Ever felt like your HubSpot CRM isn’t quite capturing all the unique information your business needs? those specific details that don’t quite fit into the standard Contact, Company, or Deal fields? To truly make HubSpot work for your unique business processes, you should definitely learn about HubSpot Custom Objects and how to automate them with Zapier. This combination is a must for organizing data, streamlining workflows, and getting deeper insights that are tailored precisely to your operations. It lets you build a CRM that mirrors your business reality, not the other way around. We’re talking about automating tasks that used to eat up your team’s time, making your data more accurate, and ultimately, empowering you to make smarter, faster decisions.

In this guide, we’ll walk through everything you need to know about setting up and automating HubSpot Custom Objects using Zapier. We’ll cover what custom objects are, why they’re so powerful, how to build them, and then, most importantly, how to connect them with your other apps using Zapier to create seamless, automated data flows. Get ready to transform your HubSpot CRM from a generic database into a powerhouse of tailored information and efficient automation!

Table of Contents

Unpacking HubSpot Custom Objects: Why You Can’t Live Without Them

When you first open HubSpot, you’ll see familiar “standard objects” like Contacts, Companies, Deals, and Tickets. These are fantastic for the core of your customer relationships, but businesses are unique. Sometimes, you need to track information that just doesn’t fit neatly into those boxes. Maybe you sell complex equipment and need to track “Assets,” or you manage events and need to track “Sessions,” or maybe you run a subscription service and need to track “Subscriptions.” That’s where HubSpot Custom Objects come in, and trust me, they’re a huge deal.

Custom objects are basically flexible data containers that you can design to hold any kind of unique information specific to your business. Think of them like empty, customizable databases within your HubSpot CRM. You get to decide:

0.0

0.0 out of 5 stars (based on 0 reviews)

Excellent0%

Very good0%

Average0%

Poor0%

Terrible0%

There are no reviews yet. Be the first one to write one.

Amazon.com: Check Amazon for Supercharge Your CRM:
Latest Discussions & Reviews:

What they’re called: Give them a singular and plural name, like “Project” and “Projects”.
What properties they have: These are the fields where you store information e.g., “Project Status,” “Project Manager,” “Budget”. You can have up to 10,000 properties per object type, which is incredibly generous compared to the 1,000 custom fields limit for contacts.
How they connect to other objects: You can link a custom object to Contacts, Companies, Deals, Tickets, or even other custom objects. This allows you to build a rich, interconnected data model that truly reflects how your business works. For example, a “Project” custom object might be associated with a “Company” and several “Contacts.”

Benefits of Custom Objects

The flexibility of custom objects offers some serious advantages:

Tailored Data Management: You can create specific data structures that align perfectly with your unique business processes, moving beyond generic customer profiles.
Enhanced Organization: Your CRM database becomes much easier to navigate and understand, with structured categories for your unique data.
Improved Automation: You can build powerful workflows and automations that trigger based on data stored in your custom objects, streamlining processes like sending emails based on subscription renewals or event registrations.
Better Personalization: With more precise data, you can segment your audience more accurately and tailor your marketing efforts based on deeper, more detailed insights, leading to higher customer engagement.
Advanced Reporting and Analytics: Link custom objects with standard ones to generate more insightful reports and dashboards, giving you a clearer picture of your business performance.

Key Requirements for Custom Objects

Before you get too excited, it’s good to know the prerequisites:

HubSpot Enterprise Access: Custom objects are typically available only in HubSpot’s Enterprise plans Marketing Hub, Sales Hub, Service Hub, or Operations Hub Enterprise.
Super Admin Permissions: You’ll need to be a Super Admin in your HubSpot portal to create and manage custom objects and their properties.
Custom Objects Feature Enabled: Make sure this feature is turned on in your HubSpot portal settings.

HubSpot generally allows up to 10 custom object definitions and 1 million custom object records by default for Enterprise accounts. If you need more, you can often purchase add-on packs to increase these limits, sometimes up to hundreds of custom objects and millions of records. Zapier vs. HubSpot: Which Automation Powerhouse Steers Your Business Best?

Zapier Steps Up: Automating Your Custom Object Data

Now, bringing it all together: Zapier. Zapier is that brilliant online tool that connects thousands of different web applications, letting you automate tasks between them without writing any code. It’s like having a digital assistant that says, “If this happens in App A, then do that in App B.”

For a long time, integrating custom objects with Zapier was a bit of a challenge. Many users found that Zapier’s default HubSpot integration only supported standard objects like Contacts and Deals. This often meant relying on Zapier’s Webhooks feature or custom code steps, which required a bit more technical know-how, like using the HubSpot CRM Custom Object API.

