The Essence
An Email is a message—sent, received, or logged—that documents written communication with a Contact. Unlike marketing emails that go to lists, these are one-to-one messages between humans building relationships.
Emails create written records of what was said, promised, and agreed. They're the paper trail of business relationships: proposals sent, questions answered, introductions made, follow-ups delivered.
"Email isn't just communication—it's documentation. Every email you send through HubSpot becomes part of the relationship record, visible to anyone who needs to understand the history."
Unified View Contribution
Customer View
Primary contributor. Emails create the documented history of written communication with each Contact. Every message adds to the relationship timeline, preserving what was said, promised, and agreed.
Revenue View
Supporting contributor. Email engagement on Deal timelines shows stakeholder interest. Document tracking reveals serious evaluation behavior—who's reading proposals, how long they spend reviewing.
Business Context
Supporting contributor. Aggregated email patterns reveal which messages drive responses, which subject lines get opens, and what content moves relationships forward.
Team Enablement
Supporting contributor. Email templates and snippets enable consistent communication. Shared inbox visibility means any team member can continue conversations without repetition.
Sarah's Story
Sarah Chen's relationship included dozens of emails—each adding to the documented history.
The Initial Outreach Response: Sarah downloaded the CVP Framework Guide and received a personalized follow-up from Ryan. The email tracking showed immediate interest: opened within 10 minutes, clicked the link to examples.
Sarah's reply started the conversation: "We're actively exploring unified customer platforms. Your assessment identified the Data Trap as our biggest challenge—data spread across NetSuite, HubSpot, and countless spreadsheets."
This single email exchange revealed more than demographic data ever could. Sarah was in active research mode, had completed the assessment, and identified her primary challenge.
The Proposal Delivery: Chris sent the formal proposal, copying Sarah's CFO David Park. Document tracking revealed intelligence that shaped follow-up: - Sarah opened within 2 hours, spent 8 minutes, focused on timeline section - David opened 4 hours later, focused on investment page
This informed the follow-up approach—address timeline with Sarah, be ready for investment discussion with David.
Throughout the Engagement: Status update emails during implementation, quick question emails, introduction emails connecting Sarah to other clients—all built the documented relationship. Any team member could read the complete history before any new interaction.
What It Holds
Core Properties
Recipients
Engagement Tracking
Media Tracking
Source
Common Patterns
Warm Outreach Pattern
Document Sharing Pattern
Introduction Email Pattern
Sequence for Nurturing Pattern
Value-First vs. Industrial-Age
| ✗ Traditional Thinking | ✓ Value-First Thinking |
|---|---|
| Blast everyone with same message | Personalize based on relationship context |
| Track opens as success metric | Track engagement to understand interest |
| Volume over relevance | Relevance drives response |
| Emails = Marketing tool | Emails = Relationship documentation |
| Generic templates | Templates + genuine personalization |
Why This Shift Matters
Email is the most documented form of business communication. Every message creates a record. When you use email with intention—personalizing based on relationship context, tracking engagement to understand interest, documenting important moments—you build relationship memory.
The difference: Generic blasts feel like marketing. Personalized, contextual emails feel like human communication.
In Practice
Key Properties
Key Properties
Native HubSpot Properties
| Property | Type | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
hs_email_subject Native | Text | Subject line of the email |
hs_email_body Native | Rich text | Content of the message |
hs_timestamp Native | DateTime | When the email was sent/received |
hubspot_owner_id Native | User | Owner of the email activity |
hs_email_to_address Native | Text | Recipient email address(es) |
hs_email_from_address Native | Text | Sender email address |
hs_email_opened Native | Boolean | Whether email was opened |
hs_email_clicked Native | Boolean | Whether links were clicked |
hs_email_replied Native | Boolean | Whether recipient replied |
Integration Options
Connected Inbox (Recommended): Connect Gmail or Outlook for automatic logging, two-way sync, send from HubSpot. BCC Logging: Add HubSpot's BCC address. HubSpot Email Composer: Send directly with full tracking.