Understand send eligibility and marketing contacts
Why someone in your segment may not receive your email.
Purpose and outcome
Why it matters. Understanding eligibility explains recipient gaps and protects Caivan’s sending reputation and costs.
Expected outcome. You can read the exclusion reasons and know which settings need a team decision.
When to use it
- The recipient estimate is lower than the segment count.
Prerequisites and access
Suggested roles (not yet approved): Marketing Coordinator, CRM Administrator
Key concepts
Four separate checks
| Check | Question |
|---|---|
| Segment membership | Does the contact match the audience? |
| Marketing contact status | Is the contact set as a marketing contact? |
| Subscription preferences | Have they opted in and not unsubscribed from this type? |
| Suppression and delivery | Are they bounced, unengaged, or otherwise suppressed? |
Don’t send to unengaged contacts
This setting is on by default and excludes contacts who haven’t been engaging with marketing emails. HubSpot uses different thresholds for contacts who have never engaged and those who engaged previously; check the current article for the numbers.
Training recommended turning it off because homebuying cycles are long. This trades reach for sending reputation: repeatedly emailing people who never open can push future emails into spam.
Marketing contacts and billing
- HubSpot bills based on marketing contacts, not all contacts.
- Changes to non-marketing take effect on the account’s next update date; don’t expect an immediate cost reduction.
- Training described a workflow that moves unsubscribed and bounced contacts to non-marketing. Its current configuration needs administrator verification.
- Don’t rely on contact allowances or monthly email limits quoted in training; check the current subscription.
Instructions
- 1
On the send screen, open the reasons contacts won’t receive the email.
From training· ~38:00 - 2
Note the count for each reason.
Recommended practice - 3
Raise unexpected non-marketing counts with a CRM Administrator.
Recommended practice - 4
Apply the team’s decision on the unengaged setting.
Needs confirmation
Completion checklist
Common mistakes and troubleshooting
Should I switch contacts to marketing to make a send work?
No. Marketing status changes affect billing and are an administrator task.
Should I switch contacts to marketing to make a send work? No. Marketing status changes affect billing and are an administrator task.
Sources and items needing confirmation
- From training· ~36:30–40:30Caivan | HubSpot Marketing Training, Sep 28, 2026 (recording transcript)
- Recommended practiceHubSpot Knowledge Base: Understand graymail and avoid sending to unengaged contacts
- Recommended practiceHubSpot Knowledge Base: Set contacts as marketing
- Recommended practiceHubSpot Knowledge Base: Improve your email sending reputation with a repair plan
- Unengaged policy.
- Cleanup workflow status.
- Marketing contact administration owner.
Account configuration described in training reflects September 28, 2026 and may have changed.