However, the good news is that Zapier’s integration with HubSpot has been ! Recent community discussions suggest that if you’ve had issues finding custom objects in Zapier, disconnecting and reconnecting your HubSpot account can sometimes resolve it. This implies that newer authentications might be granting the necessary permissions for custom object access. Always make sure your Zapier connection to HubSpot is up-to-date.

Even with improved native support, understanding how to use Webhooks or custom code in Zapier remains a powerful skill for those more complex scenarios, especially if you need very specific data manipulation or interactions that go beyond the standard Zapier actions. But for many common automation tasks, you’ll find that Zapier now offers direct “Create Custom Object” and “Find Custom Object” actions. Decoding Yamini Rangan’s Leadership at HubSpot Inc.

Setting Up Your HubSpot Custom Object for Zapier Success

Before we jump into Zapier, let’s make sure your custom object in HubSpot is ready to go.

Creating the Custom Object in HubSpot

Access Settings: In your HubSpot account, click the settings icon the gear in the top right navigation bar.
Navigate to Custom Objects: In the left sidebar menu, go to Objects > Custom Objects.
Create Custom Object: Click the “Create custom object” button.
Define Your Object:
- Singular and Plural Names: Choose descriptive names e.g., “Event” and “Events”. Remember, these names are pretty permanent, so choose wisely.
- Primary Display Property: This is super important! It’s the unique identifier that will appear in lists and help users quickly find records e.g., “Event Name” for an “Event” object. This property is required to create a custom object record.
- Property Type: For your primary display property, you’ll usually pick “Single-line text” or “Number”.
- Optional Description: Add a description to help your team understand the object’s purpose.
Add Properties: Once the object is created, you can add all the custom fields properties you need, just like you would for standard objects. Think about what information you want to capture e.g., Event Date, Location, Speaker, Capacity.
Define Associations: This is where your custom object truly becomes powerful. Go to the Associations tab within your custom object settings. Here, you can define how this custom object will link to other objects e.g., associate an “Event” with “Contacts” who registered, and the “Company” hosting it. This is crucial for linking your data seamlessly across HubSpot.

Understanding HubSpot Object IDs and where to find them for Zapier

When you’re working with Zapier, especially if you need to use Webhooks or custom code, you’ll sometimes need the unique identifier for your custom object type – often referred to as the objectId or objectType ID.

You can easily find this:

Go to Settings > Objects > Custom Objects in HubSpot.
Select the specific custom object you’re working with.
Look at the URL in your browser. The objectId or objectType ID will be part of that URL, usually after /sales-products-beta/custom-objects/ or similar. It will be a string of letters and numbers. This ID is essential for making direct API calls.

Connecting HubSpot to Zapier

If you haven’t already, you’ll need to connect your HubSpot account to Zapier. Mastering YouTube & HubSpot Email Marketing: Your Ultimate Guide

In your HubSpot account, go to the Marketplace icon in the top navigation bar, then select App Marketplace.
Search for “Zapier” and click Install app.
You’ll be prompted to log in to your existing Zapier account or create a new one.
Make sure you connect as a Super Admin to ensure Zapier has the necessary permissions to interact with all your HubSpot objects, including custom ones. As mentioned, if you encounter issues, try reconnecting your account to refresh permissions.

Building Your First Zap: Creating a Custom Object from Scratch

Let’s walk through a common scenario: automatically creating a custom object record in HubSpot whenever new data comes in from another app.

Scenario Example: Capturing Project Briefs from a Form

Imagine your team uses a form tool like Typeform, Google Forms, or even a form on your website to gather initial project briefs from clients or internal teams. You want each submission to create a “Project Brief” custom object in HubSpot, linked to the relevant Company and Contact.

Step 1: Your Trigger App e.g., Typeform, Google Forms

This is where the new data originates.

Log in to Zapier: Go to zapier.com and click “Create Zap.”
Choose Your Trigger App: Search for and select your form tool e.g., “Typeform”.
Choose Trigger Event: Select “New Entry” or “New Submission.”
Connect Account: Connect your Typeform account or whichever app you’re using.
Set Up Trigger: Select the specific form you want to monitor.
Test Trigger: Zapier will pull in a recent submission. Review the data to ensure it’s what you expect.

