Why is this hack helpful?

Ever feel like your HubSpot database is stacked with contacts who aren’t ever going to open your emails? If you’ve got unsubscribed or bounced contacts piling up, you could be throwing money out the window. 

That’s where this handy little workflow comes in—automatically shifting those contacts to non-marketing status so you don’t waste resources on people who aren’t looking at, or can’t receive, your emails.

Choosing which contacts are actively “marketing” vs. “non-marketing” is the key to focusing your efforts on the people most likely to engage with your brand—and ensuring you’re not paying for contacts who will never see your emails anyway. This hack will:

Clean up your database and metrics by weeding out invalid or disengaged contacts.
Improve cost efficiency as you’ll only be charged for the contacts you can actually reach.
Save time and skip the need for manual checks or manual status updates.

Steps to Set It Up

1. Create a Contact-Based Workflow

  1. Go to Automation > Workflows in HubSpot.
  2. Create a new Contact-based workflow.

2. Set the Trigger for Bounced or Unsubscribed Contacts

  1. Define your enrollment triggers as:
    • Unsubscribe from all email is equal to True OR
    • Email hard bounce reason is Known
  2. This ensures you’re capturing any contacts HubSpot identifies as permanently unreachable, so you’re not stuck paying for them indefinitely.

Pro Tip: If you’d like to handle “Spam” bounces differently from “Unknown User” bounces, you can refine these triggers by setting the bounce reason to “Unknown User.” That way, you can do a quick check on “Spam” or less definitive bounce reasons before deciding on your next move.

3. Update Their Marketing Contact Status

  1. Within your workflow, add the “Set Marketing Contact Status” action.
  2. Switch these contacts to “Non-marketing contact”.

Because HubSpot only updates non-marketing status monthly or on your renewal date, setting up this workflow is crucial—otherwise, you’ll be stuck footing the bill for bounced or unsubscribed contacts until the next update rolls around.

Wrapping Up

By automating this piece of the puzzle, you maintain a cleaner database and save on marketing costs. Plus, your team will love not having to click through endless contact records, figuring out who’s bounced or unsubscribed. It’s one of those small but mighty hacks that keeps your HubSpot portal lean, mean, and laser-focused on the contacts who actually want to hear from you.

Cheers to working smarter, not harder!