HubSpot templates save your team from rewriting the same emails and documents from scratch every time. Once set up, they let sales reps send consistent, on-brand messages in seconds — and managers can see which versions actually get replies.
This guide covers how to create and use both email templates and document templates in HubSpot, and where they fit into a practical sales and marketing workflow.
In your HubSpot portal, navigate to Conversations in the top menu, then select Templates. This is where all saved email templates live, visible to the whole team.
Start from scratch or use one of HubSpot’s built-in options. For most teams, starting with a blank template gives you more control over the tone and structure.
Use personalisation tokens (e.g. {{ contact.firstname }}) so each send feels individual. Keep the body short — templates that read like bulk email rarely get replies.
Organise templates by stage or use case (e.g. “First outreach”, “Follow-up”, “Proposal follow-up”). Folders make it easier for reps to find the right one quickly.
When composing an email inside HubSpot, click the Templates icon, choose the right one, and it populates instantly. Tokens auto-fill from the contact’s data.
What is the difference between HubSpot email templates and sequences?
Email templates are individual, reusable messages. You choose when to send them — there is no automation attached. They are most useful for one-off outreach, replies to enquiries, and anything that needs a personal touch but should stay on-message.
HubSpot sequences are automated multi-step email series. A sequence uses templates as its building blocks — you select which templates fire at which intervals. Templates come first; sequences use them.
If your team is doing high-volume outreach, you will use both: templates to write the messages, sequences to automate the cadence.
How do HubSpot document templates work?
Documents in HubSpot (found under Sales > Documents) are a separate feature from email templates. They let you upload PDFs, slide decks, or other files and track when a prospect opens them.
When you share a document link inside a HubSpot email or from a contact record, HubSpot logs the open, which page they viewed, and for how long. That data flows into the contact activity timeline so your team can follow up with context (“I saw you looked at the pricing section — any questions?”).
Documents are especially useful for:
- Proposals and scope documents you want to track
- Product brochures shared with inbound leads
- Onboarding materials sent after a deal closes
One note: documents in HubSpot are read-only shared files, not the same as customisable quote templates. For sending quotes with line items and pricing, use HubSpot Quotes inside a deal record.
How do I manage template performance?
HubSpot tracks open rate and click rate per template. You can view this data in Conversations > Templates by clicking on any template — it shows total sent, open rate, and click rate.
Use that data to:
- Retire templates that consistently get low open rates
- Identify which subject lines work best for your audience
- Train new team members on what the team’s top-performing messages look like
If you have a large team, it is worth reviewing template performance quarterly and archiving or updating anything that has gone stale.
Can multiple team members share the same templates?
Yes. By default, templates you create in HubSpot are available to all users in the portal. You can also set a template as private if it is specific to your workflow and you do not want it cluttering the shared library.
For teams that work across multiple languages — common in Southeast Asia where reps may communicate in Thai, Bahasa, or English — it is worth creating language-specific folders so reps can find the right template fast without scrolling past irrelevant options.
If you use HubSpot Snippets, note that snippets and templates serve different purposes: snippets are short reusable text blocks inserted anywhere (great for one-liners, sign-off phrases, or answer boilerplates), while templates are full email drafts with subject lines.
Where do templates fit in a HubSpot sales workflow?
A clean template library supports your sales pipeline at every stage:
- Top of funnel: initial outreach to inbound leads, follow-up on form submissions
- Mid funnel: proposal follow-up, demo scheduling, objection handling
- Closing stage: contract follow-up, payment reminders
- Post-sale: onboarding introductions, check-in emails, renewal reminders
The common mistake is building too many templates and then not maintaining them. Start with five to ten core templates that cover the most common situations, test them for a few months, and only expand once you know which ones the team actually uses.
Frequently asked questions
Can I include images or attachments in HubSpot email templates?
Yes. You can insert images directly into a template body and include a link to a HubSpot Document. Attachments (traditional file attachments) can be added when you use the template, though they are not stored as part of the template itself.
Do templates work in HubSpot sequences?
Yes. When building a sequence, you select an existing template for each step rather than writing the email from scratch. Any changes you make to the template later will not automatically update existing sequence steps — you need to update those manually.
Is there a limit on how many templates I can create?
HubSpot Free and Starter plans have a limit (5 documents and templates for some free accounts). Sales Hub Professional and Enterprise remove the cap. Check the limits for your plan in HubSpot’s pricing page.
Can I see which rep is using which templates most?
Template analytics in HubSpot are aggregated at the template level, not per-rep by default. For per-rep activity data, you can look at email activity reports in the Reporting section filtered by owner.
What is the best practice for naming templates?
Use a consistent naming convention: [Stage] — [Purpose] — [Language or region] if relevant. For example: “MOF — Proposal follow-up — EN” or “TOF — Inbound lead first touch — TH”. Clear names make it faster for reps to pick the right template under pressure.
This resource is produced by an independent team and a HubSpot Platinum Partner. HubSpot is a trademark of HubSpot, Inc. This site is not affiliated with or endorsed by HubSpot.
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