Step 2: The HubSpot Action: Creating a Custom Object

Now for the magic – creating that custom object in HubSpot. Yamini hubspot age

Choose Your Action App: Search for and select “HubSpot.”
Choose Action Event: Look for “Create Custom Object.” If you don’t see this, or if you encounter errors, you might need to try reconnecting your HubSpot account in Zapier or consider using a “Webhooks by Zapier” step combined with the HubSpot API, which we’ll touch on later.
Connect Account: Connect your HubSpot account if you haven’t already, or re-authenticate if recommended.
Set Up Action:
- Custom Object Type: Zapier should now show a dropdown list of your available custom objects. Select your “Project Brief” object.
- Map Fields Properties: This is where you connect the data from your trigger app to the properties of your HubSpot custom object.
  - For example, map the “Project Name” from your form to your “Project Brief Name” your primary display property in HubSpot.
  - Map “Client Company” from the form to a “Client Company Name” property in your custom object.
  - Map “Client Contact Email” to a “Client Contact Email” property.
  - Go through all the relevant fields, ensuring that the data types match as much as possible e.g., text to text, number to number.
- Handle Associations: This is a crucial part.
  - First, you’ll likely need to find the associated Contact and Company in HubSpot. Before the “Create Custom Object” step, add a new step: “HubSpot” > “Find Contact” using the client email from your form and another “HubSpot” > “Find Company” using the client company name or domain from your form.
  - Once you have the HubSpot IDs for the found Contact and Company from those “Find” steps, go back to your “Create Custom Object” step. You’ll typically find fields for associating the new custom object record with existing HubSpot records. You’ll map the “Contact ID” from your “Find Contact” step and the “Company ID” from your “Find Company” step to the appropriate association fields for your “Project Brief” custom object.

Step 3: Testing and Publishing Your Zap

Test Action: Click “Test Step” in Zapier. This will attempt to create a custom object record in HubSpot using the sample data from your trigger.
Verify in HubSpot: Go to your HubSpot account and check your “Project Brief” custom object. You should see a new record with the correct data and, importantly, the correct associations to your Contact and Company records.
Publish Your Zap: If everything looks good, click “Publish Zap” to turn it on! Now, every new form submission will automatically create a new Project Brief in HubSpot.

Advanced Strategies: Beyond Basic Creation

Once you’re comfortable with creating custom objects, you can explore more sophisticated automations.

Updating Existing Custom Objects with Zapier

Sometimes you don’t just want to create new custom objects. you need to update them as information changes.

Add a “Find” Step: Before your “Update” action, add a “HubSpot” > “Find Custom Object” step. Use a unique identifier like your custom object’s primary display property or a unique ID from your trigger app to search for an existing record.
Add an “Update” Step: If a custom object is found, then add a “HubSpot” > “Update Custom Object” step. Map the new data from your trigger to the relevant properties of the found custom object. You’ll use the hubspot object id that was found in the previous “Find Custom Object” step to tell Zapier which specific record to update.
Conditional Logic: You can use Zapier’s Path or Filter steps to create conditional logic: “If custom object is found, update it. If not, create a new one.”

Leveraging Webhooks and Custom Code for Complex Scenarios

Even with improved native actions, there might be situations where you need to do something very specific or interact with the HubSpot API in a way that Zapier’s standard actions don’t cover. This is where Zapier’s “Webhooks by Zapier” and “Code by Zapier” steps become invaluable.

Webhooks for Direct API Calls: You can use a “Webhooks by Zapier” step often a “Custom Request” or “POST/PUT” request to send data directly to HubSpot’s Custom Object API. This gives you granular control over the data being sent and how it’s formatted. You’ll need to refer to HubSpot’s developer documentation for the exact API endpoints, request bodies, and authentication usually via a HubSpot Private App’s access token.
- Tip: When making API calls, you’ll often need the objectId of your custom object type found in the URL as discussed earlier and the object ID of the specific record you’re interacting with.
Custom Code JavaScript/Python: For even more complex logic or data manipulation before sending it to HubSpot, a “Code by Zapier” step using Python or JavaScript is your friend. This lets you write small scripts to format data, handle multiple conditions, or build more sophisticated API payloads. You can even use AI to help generate the code for you, as some experts do.

One advanced use case involves automatically applying association labels when creating associations, which might require a series of Webhook calls to first retrieve existing labels and then apply them. X-Frame-Options Examples: Your Essential Guide to Website Security

Multi-Step Zaps and Cross-Platform Data Sync

The real power comes from combining custom objects with multi-step Zaps.

Salesforce to HubSpot Custom Object: If you’re migrating data or syncing between Salesforce and HubSpot e.g., zapier hubspot create custom object salesforce, you can set a trigger in Salesforce e.g., “New Opportunity” and then use Zapier to create a corresponding “Project” custom object in HubSpot, mapping fields between the two CRMs.
From URLs or Emails: Imagine a scenario where you receive a lead with a URL zapier hubspot create custom object from url or specific details in an email zapier hubspot create custom object from email. You could use a Zapier trigger e.g., “New Email” in Gmail, or a “Webhook” from a web scraper to extract information and then create a custom object in HubSpot, perhaps for “Research Lead” or “Product Inquiry.” This often involves additional Zapier steps to parse text or extract data from URLs.

