Smartlead
When to use this guide: Read this before configuring Smartlead with OutboundSync to confirm what the integration covers today.
OutboundSync connects Smartlead to HubSpot and Salesforce as a one-way sync for email engagement activity, with category-based filtering, CRM-driven block list sync, and contact field backfill across both CRMs.
What this integration does
Section titled “What this integration does”Smartlead drives high-volume cold email with multi-account sending, lead categorization, and granular webhook events. OutboundSync receives those webhooks, applies category-based filtering when configured, and writes activities to the matching contact or lead in HubSpot or Salesforce. Block list entries flow the other way: lists you maintain in your CRM are pushed back into Smartlead as exclusions.
Smartlead’s native white-label receiver also powers Clay’s email sequencer — see Clay for that variant.
API key vs webhooks
Section titled “API key vs webhooks”Webhooks carry day-to-day email activity into your CRM. API keys power block list sync, category-based filter setup, and lead category lookup in Connected Accounts. An invalid API key does not stop standard webhook activity from syncing — see Connect your Smartlead API key for what each connection does.
What syncs into your CRM
Section titled “What syncs into your CRM”- Email sends, opens, link clicks, replies, manual replies from the master inbox (when the Manual Reply Sent webhook is enabled), bounces, and unsubscribes
- Lead category updates from Smartlead-side reply classification
- Campaign, sequence step, and timestamp metadata on every activity
Field backfill
Section titled “Field backfill”When Smartlead’s payload includes the data, OutboundSync fills in missing fields on existing records:
- HubSpot — contact name, phone, and LinkedIn backfill
- Salesforce — Contact and Account name, phone, and company-field backfill
- Salesforce — Lead name, phone, and company-field backfill
Backfill runs on first match per record so it does not overwrite values your team has already edited in-CRM.
Block list sync
Section titled “Block list sync”CRM-side lists are pushed into Smartlead as exclusions. Smartlead supports both account-level and client-level API keys for this — see the block list maintenance guide for which to use, and Connect your Smartlead API key for credential setup.
Evaluating Smartlead + Salesforce?
Section titled “Evaluating Smartlead + Salesforce?”If you are comparing OutboundSync to Zapier or a custom build, here is how sync direction works:
- Activity sync (Smartlead → CRM): email sends, opens, clicks, replies, bounces, unsubscribes, and category updates flow into HubSpot or Salesforce.
- Block list sync (CRM → Smartlead): exclusion lists you maintain in your CRM are pushed back into Smartlead.
- Not synced: edits your team makes to activity records in the CRM are not pushed back to Smartlead.
Evaluators often ask for “two-way” sync. OutboundSync is a one-way activity sync with CRM-driven block list write-back — not bidirectional activity editing in both systems.
Campaign data in Salesforce
Section titled “Campaign data in Salesforce”Smartlead campaign name and ID are written to OutboundSync custom fields on Lead, Contact, and Task records — OSLastCampaignName__c and OSLastCampaignId__c. OutboundSync does not create or update native Salesforce Campaign or CampaignMember records. Use the field values for reporting, list views, and flows. See Which Salesforce fields are updated for the full field list.
Where it syncs
Section titled “Where it syncs”- HubSpot — direct integration
- Salesforce — direct integration
- Close — supported during the current Close beta
- Attio — supported during the current Attio beta
Scope and current limitations
Section titled “Scope and current limitations”- One-way activity sync (with block list write-back). Activities flow Smartlead → CRM. Block list entries flow CRM → Smartlead. CRM-side edits to activity records are not pushed back.
- Email channel only. Phone and social are out of scope.
- Self-serve setup. Follow the Getting Started guides to connect Smartlead, send test payloads on the free tier, and verify CRM activity. Guided onboarding and customer success support are also available — contact support.
