Imagine telling HubSpot exactly who you want to reach and what you want to say, then letting it handle the rest. No segmentation, no painstakingly crafted templates, no late-night split testing. HubSpot’s new AI-powered email functionality promises exactly that. But does it mean the end of traditional personalisation methods? Or is it simply the next evolution in how marketing teams connect with their audiences?
HubSpot has introduced a suite of AI-driven tools that are reshaping how businesses approach email campaigns. Rather than relying on manual drafting and repeated testing, marketers can now use intelligent automation to drive performance at scale. The core functionality includes:
This means that instead of manually designing every stage of an email workflow, HubSpot can now handle the creation, optimisation, and delivery of messages, saving significant time while increasing campaign relevance. For busy marketing teams under pressure to deliver results, this automation has the potential to be transformative.
Until now, effective email marketing in HubSpot relied on segmentation and personalisation tokens. This approach typically required several steps:
While this was effective at targeting groups of users, it had its drawbacks. Segmentation required constant maintenance as contacts moved through stages of the funnel, lists had to be updated regularly, and the tokens often provided only superficial personalisation. For example, every contact in a segment would still receive the same core message, with only slight surface-level tweaks. In highly competitive industries, this level of communication often isn’t enough to stand out.
HubSpot’s AI-powered emails introduce several key differences compared to traditional workflows. These differences impact not only efficiency but also the depth of connection with each recipient.
| Aspect | Traditional Approach | HubSpot AI-Powered Emails |
|---|---|---|
| Content Creation | Manual drafting of templates for each segment; often time-intensive | AI generates unique, polished emails from simple prompts, freeing marketers to focus on strategy |
| Personalisation | Token-based fields, such as name or company, limited depth | Contextual personalisation per contact, using behavioural and CRM data to tailor messages more intelligently |
| Send Timing | Manual scheduling or static rules across the segment | AI selects the optimal delivery time for each individual recipient based on engagement data |
| Efficiency | Multi-step workflow: segment → draft → insert tokens → test | Single streamlined process: provide a prompt → AI builds → optimises → delivers |
These differences mean that marketers can now deploy campaigns that feel highly personal and relevant, without the same manual effort. AI can also continually refine and improve its output based on performance data, making it an adaptive system rather than a static process.
Despite the power of AI, segmentation is far from obsolete. Strategic segmentation remains essential for identifying who you want to target and why. For example, grouping by lifecycle stage (prospect vs customer) or purchase intent ensures that campaigns remain strategically focused. What AI then does is bring an additional layer of finesse, taking that defined audience and crafting personalised messages for each contact within it.
Think of segmentation as the foundation, and AI as the architect building a more sophisticated, personalised structure on top. This combination enables businesses to maintain control of their campaign direction, while letting AI execute the heavy lifting in personalisation and optimisation.
Successfully adopting HubSpot’s AI tools is not just a matter of switching them on; it requires careful planning, integration, and alignment with wider business goals. We help businesses like yours realise the full potential of AI in HubSpot by providing:
HubSpot’s new AI-powered emails do not mark the end of personalisation; they represent a powerful step forward. Traditional segmentation and token-based approaches laid the foundation, but AI now enhances and amplifies what is possible. By adopting a hybrid approach of strategic segmentation paired with AI-driven contextualisation, businesses can deliver campaigns that resonate more deeply, convert more effectively, and scale more efficiently.