How to fix contacts from paid ads through Typeform into Klaviyo not subscribing?
Matthew Whittaker
Co-founder & CTO, Suped
Published 10 Jun 2025
Updated 17 Aug 2025
5 min read
It can be frustrating to see leads from your paid ad campaigns successfully fill out a Typeform, only to find they aren't marked as subscribed in Klaviyo. This common issue can lead to missed marketing opportunities, impact your email deliverability, and skew your understanding of list growth.
The seamless flow of contacts from an ad to your CRM is vital for nurturing leads and ensuring your messages reach the inbox. When contacts aren't subscribing as expected, it's often a sign of a hiccup in your integration or an oversight in consent management.
I'll guide you through the common culprits and provide actionable steps to ensure every contact captured through Typeform from your paid ads is correctly subscribed in Klaviyo, maintaining a healthy and compliant email list.
Verifying your Typeform and Klaviyo integration
The first step in fixing contacts that aren't subscribing involves a thorough check of your integration setup between Typeform and Klaviyo. Many times, the issue can be traced back to incorrect configurations or missing elements.
A crucial element is ensuring that your Typeform has a clearly defined email field and that this field is correctly mapped to the email property in Klaviyo. If Typeform cannot collect the email address or if it's not passed over correctly, Klaviyo simply won't have the necessary information to create a contact, let alone subscribe them. You can check the official Typeform help documentation for detailed setup instructions.
Beyond the email field, review all other fields you intend to sync, like name, phone number, or custom properties, to ensure they are also accurately mapped. Any discrepancies here could prevent complete contact profiles from being created or updated, even if the email does make it through.
Key integration checklist
Email field: Confirm your Typeform includes an email question type and it is a required field.
Field mapping: Verify that all Typeform fields are correctly mapped to their corresponding properties in Klaviyo.
List selection: Ensure the Typeform integration is configured to add contacts to the correct Klaviyo list.
API keys: Double-check that the Klaviyo API keys used in your Typeform integration are valid and have the necessary permissions.
Understanding subscription status and opt-in
Even if contacts are successfully added to your Klaviyo account, they might not be marked as 'subscribed.' This distinction is critical. Klaviyo allows contacts to exist in your account without an active subscription status. This typically happens if the consent process isn't fully met.
Your consent practices are paramount. Klaviyo, like most reputable Email Service Providers, has a strict Acceptable Use Policy that requires explicit opt-in. This means individuals must clearly indicate their desire to receive marketing communications, not just submit a form.
Many businesses use double opt-in to confirm consent. If double opt-in is enabled in your Klaviyo settings, contacts must click a confirmation link in an email before being marked as subscribed. If this step isn't completed, they will remain unsubscribed or in a pending state, even after filling out your Typeform.
Implicit consent
This occurs when a user provides their email for something specific, like a download or inquiry, but doesn't explicitly agree to receive ongoing marketing emails.
Example: A Typeform where users only enter their email for a quote, without a separate opt-in checkbox for newsletters.
Risk: Contacts may be added but not subscribed, or worse, mark your emails as spam, leading to a poorer sender reputation and potential email blacklist entry.
Explicit consent
This involves a clear, affirmative action by the user to consent to receive marketing communications.
Example: A checkbox in your Typeform stating, "Yes, I would like to receive marketing emails," which the user must tick.
Benefit: Improves email deliverability, reduces spam complaints, and builds a higher quality, more engaged audience.
Troubleshooting common issues
If you're using a tool like Zapier to connect Typeform and Klaviyo, the problem might lie within the automation workflow. Review your Zap's history for any errors or failed tasks. Often, a small change in Typeform or Klaviyo's API can break a Zap, preventing new contacts from being added or subscribed.
Another common scenario is when a contact already exists in Klaviyo but their subscription status isn't updated by the Typeform submission. This could be due to a default setting in Klaviyo or the integration that prevents overwriting existing contact properties unless explicitly configured to do so. Ensure your integration allows for updating existing profiles.
Lastly, ensure no other integrations or processes are inadvertently changing the subscription status. Sometimes, multiple data sources feeding into Klaviyo can create conflicts, leading to unexpected changes in contact properties.
