Why can I not send a 'thanks for your enquiry' email without Double Opt-in?

[Tobias_BER]

Hi,

I am using HubSpot Marketing Hub Starter for my business.

I have created a landing page with a contact form. Very basic. Name, phone, email, message. That's it.

After sending the form, I would like to send an 'Thanks for your enquiry, we'll be in touch soon' email.  I have set up both the email and the workflow. However, HubSpot sends the double opt-in email instead.

Is there a way to create a form that is just a simple enquiry without being added to a subscription, so it becomes neccessary to ask for DOI?

Thanks

[Tobias_BER]

Ok thanks again for the feedback.

I have tested this really thoroughly and can confirm that the email 'please confirm your email adress' definitely adds someone to the subscription-type. What HubSpot has build here is something that looks like a technical confirmation email but it actually confirms the choice made in the form. However, I am not a GDPR guy and can not say whether that is correct. And that's not the matter of this thread.

As a conclusion let me ask for another scenario that might be the solution for what I want to achieve.

Can I create a form that is not linked to any subscription, but that still has a checkbox to give consent for data-processing (GDPR)?

[karstenkoehler · Accepted solution]

Hi @Tobias_BER,

This is a coincidence – I just tested this again to be 100% sure HubSpot hasn't change this. A form submission without an email confirmation (double opt-in) will already populate subscription information. It's not related to the email confirmation.

You can easily test this by submitting the form in an incognito tab, with a new email address and then check the subscription history, before you confirm the email address (double opt-in). https://knowledge.hubspot.com/contacts/manage-your-subscription-preferences-and-types

You'll see that it's documented before the confirmation.

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@Tobias_BER wrote:

Can I create a form that is not linked to any subscription, but that still has a checkbox to give consent for data-processing (GDPR)?

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Yes, open your form editor and find this section in the left sidebar:

However this will not suppress the double opt-in email for this form. With the double opt-in enabled, it will still be sent, regardless of what you select here and regardless of the changes you make in the form.

The double opt-in is triggered by the form submission, not by the form settings. Form settings do not affect the double opt-in.

Best regards

[Tobias_BER]

Hi Karsten,

thanks for the feedback. So just to get this straight:

1) I create a form with only the email address and a confirmation checkbox

2) Once filled auto, HubSpot will send a standard 'please confirm your email address' email

3) When you click on the link in the email, you are added to the subscription-type that is linked to the form

So I can make the following conclusions from that:

1) This email is not a technical email to ensure the email is correct

2) But it is an email to confirm the subscription

Long story short: I want to create a form that does not add someone to a subscription type and does not trigger this email. How can I do that?

Thx

[karstenkoehler]

Hi @Tobias_BER,

No, that's not quite correct. Whatever checkboxes you place on the form do not affect whether the confirmation email (double opt-in) is sent. As far as my legal understanding goes, the subscription checkboxes and the confirmation email are entirely unrelated.

Let me give you an example: If you have a whitepaper download form, a person can submit the form and not check the box to receive further emails. They still have to confirm their email address however (double opt-in) before the can receive the whitepaper download. Since the content of that email is not marketing but something they requested, the box on the form must not be checked for this.

However, even if a person checks the subscription box on such a form but doesn't confirm their email address, we can't assume that they put in their own email address – and we can't send them anything.

So specifically for your outlined steps:

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@Tobias_BER wrote:

1) I create a form with only the email address and a confirmation checkbox

2) Once filled auto, HubSpot will send a standard 'please confirm your email address' email

3) When you click on the link in the email, you are added to the subscription-type that is linked to the form

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1) The form should include a subscription checkbox (in Germany this has to be optional) and the a data processing notice, including a link to the privacy policy.

2) Correct.

3) No, if the contact checks the subscription box, this is registered regardless of their eventual later email confirmation.

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@Tobias_BER wrote:

1) This email is not a technical email to ensure the email is correct

2) But it is an email to confirm the subscription

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1) No, the double opt-in email is an email that is a technical confirmation that you have access to the inbox of the email you provided on the form, as a contact.

2) No, the double opt-in email does not affect subscription information in HubSpot. In can be set up to do so in a Professional portal but it doesn't out of the box.

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@Tobias_BER wrote:

Long story short: I want to create a form that does not add someone to a subscription type and does not trigger this email. How can I do that?

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Unless you have Marketing Hub Professional, this is unfortunately not possible. Again, if upgrading is an option, let me know – I've implemented this many times.

(This reply does not constitute legal advice.)

Best regards!

[Tobias_BER]

Thank you for the details but I can not confirm this behaviour. After clicking the link in the email, the user is being added to the subscription-type. In your logic HubSpot would need to send two emails (one to confirm the email address is correct and another one to confirm the subscription) but it won't. Any idea? GDPR features are on.

[karstenkoehler]

Hi @Tobias_BER,

This might be a misunderstanding. Unless HubSpot has very recently changed this, the checked subscription checkbox is documented on the contact record immediately, not 'waiting' for the double opt-in email. These two things simply execute independently.

What I'm describing is not my logic, it's how HubSpot is set up.

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@Tobias_BER wrote:

In your logic HubSpot would need to send two emails (one to confirm the email address is correct and another one to confirm the subscription) but it won't.

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Not necessarily, data privacy / protection officers have different views on this. The double opt-in email can of course contain copy that refers to the previous form submission and single opt-in. In HubSpot however this feature behaves as a purely technical confirmation of the email.

It is not possible to configure this in a Starter portal or change the default behavior. A Starter portal lacks the automation features needed to create a custom solution that does not require repeated manual data entry.

Best regards

[karstenkoehler]

Hi @Tobias_BER,

Happy to help here.

First off, subscription checkboxes don't have anything do with the double opt-in. You can opt into a subscription and not confirm your email. You can also not opt into a subscription but confirm your email. (The double opt-in does not mean that someone is opting in twice. It simply means that the person needs to confirm their email address before any communication, opt-in or not, can be sent.)

I don't have a Marketing Hub Starter subscription to check whether this setting is available: Settings > Marketing > Email > Subscriptions (the path might be slighly different in Marketing Hub Starter)

In Professional subscriptions, you can exclude certain pages from the double opt-in. If you have that option, this is where you'd change the setting. If you don't, then unfortunately there isn't any solution to this without upgrading to Marketing Hub Professional. (Don't shoot the messenger.) If upgrading is an option, let me know – I've implemented HubSpot GDPR and double opt-in processes so many times that I could do it in my sleep.

As far as my legal understanding goes, even a 'we've received your inquiry' email requires a confirmed email in countries where the double opt-in is mandatory. (This reply does not constitute legal advice.)

Best regards!