Connect to HubSpot

Overview

Integrating Walnut with HubSpot lets you bring interactive Walnut engagement data into your sales and marketing workflows — so teams can follow up faster, automate smarter, and see exactly what prospects cared about.

The HubSpot integration enriches identified demo and playlist sessions for new and existing contacts, and can also connect engagement to HubSpot deals for a full deal-level view.

Key features include:

  • Automatic contact enrichment — Sync demo and playlist engagement to HubSpot contacts so you can see what viewers did (and what they skipped).
  • Flexible identification — Capture viewers using embedded HubSpot forms, or use your preferred Walnut identification method (depending on your workspace configuration).
  • Deal-level visibility — Connect demos to HubSpot deals to keep engagement tied to pipeline context.

💡 Note:

HubSpot configuration is typically much lighter and faster to set up than Salesforce. Once authenticated, Walnut handles the heavy lifting by syncing engagement to HubSpot contacts and (optionally) deals.


Before You Start

Before proceeding with the Walnut <> HubSpot integration, confirm the following:

  1. Admin access in Walnut
    This setup is intended for Walnut admins.

  2. HubSpot permissions
    The HubSpot user used for authentication should have:

    • Read permissions for Companies, Contacts, and Deals
    • Write permissions for Contacts
  3. Deal visibility
    The deals you can select in Walnut depend on the HubSpot user you authenticate with. Any deal visible to that user will be available in Walnut.

  4. Optional: HubSpot Sandbox
    If you have access to a HubSpot sandbox environment, you can authenticate that account too. Walnut does not provide sandbox accounts for testing.

⚠️ Important:

Walnut does not match or associate sessions to HubSpot for non-work email domains, internal domains, bounced sessions, or anonymous sessions.


Authenticate Your HubSpot Account

Follow these steps to connect Walnut to HubSpot and enable contact and deal enrichment.

Step 1: Open HubSpot in Integrations

  • In Walnut, go to Integrations.
  • Find HubSpot and click Learn more.

 

Step 2: Create a New Authentication

  • Open the Authenticate tab.
  • Click New Authentication.
  • Give the authentication a name (example: Acme HubSpot), then click Create.
  • Select the HubSpot account you want to connect, then click Finish.

 

Step 3: Confirm the Integration

  • After authentication, the HubSpot integration will show a Configure button, indicating the integration is active.
  • By default, Walnut may enable configuration toggles such as: Sync Demos to Deals and Generate Contacts Directly From Demos.

Enable Walnut Notifications in HubSpot

In HubSpot, verify that Walnut notifications are enabled so engagement shows up where your team works.

To enable Walnut notifications in HubSpot:
  1. Navigate to Activities > Integrations.
  2. Find Walnut and enable the checkbox. 
    HubSpot Activities integrations filter with Walnut checkbox enabled

Connect Demos to HubSpot Deals

Walnut’s all about flexibility. You can connect engagement to HubSpot deals in two ways: automatically (Walnut does the matching) or manually (you select the deal during demo creation).

With the integration set up, it’s easy to:

  • Track Walnut engagement in HubSpot — View demo activity in the context of a deal so sellers know what happened and what to do next.
  • Use the right demo at the right stage — Align demos to lifecycle stages to support repeatable, stage-based selling.
  • Organize your demo library — Use CRM context (like deals) to keep your demos easier to find and easier to reuse.

Automated Deal Matching

When Sync Demos to Deals is enabled, Walnut can automatically locate the relevant deal and attach engagement to it.

  1. Viewer engages with a demo.
  2. Once identified, Walnut enriches the contact and looks for the relevant deal.
  3. Walnut attaches demo and engagement insights to that deal.

Manual Deal Selection

To manually connect a demo to a deal:
  1. In Walnut, go to the Library, select the template, and click Create Demos.
    Create demos from a template in the Walnut library
  2. Click Create New Demo.
    Create new demo button in demo creation flow
  3. Complete the demo details and select the relevant Deal from the dropdown.
    Demo creation pane with fields including Deal selection
  4. Click Continue to Demo Preferences, then finish creating the demo.
  5. Open the HubSpot deal to view the Walnut activity and engagement details.
    HubSpot deal timeline showing Walnut activity

Generate Contacts Directly From Demos

When enabled, Walnut can create or update a HubSpot contact when someone views a demo for the first time — and then attach demo and engagement data to that contact automatically.

Before you start

  • Walnut creates a single contact using first name and last name when available. If HubSpot requires additional mandatory fields beyond email, contact creation may not succeed.
  • Walnut properties added to HubSpot contacts are managed by Walnut and may not be editable.
  • Once Generate Contacts Directly From Demos is ON, it applies to all demo views in the workspace.

💡 Tip:

This flow works especially well when you want HubSpot to become your single source of truth for demo engagement. Sellers can follow up directly from the contact record without digging for links or screenshots.

To enable contact creation and enrichment:
  1. In Walnut, open Integrations > HubSpot > Configure.
  2. Toggle Generate Contacts Directly From Demos to ON.
    HubSpot configuration screen showing Generate Contacts Directly From Demos toggle
  3. In HubSpot, open Contacts and confirm Walnut properties populate on contact records.
    HubSpot contact record with Walnut properties visible
To view Walnut properties on a HubSpot contact:
  1. In HubSpot, go to Contacts and open a contact.
  2. Click Actions > View all properties.
  3. Scroll to the Walnut properties section.
    HubSpot view all properties screen showing Walnut properties

Embed a HubSpot Lead Form in a Demo

Once HubSpot is connected, you can embed HubSpot lead forms directly inside Walnut demos to identify viewers and capture leads. (If you want the step-by-step embed instructions, link out to your dedicated form article so this guide stays focused.)

  • Recommended: Use an in-demo form when you want clear conversion tracking and a clean handoff to HubSpot workflows.
  • Also works: Use HubSpot forms on your marketing site and pass data into Walnut experiences when needed (may require developer support).

Disable the HubSpot Integration

To disable the HubSpot integration:

In Walnut, go to Integrations > HubSpot > Configure, then toggle the settings to OFF.


Troubleshooting & Data Notes

⚠️ Sessions that won’t sync

  • Anonymous sessions (no identification)
  • Bounced sessions (opened but no engagement)
  • Non-work email domains (example: Gmail, Hotmail, Outlook)
  • Internal domains (example: @yourcompany.com or @walnut.io)

Walnut-HubSpot API Calls

Walnut makes HubSpot API calls when:

  • You search for a deal while creating a demo (deal lookup)
  • You select a deal during demo creation (deal + associations metadata)
  • A viewer engages with a connected demo (create activity/task and associate to a deal, when enabled)

Walnut may process deal-related metadata such as:

  • Deal ID, deal name, deal stage, deal owner
  • Created/updated timestamps needed for syncing and attribution

Need help? If you suspect HubSpot permissions changed or you’re not seeing activity where you expect, reach out to support@walnut.io with the HubSpot portal ID (if available) and an example contact/deal to investigate.


FAQs

Do I need a HubSpot form to use the integration?

  • Not necessarily. HubSpot forms are one way to identify viewers, but Walnut can enrich identified sessions through other identification methods, depending on your workspace setup.

How long does it take for engagement to show up in HubSpot?

  • Contact updates may appear quickly, but some engagement enrichment can take time depending on session completion and sync timing. If you’re testing, use a real work email and complete a short demo session end-to-end.

Why don’t I see my personal test sessions in HubSpot?

  • Internal domains, non-work emails, anonymous sessions, and bounced sessions are not matched. Use a work email and fully engage with the demo.

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