Issue
Potential cause
Action
Contacts not adding
Missing email field in Typeform or improper mapping.
Verify email field presence and Typeform to Klaviyo field mapping.
Added but not subscribed
Double opt-in enabled in Klaviyo without completion or lack of explicit consent.
Review Klaviyo list settings and Typeform consent options.
Zapier errors
Broken Zap, incorrect triggers or actions, API changes.
Test the Zap, check Zap history, and re-authenticate connections.
Existing contacts not updating
Integration settings don't allow overwriting or updating profiles.
Adjust integration settings to allow profile updates for existing contacts.
The risk of ignoring consent
Attempting to circumvent consent rules or manually subscribe contacts who haven't explicitly opted in can severely damage your sender reputation. This can lead to emails landing in spam folders, your domain appearing on a blocklist (or blacklist), and even the suspension of your Klaviyo account.
Maintaining good deliverability practices
Ensuring contacts are correctly subscribed from your Typeform leads is not just about avoiding technical glitches; it's fundamental to maintaining strong email deliverability. Mailbox providers, like Gmail and Outlook, heavily weigh subscriber engagement and spam complaints when determining where your emails land. A high rate of unsubscribes or spam reports from contacts who didn't intend to receive marketing emails will negatively affect your sending reputation, leading to lower inbox placement rates.
Regular list hygiene is also essential. Even with proper opt-in, some contacts might become disengaged over time. Proactively identifying and removing unengaged or invalid email addresses can help improve your overall deliverability. Additionally, be vigilant against bot sign-ups or suspicious contacts to keep your list clean and avoid spam traps.
Monitor your Klaviyo email performance metrics, such as open rates, click-through rates, and bounce rates, to gauge the health of your list. Consistent high engagement from your subscribed audience indicates a robust, healthy sender reputation, reducing the likelihood of your emails hitting a blocklist (or blacklist).
Views from the trenches
Best practices
Always include a clear and explicit opt-in checkbox on your Typeform, ensuring users understand they're signing up for marketing emails.
Regularly audit your Typeform-Klaviyo integration, checking field mappings and Zapier (if used) for any breaks or misconfigurations.
Implement double opt-in in Klaviyo to confirm subscriber intent and build a higher-quality, more engaged list, reducing spam complaints.
Segment your audience based on engagement and consent, sending targeted emails only to those who have clearly opted into receiving them.
Common pitfalls
Assuming form submission equals marketing consent without an explicit opt-in checkbox.
Not having a dedicated email field in Typeform, or incorrect mapping, which prevents contacts from being added.
Ignoring Klaviyo's acceptable use policy regarding consent, leading to potential account issues and deliverability problems.
Failing to review Zapier logs for integration errors, especially after making changes to Typeform or Klaviyo settings.
Expert tips
Use hidden fields in Typeform to pass additional data, like ad campaign source, to Klaviyo for richer segmentation and personalization.
Set up alerts for integration failures (e.g., in Zapier) to quickly identify and resolve issues before they impact a large number of contacts.
Regularly clean your Klaviyo lists by suppressing unengaged profiles to maintain a high sender reputation and improve overall deliverability.
Test the entire lead flow from ad to Typeform to Klaviyo and through a flow with test emails to ensure seamless contact subscription.
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks says that subscribing contacts will not directly affect deliverability in terms of how mailbox providers receive emails; it's primarily an issue with how Typeform is integrated.
September 2024 - Email Geeks
Marketer view
Marketer from Email Geeks notes that many Klaviyo integrations can add contacts as subscribed, so as long as the consent to send to them is valid, Klaviyo should not have an issue.
September 2024 - Email Geeks
Ensuring seamless lead flow
Ensuring contacts from your paid ads collected via Typeform are properly subscribed in Klaviyo requires a comprehensive approach. It involves meticulously checking your integration settings, understanding Klaviyo's consent requirements, and actively troubleshooting any automation snags.
By prioritizing explicit consent and maintaining vigilant oversight of your data flow, you can build a robust, engaged email list. This not only maximizes the return on your ad spend but also safeguards your sender reputation, ensuring your messages consistently reach the inbox.
Klaviyo.
Typeform to Klaviyo field mapping.
