Why do HubSpot emails land in spam?
Mostly three causes: a sending domain that isn't fully authenticated, a spam rate over Gmail's 0.3% line, and a list with dead or unwilling addresses.
The short answer
- HubSpot email lands in spam most often because the sending domain lacks one of DKIM, SPF or DMARC, and HubSpot only marks a domain authenticated when all three are verified.
- Gmail asks every sender to keep the spam rate below 0.3% and recommends below 0.1%, as checked on Google's sender guidelines in September 2026.
- Senders of more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail also need DMARC, From-domain alignment and one-click unsubscribe on marketing mail.
- Fix authentication first, then list quality, then volume, because no content change rescues mail from a domain that fails its checks.
HubSpot is rarely the problem; your domain setup is
HubSpot sends your marketing email from its own servers on your behalf. Inbox providers then ask one question: did the owner of this domain allow it? You answer that with DNS records. HubSpot's knowledge base lists four record types for a connected sending domain: MX, DKIM, SPF and DMARC.
HubSpot shows three states. Not authenticated means none of the methods are fully set up. Partially authenticated means DKIM works but SPF or DMARC still needs verifying. Only authenticated means all three pass. If you're sitting on partial, start there.
What to check, in the order it matters
Each check, the rule behind it and where to look.
| Check | The rule | Where to look |
|---|---|---|
| DKIM, SPF and DMARC | HubSpot marks a domain authenticated only when all three are verified | HubSpot domain settings; your DNS host |
| Spam complaint rate | Below 0.3% for every Gmail sender; below 0.1% recommended | Google Postmaster Tools |
| From-domain alignment | Required with SPF or DKIM for senders of 5,000+ messages a day | Your email headers |
| One-click unsubscribe | Required on marketing mail for senders of 5,000+ a day, plus a visible link | Your email template |
| TLS and DNS records | TLS for sending and valid forward and reverse DNS, for all senders | Your sending setup |
Rules checked on support.google.com/a/answer/81126 and knowledge.hubspot.com, September 2026.
List quality sinks more mail than copy does
Once your domain passes, the next cause is who you send to. Old contacts bounce. People who never asked for your mail mark it as spam. Each complaint pushes your rate toward Gmail's 0.3% line, and a spike from one bad send can drag down the mail that follows.
So prune before you send. Drop hard bounces, suppress anyone who unsubscribed anywhere, and stop mailing contacts who haven't opened in months. A suppression list that every tool reads is worth more than any subject-line test. If you send cold outreach, HubSpot's own policy matters too; see whether HubSpot allows cold email.
How SalesCrew handles the same risks in outbound
SalesCrew builds these checks into every cadence. Suppression is enforced when you freeze an audience and checked again at send time. A bounce or unsubscribe adds the address to suppression on its own. Guardrails keep at least 3 days between touches per contact, cap sends per mailbox and per domain each day, and hold mail to business hours.
SalesCrew cadences send through a pool of your own mailboxes with cooldowns, so volume spreads across senders instead of piling on one. Our SPF, DKIM and DMARC guide walks through the DNS side for each sending domain.
Don't fix copy before you fix DNS
Questions
- How do I check if my HubSpot sending domain is authenticated?
- Open HubSpot's domain settings and look at the status of your email sending domain. HubSpot marks a domain authenticated only when DKIM, SPF and DMARC are all set up and verified, per its knowledge base in September 2026. Partially authenticated means DKIM works but SPF or DMARC does not yet.
- What spam rate does Gmail allow?
- Gmail asks every sender to keep the spam rate in Postmaster Tools below 0.3%, and recommends staying below 0.1%, as checked on Google's sender guidelines in September 2026. Google tells senders to avoid reaching 0.3% or higher.
- Do the same fixes apply to Salesforce email deliverability?
- Yes. Gmail's rules apply to the sending domain, not the tool, so email sent from Salesforce needs the same SPF, DKIM and DMARC records, a low spam rate and one-click unsubscribe on bulk mail. The DNS steps are the same wherever the mail starts.
- Does a HubSpot marketing email need one-click unsubscribe?
- Yes, if you send more than 5,000 messages a day to Gmail. Google requires one-click unsubscribe and a visible unsubscribe link on marketing and subscribed mail for those senders, as of September 2026.
- How does SalesCrew keep cadence mail out of spam?
- SalesCrew checks suppression when an audience is frozen and again at send, caps sends per mailbox and per domain each day, and spaces touches at least 3 days apart per contact. A bounce or complaint adds the address to suppression automatically.