Email Build Strategy by Platform

Overview

When multiple email builds are in flight simultaneously, assigning work based on platform expertise and email complexity produces better outcomes than assigning by availability alone. This principle emerged during a sprint planning session in January 2026, when the team faced a high volume of concurrent email builds across Salesforce Account Engagement and HubSpot.

The core insight: the two platforms have meaningfully different builder experiences, and the right developer-platform pairing reduces build time and avoids rework.

Platform Characteristics

Salesforce Account Engagement (Pardot)

• Builder type: No drag-and-drop builder — emails must be constructed in raw HTML
• Complexity: Higher technical lift; not intuitive compared to HubSpot
• Best for: Complex, designed marketing emails with templates, images, and branded layouts
• Skill requirement: Developer comfortable with HTML email construction and the Account Engagement interface

HubSpot

• Builder type: Visual/drag-and-drop builder; more intuitive
• Complexity: Lower barrier to entry; faster to build simpler flows
• Best for: Text-based or lightly formatted emails; simple drip sequences
• Skill requirement: Lower; accessible to developers newer to email platforms

Assignment Strategy

Automation note: For HubSpot flows, it is efficient to have the developer build the email templates only, with the AM or strategist configuring the enrollment triggers and automation logic separately. See the Bluepoint example below.

Client Examples

Cora Italia — Salesforce Account Engagement

• Email type: Complex, HTML-based marketing emails with branded design templates
• Assigned to: Raphael (Salesforce/Account Engagement)
• Blocker encountered: Work stalled for approximately one month because the content document was not attached to the task. Raphael did not escalate the missing content, and the AM did not confirm delivery.
• Resolution: Karly located and attached the content doc; due date extended by one week.
• Lesson: Developers must proactively flag missing content rather than leaving tasks idle. AMs must confirm content is attached at task creation.

PaperTube — HubSpot (or lightweight Salesforce)

• Email type: Simple, text-only emails — no graphics, no HTML required
• Assigned to: Avoke
• Rationale: Lower complexity means the HTML constraint of Account Engagement is irrelevant; Avoke can build efficiently without needing deep Salesforce expertise.

Bluepoint — HubSpot

• Email type: Simple 3-email drip flow
• Assigned to: Raphael (build only)
• Automation: Karly handles enrollment and automation setup
• Rationale: Clean division of labor — developer owns template construction, AM owns workflow logic.

Process Recommendations

1. Identify platform at task creation. The task description should specify the target platform (HubSpot, Salesforce Account Engagement, etc.) so the right developer can be assigned immediately.

2. Attach content before assigning. Email build tasks should not be assigned to a developer until the content document (copy, subject lines, sender info) is linked in the task. A task without content is not ready to build.

3. Developers must escalate blockers promptly. If a developer picks up a task and finds content or access missing, they should flag it in Slack or the task comments within 24 hours — not leave the task idle.

4. Split build from automation. For HubSpot flows, consider separating the email template build (developer) from the automation/enrollment setup (AM or strategist). This allows parallel progress and cleaner handoffs.

5. Offer platform onboarding for new tools. If a developer is working in a platform for the first time (e.g., Salesforce Account Engagement), schedule a short walkthrough with a knowledgeable AM or senior team member before the build begins. A 15-minute session can prevent hours of confusion.

Related

• ^[1]
• ^[2]
• ^[3]
• ^[4]
• ^[5]