[Heads Up] We're updating the Inbound Marketing Certification 🥳

Here at HubSpot Academy, our mission is to educate and inspire people so that we, together, transform the way the world does business. That means consistently delivering up-to-date education on the strategies and tactics that help businesses grow and reach and resonate with their audiences.

Enter the Inbound Marketing Certification. It’s one of my favorites. It was one of the first certifications I helped build as an Academy Professor. It was also built in 2018.

Yep. That’s right. 2018. And at the risk of sounding obvious, a lot has changed since 2018.

Which means, in order to really solve for you, the HubSpot Academy professors had some work to do.

Thankfully, the HubSpot Academy team isn’t one to back down from a challenge. After endless cups of coffee and a few (well, maybe more than a few) Zoom calls, I’m happy to announce we have completely rebuilt the certification from the ground up. So, let’s talk details.

When is the revised version of the certification course launching?

January 19th, 2022 at 12pm EST. That’s a week from when I’m writing this post.

Does this impact my current Inbound Marketing certification?

We definitely recommend you check out the new content. That said, this update will not affect your current certification status. You’ll only need to officially renew your certification when it expires (you can check your certification’s status in the Academy App under My Learning).

I’m halfway through the 2018 version of the Inbound Marketing certification. What does this mean for me?

We will be keeping the 2018 version of the Inbound Marketing certification live in the Academy app until February 2, 2022. This is to ensure all current learners have time to wrap up their test taking and complete the certification that they started.

That said, we advise all new users or users looking to get re-certified to head to the new version of the certification. After February 2, the 2018 version will be gone for good.

What else should I know about the content?

We took all of your feedback into account with this update. We’re excited to share that each new lesson is loaded with new examples (some from HubSpot customers themselves) and ways you can directly implement these strategies at your business.

The new version of the certification also comes with a brand new (and totally awesome) workbook. The exercises found in this workbook were built so you can immediately start applying everything you learn as you progress through the certification.

What about the exam? Anything changing with that?

While the exam has been updated to reflect the current material, it will still look and feel the same. 60 questions, 45 to pass :slightly_smiling_face: If you’re like me and you get testing anxiety, not to fear. We’ve also designed a new study guide to help prepare you for the exam. Trust me, if you review this study guide and fill it out thoughtfully, you’ll do great.

Will the update be available in all languages?

Not yet, but our team of professors is working hard to translate this content into Spanish, French, German, and Japanese. You’ll be seeing this content in those languages in the coming months.

I’m not seeing the new Inbound Marketing Certification at academy.hubspot.com. Where can I find it?

Great question! The team is currently working on updating all the landing pages on academy.hubspot.com to point to the course. To be transparent, because of the update, we need to do this carefully so we don’t cause issues with SEO rankings.

For now, you can find the updated version directly in the Academy app by searching “Inbound Marketing” or by using this link.

FOLKS! We have a landing page :smiling_face_with_sunglasses:Although, you can still use this internal link to access the content directly in the Academy App.

Wait! I have more questions!

I’d love to hear them. Happy to answer any and all questions about this update in the thread below. I might even have to update this main post if I get enough of them.

Most of all, I want to say thank you. I’m truly grateful for this community of professionals and I can’t wait to show you what we’ve been working on. And who knows, maybe you’ll even see an intermediate sequel certification soon :thinking::smirking_face:

Hi, I took the 1-hour exam yesterday but I did not pass. It says after 12 hours I could retake it, but now I do not see the “retake” button anymore. Is it because this course was taken down by you to update? Do I need to wait until 19 Jan to retake the exam? Will the questions all change to new ones that I need to restart to learn the whole course again? Thanks

Hi @SylviaW - No worries at all! Looks like the deprecation banner we have completely gates the content, so I’ve switched that off for now. You can retake the exam as usual! Good luck!

Hi thanks for your reply. I just retook the exam and passed. But on the certificate it says 2018, when I renew it on 19 Jan, will the certificate change to 2022 version?

Hi @SylviaW ! Can you DM your email address so I can help regenerate that for you?

I linked it to my LinkedIn profile, but do I need to manually amend it if I get the new certificate from you?

Yeah, it won’t automatically update now that it’s been added to your LinkedIn profile! You’d follow the steps here. The one you added still qualifies at the Inbound Marketing credential, however. It would just be an aesthetic change.

The steps you showed me was “how to add it to LinkedIn”, but can I manually replace the old 2018 certificate with the 2022 certificate after 19 Jan? Thanks for your patience.

Hi @SylviaW ! Just replied to your DM :slightly_smiling_face: Thanks!

I just spent three of four days taking notes, are you telling me that I will have to redo all of that? Why was no one given any kind of warning before hand so we can be prepared? Will we be told exactly what changes are made so we can update the notes we have already taken? Or do I have to start from the beginning? Is this going to happen with other courses?

Hi @TWashburn - I just rolled back the deprecation banner (which gated the content) so you should be able to proceed as expected! Working on a more flexible way to ease the transition between the certification variations as we speak.

Thank you so much, I really appreciate your fast reply

Thank you for the update. I’d definitely check out the new content. Perhaps get the new certification since it comes with a work book.

Thats really great looking forward to it

Hey Jorie, I’m new here and just learnt that the course is being updated. Just wanted to know if the newer version is out or I’m still viewing the older one?

Hi @AYadav7 ! Great question :grinning_face_with_smiling_eyes: I should have clarified timezone. It will go live at noon EST today! I’ll update my post now.

That’s fantastic! Excited to begin!! :relieved_face:

Is the 2022 Inbound Course live now?

Hi @OOsah. Not quite yet. It goes live today at 12 pm EST. I’ve updated my post to help with confusion moving forward! Thanks so much!

That’s awesome! I’m ready to do this!