How do I create and use lists in HubSpot?

Types of lists

There are two types of lists in your HubSpot account: active lists and static lists.

Active lists

  • Active lists automatically update their members based on its criteria.
  • Contacts will join the list when they meet the criteria and leave the list when they no longer meet the criteria.

Examples of when active lists should be used include:

  • sending unique marketing emails based on each contact's behavior and properties. If you send out a regular newsletter, an active list automatically manages the continually changing list of subscribers.
  • placing outbound calls to contacts based on contact behavior and property values.
  • grouping your contacts by lifecycle stage and to identify behavior and properties for contacts in each stage using up to date data.
  • segmenting contacts based on properties that change frequently over time.

Static lists

  • Static lists are snapshots of the contacts who meet a set criteria at the point when the list is saved.
  • Static lists do not update automatically.
  • New contacts who meet the criteria will not be added to the list.
  • Contacts can be manually added and removed from static lists.

Examples of when static lists should be used include:

  • manually add contacts to a workflow.
  • send one-time email blasts, email campaigns that you don't run often, and for a list of contacts that doesn't change (e.g., event attendees, staff lists for an internal newsletter, or lists from a trade show). 
  • manually group contacts that may not have a shared list criteria.
  • segment contacts to bulk delete contacts from your account.

 

Set Up a New List

  • In your HubSpot account, navigate to Contacts > Lists.
  • In the upper right, click Create list.
  • In the top left, click the pencil icon edit and enter a name for the list.
  • In the upper left, click the dropdown menu and select whether the list you're creating should be an Active list or a Static list.

new-list-name-type

  • In the left panel, set the criteria for the contacts you want to work with. 
  • Once you've set your criteria, click Apply filter. Contacts that fit this criteria will populate in the table. This is a preview of the estimated number of contacts that will be added to your list.
  • In the upper right, click Save. Your list may take some time to process.

Once the list has finished processing, you can continue editing your list.

 

Access and Edit a List

  • In your HubSpot account, navigate to Contacts > Lists.
  • Click the list you want to access or edit.
  • To search for a specific contact in your list, use the search bar in the upper right.
  • In the upper right, click the Actions dropdown menu to perform more actions with your list:
    • Edit columns: select the contact properties to display for each contact in the table.
    • Export: download a copy of the list.
    • Test a contact: check if a specific contact meets the list criteria.
    • Move to folder: select a list folder to move the list to.
    • Clone: clone the list.
    • Delete: permanently deletes the list. You can only delete lists that aren't actively being used elsewhere in HubSpot. Contacts in the list will not be deleted.
    • Create a report: build a custom report based on your list.
    • View list performance: allows you to analyze your list's metrics, such as the list's size over time, and the breakdown, engagement, and activity of the list's contacts.
    • Resync list with Salesforce (Professional and Enterprise only): triggers a resync of the list with Salesforce if you're using the Salesforce integration.
    • Use this list to limit Salesforce Sync (Professional and Enterprise only): allows you to specify the list as an inclusion list for contacts that will sync to Salesforce, if you're using the Salesforce integration. 

list-actions-dropdown

In the table, you can sort the contacts based on their property values by clicking the headers.