Common Pitfalls and Troubleshooting Tips

Even experienced automators run into snags. Here are a few common issues and how to tackle them:

Permissions and Authentication: If Zapier can’t “see” your custom objects, the first thing to check is your HubSpot user permissions must be a Super Admin. Then, try disconnecting and reconnecting your HubSpot account within Zapier. Sometimes, older connections don’t automatically update to include new HubSpot features or object types.
Data Mapping Errors: This is a big one. Ensure that the data types you’re sending from your trigger app match what HubSpot expects for your custom object properties. Sending text to a number field, or a poorly formatted date, will cause errors. Always double-check your field mappings.
Missing HubSpot Object ID: If you’re doing anything with updates or specific API calls, you need the hubspot object id for the specific record you want to interact with. Make sure your Zap includes a “Find Custom Object” step to retrieve this ID before attempting to update or associate records.
API Rate Limits: If you’re processing a very large volume of data via Webhooks or custom code, you might hit HubSpot’s API rate limits. Plan your Zaps to handle this, perhaps by using Zapier’s “Delay” steps or batching requests where possible.
When Not to Use a Custom Object: It’s tempting to create a custom object for everything, but sometimes a custom property on an existing standard object, or even a different standard object like Tickets for project management, is a better fit. If a standard object already has the built-in features you need like lifecycle stages, marketing email capabilities, or specific reports, don’t reinvent the wheel with a custom object. For instance, you can’t send bulk marketing emails to custom objects, only contacts. Always ask yourself: “Can an existing object and its properties organize this data instead?”

By following these steps and keeping these tips in mind, you’ll be well on your way to mastering Zapier and HubSpot Custom Objects, turning your CRM into a truly powerful, custom-fit system for your business.

Unpacking the Work of Dr. Xin Wang at Stony Brook University: A Deep Dive into Wireless Networks and Mobile Computing

Frequently Asked Questions

What are HubSpot Custom Objects?

HubSpot Custom Objects are flexible data structures that you create within your HubSpot CRM to store and manage unique information specific to your business that doesn’t fit into the standard Contact, Company, Deal, or Ticket objects. They allow you to define your own entity types, properties, and associations to tailor your CRM to your exact needs.

Do I need a specific HubSpot plan for Custom Objects?

Yes, Custom Objects are typically an Enterprise-tier feature, available with Marketing Hub Enterprise, Sales Hub Enterprise, Service Hub Enterprise, or Operations Hub Enterprise. You’ll also need Super Admin permissions in your HubSpot account to create and manage them.

Can Zapier natively integrate with HubSpot Custom Objects?

Zapier’s integration with HubSpot has been improving. While historically more complex scenarios often required Webhooks or custom code, newer authentications might allow Zapier to directly see and interact with your custom objects through “Create Custom Object” and “Find Custom Object” actions. If you encounter issues, try re-authenticating your HubSpot connection in Zapier.

How do I find a HubSpot Object ID for a custom object in Zapier?

When you’re trying to interact with a specific custom object record or its type via Zapier especially with Webhooks, you might need its ID. You can find the custom object type ID by navigating to Settings > Objects > Custom Objects in HubSpot, selecting your object, and looking at the URL in your browser. For individual record IDs, if you’re updating an existing record with Zapier, you’ll typically use a “Find Custom Object” step first, which will retrieve the record’s ID. How to Effectively Find “Xi Wang” (and Similar Names) on LinkedIn

When should I use a Custom Object instead of a custom property on a standard object?

You should consider a Custom Object when you need to track a “one-to-many” or “many-to-many” relationship with standard objects, or when the data represents a distinct entity with its own lifecycle and properties. If the data is simply an attribute of an existing Contact or Company e.g., “Favorite Color”, a custom property is usually sufficient. Custom Objects are for situations where you need to create multiple records of a unique entity, like “Projects,” “Assets,” or “Subscriptions,” each with its own set of detailed information and associations.

What are the limits for HubSpot Custom Objects?

By default, HubSpot Enterprise accounts typically allow up to 10 custom object definitions and 1 million custom object records. You can also have up to 10,000 properties per custom object type, which is significantly more than standard objects. If you need more, add-on packs are available for purchase to increase these limits.

What if Zapier’s native actions for custom objects aren’t enough?

For more complex scenarios, you can use Zapier’s “Webhooks by Zapier” app to make direct API calls to HubSpot’s Custom Object API. You can also use Zapier’s “Code by Zapier” step JavaScript or Python to write custom scripts for advanced data manipulation or API interactions. These methods offer more control but require a basic understanding of APIs and coding.

Finding an Xfinity Hotspot Near You: Your Ultimate Guide to Staying Connected

Partners

Supercharge Your CRM: How to Master Zapier and HubSpot Custom Objects