven’t opted-in can trigger spam complaints, ultimately leading HubSpot’s algorithms to tank your deliverability. A solution that worked for me was to pivot towards permission-based prospecting. I ceased cold outreach using scraped lists and instead focused on engaging individuals who had already interacted with my content, such as through social media, webinars, or downloads. HubSpot’s lead scoring feature helped me identify the warm leads. Additionally, it’s crucial to regularly check your SPF and DKIM records, as domain authentication can fail unexpectedly and disrupt your email deliveries. HubSpot’s email health dashboard provides useful diagnostics that are often overlooked.
Understanding the “Why” (The Root Cause):
Step-by-Step Guide:
Common Pitfalls & What to Check Next:
Still running into issues? Share your (sanitized) config files, the exact command you ran, and any other relevant details. The community is here to help!