In HubSpot, go to Automation > Workflows, click Create workflow and choose From scratch, With AI or From template. Then set your enrollment triggers, decide on re-enrollment and unenrollment, add actions, check the settings, and turn the workflow on. You'll need the right permissions to publish it.
Check access before you build
Two things decide whether you can follow this guide at all. Workflow tools are available on Professional and Enterprise level subscriptions of Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, Smart CRM and others, and the number of workflows you can have depends on your subscriptions. Then there are permissions: to create workflows you need Edit permissions for workflows or Super Admin permissions, and to publish them you need Publish permissions for workflows.
If you can build but not publish, that's a permissions setting, not a fault. Ask a Super Admin.
Building it, decision by decision
1. Choose how to start
Click More, go to Automation > Workflows, then click Create workflow in the upper right. You'll get three options: From scratch, With AI using Breeze Assistant, or From template.
If you pick AI, HubSpot recommends writing your prompt in the shape 'When [this happens], then [do this]'. If you pick a template, the library lets you filter by Hub plan and Objective, sort by Relevance, Alphabetical, Newest or Most popular, and toggle 'Compatible with my plan only' so you don't pick one you can't use.
2. Set the enrollment triggers
Click the Trigger enrollment for [object] box and set triggers in the left panel. They can be filter-based, event-based, based on a schedule, or based on webhooks. You can also enrol records manually.
3. Decide on re-enrollment
Open the Settings tab. By default, records only enrol the first time they meet the triggers. Turn the Re-enroll switch on only if records should be able to come back through, and set unenrollment criteria for when they should drop out.
4. Add the actions
Click the + plus icon, choose an action in the left panel, fill in its details and click Save. Actions include things like sending a marketing email or assigning records. What's available depends on your subscription, and locked actions need an upgrade.
An action can reference records created earlier in the same workflow. For example, you can create a deal and then send an internal notification about that new deal a step later.
5. Check the map
For larger workflows, open Show minimap panel in the upper left. Any action that needs changes before you can publish is highlighted in yellow.
6. Review settings and publish
Click Settings in the top left to review execution, notification and metric settings, then turn the workflow on and publish it.
Placeholders and the re-enrollment trap
The HubSpot Knowledge Base article Create workflows flags two things worth knowing before you hit publish. A record that's already in a workflow can't re-enrol until it finishes, so switching on re-enrollment won't push the same contact through twice at once. And placeholder actions, which you can save without details while you sketch the flow, have to be completed before the workflow can be turned on. That's what the yellow highlights in the minimap are telling you.
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Workflows in other automation tools
Zapier describes a zap as an automated workflow with a trigger and one or more actions, and its Paths feature runs different actions based on if/then conditions.
n8n has a Webhook node that starts a workflow when an app or service sends data, and it can return the workflow's result like an API endpoint.
If you want ideas for what to build, my HubSpot workflow recipes give you ready-made shapes, and my guide to AI-powered HubSpot workflows shows where the AI option helps.
My advice for your first HubSpot workflow
Start with one trigger and two or three actions, such as a form submission that sends a thank-you email and assigns the contact to an owner. Leave re-enrollment off until you're sure you need it, check the minimap for yellow, and make sure someone with Publish permissions is on hand. If the CRM itself still needs setting up, my HubSpot setup checklist comes first.
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Frequently asked questions
Where do I create a workflow in HubSpot?
Go to Automation > Workflows and click Create workflow in the upper right.
What are the ways to start a workflow?
From scratch, with AI using Breeze Assistant, or from a template.
What permissions are needed?
Edit permissions for workflows or Super Admin to create, and Publish permissions for workflows to publish.
Can a contact enter the same workflow twice?
Only if re-enrollment is on and the record has completed the workflow first.
What can start a workflow?
Filter-based, event-based, schedule-based or webhook-based enrollment triggers, or manual enrollment.
