Create a Visual Pipeline Representation on Object Cards using Emojis

Why is this hack helpful?

Keeping track of deal health in your pipeline can be challenging, especially when juggling multiple opportunities. While HubSpot offers Object Tags as a feature to visually label any object, such as Deals, these are only available to users with a Sales Seat. If you or your team members only have a Core Seat, you won’t be able to see or use Object Tags.

But don’t worry—this hack provides a workaround! By creating a custom property with emojis and automating updates through workflows, you can visually label deals in your pipeline. Whether it’s tracking urgency, time sensitivity, or overall deal health, this method ensures your team stays on top of what matters most.

Steps to Set It Up

This Hack works with all objects in HubSpot, including the new Activatable Objects, but, for our example below, we will create it for Deals.

1. Create a Custom Property

1. Head to Settings > Properties in HubSpot
2. Create a custom dropdown property (e.g., “Deal Health”). Fill it with emojis you’d like to display on your deal card. The classic traffic light system works well:
   • Red Light 🔴 = Urgent or Overdue
   • Orange Light 🟠 = Time-Sensitive
   • Green Light 🟢 = Everything’s Running Smoothly

However, this can be any set of emojis, including 🙂😐🙃 or 🎉🔔💀

2. Create Workflow

1. Go to Automation > Workflows and create a new Deal-based workflow.
2. Set triggers based on the deal’s properties or timeline. For example:
   
   • Trigger: Close Date is known AND has been updated in the last day.
3. Add an AND/OR Branch to categorise deals based on urgency:
   
   • Branch 1: Close Date is more than 1 day ago AND less than 30 days from now.
   • Branch 2: Close Date is more than 30 days ago.
   • None Met
4. Add an Edit Record Action to automatically update the "Deal Health" property with the correct emoji in each Branch.
   
   • Branch 1: Assign the 🟠 Orange emoji.
   • Branch 2: Assign the 🔴 Red emoji.
   • None Met: Default to 🟢 Green.
5. Save your workflow and enrol all existing contacts to get the most up-to-date information.

Bonus tip: To remove the emojis if the deal is won or lost, you can create a separate workflow that uses the trigger of Deal Stage = Closed Won OR Closed Lost. Then, use the Edit Record Action to Clear the property.

Wrapping Up

While Object Tags are a great feature for HubSpot users with a Sales Seat, this hack ensures that even Core Seat users can enjoy the benefits of visual pipeline indicators. By combining custom properties, emojis, and workflows, you can create a system that’s just as effective—if not more flexible.

Give it a try and see how much more efficient your pipeline becomes! Plus, it's not the only way you can use emojis in HubSpot.