HubSpot continues to roll out updates that blend power, precision, and ease-of-use. This week's releases focus on data hygiene, smarter filtering, AI-generated content, and a big CRM structure update that’s especially relevant for sales teams. Whether you’re looking to streamline lead management, clean up messy text fields, or generate effective CTAs faster, there’s something here to help you move more efficiently.

Here are some of our favorite updates for the week of October 6, 2025:

• Remove Whitespace and Format Casing in Text Properties,
• Enhanced Filtering with New “Contains Exactly” Operators,
• Generate CTAs with AI, and
• Leads are Now a Standard CRM Object.

Remove Whitespace and Format Casing in Text Properties

 

You can now automatically remove extra whitespace and apply consistent casing (like uppercase, lowercase, or title case) to your text properties.

Why does it matter?

Clean, reliable, and organized CRM data enables more accurate reporting, automation, and personalization. Desired formatting ensures consistency with your unified data by automatically applying consistent rules to text properties.

For example, you can now ensure that:

• Names use title case
• Custom tags stored as properties are all uppercase
• Zip codes have no whitespace

How does it work?

1. Go to Settings > Properties.
2. Create or edit an existing property.
3. In the Rules tab, select Validate using simple rules and configure your allowed characters.
4. Based on your selection of allowed characters, select your formatting and casing rules.

These formatting rules are applied on edit, meaning they'll clean up data entered via the CRM UI or through import. Existing values won't be formatted retroactively.

Enhanced Filtering with New “Contains Exactly” Operators

HubSpot is introducing two new operators, Contains Exactly and Does Not Contain Exactly, to bring more precision and flexibility to your filters.

Unlike a standard "Is equal to any of" operator, which requires an exact character-for-character match, these new operators check whether the input contains all the words you specify, no matter the order.

Examples:

• “New York City” contains exactly “new” → Match
• “New York City” contains exactly “new city” → Match
• “New York City” contains exactly “ne” → No match
• “New York City” contains exactly “old new” → No match

This makes it easier to match values that are close but not identical in formatting or order.

Why does it matter?

Until now, you’ve had two main choices:

• "Is equal to any of " for strict text matches, which can miss results if the order or formatting isn’t exact.
• "Contains any of "for broader matches, which can sometimes include too much.

The new operators give you the best of both worlds:

• More accurate results: Find records that contain the same words, even if they’re arranged differently.
• Smarter segmentation: Especially helpful for properties like job titles, company names, or locations where the wording might vary slightly.

How does it work?

1. Go to your filter editor and click on "Add Filter"
2. Select a string-based property
3. Choose Contains Exactly or Does Not Contain Exactly from the operator menu.
4. Enter your filter values and preview the results.

Generate CTAs with AI

You can now generate pop-up CTAs using AI. Just write a short prompt describing what you need, and HubSpot will take care of the rest.

Why does it matter?

Creating CTAs no longer needs to be time-consuming. With AI, you can describe the pop-up CTA you want to add to your website, and HubSpot will generate a version tailored to your needs.

How does it work?

Use AI to create compelling pop-up CTAs by writing a simple prompt. Specify your use case, desired modules, or choose from a library of templates -- AI will handle the copy and design. You can edit the output in the CTA editor to match your exact needs before publishing.

Leads Are Now a Standard CRM Object

Leads now function as a standard CRM object with the same index page capabilities as contacts and companies, including standard tables, saved views, and board views.

Why does it matter?

When we initially launched leads, it was only available through the sales workspace and wasn't a full standard object. We later added leads to the Smart CRM navigation to give admins the ability to manage leads without accessing personalized sales workspaces, but it still lacked the full functionality you'd expect from a standard CRM object. This created an inconsistent experience—leads behaved differently than other objects like contacts or companies, and lacked features such as standard saved views and board views.

How does it work?

Accessing the leads index page

Navigate to CRM > Leads to access the standard index page with full CRM table functionality. The leads table is available in both the CRM and the sales workspace (when you opt into the new version of the Workspace), giving you flexibility in where you manage your leads.

Changes to existing functionality

Converting Leads into a standard object, did cause some functionality to change:

• Analyze tab: Standard objects don't include an analyze tab, so this has been removed from leads. All reports from this tab remain available at Sales > Sales Analytics > Sales > Activities & Leads. A prebuilt dashboard including these reports will be added in the coming weeks.
• Custom Leads columns: The following columns have been modified:
  • Stage: No longer displays "for X days".
  • Next Activity: You can no longer schedule a task directly from this column if nothing is planned.
  • Company: You can no longer add a contact, view target account status, or change the associated company to the lead from this column.

Get the Full Picture on B2B Sales

HubSpot’s latest updates make it easier than ever to keep your CRM clean, your filters sharp, and your sales data reliable. But software alone won’t fix misaligned processes or outdated sales habits.

That’s why we created The Truth About B2B Sales: What your pipeline needs before you hire your first rep. This is a practical guide that cuts through the noise about tools, tactics, and “growth hacks” to focus on what really drives deals forward: understanding how modern buyers think, act, and decide.