Introduction to Client Reports
A client report is the polished deliverable you send after a Portal Audit — a branded PDF (and matching on-screen preview) that reads like a letter-sized readout, not the working audit screen.
Use this series when you need to explain what a report is, how to create one, which modules and settings to tune, and how to export and share.
What a client report is
A client report is a composed packet for partners and clients: cover, contents, executive summary, the hubs you selected, and key findings. You assemble it in the Report Builder, then export a PDF to send.
It is not a second live HubSpot pull. The report reads the audit snapshot already stored on that Portal Audit.
How it relates to a Portal Audit
Each completed Portal Audit can have one client report. The audit’s snapshot is the source of truth — users, traffic, workflows, sales, service, and the rest of what you asked HubCreate to collect when you ran the audit.
- Starting the report from that audit seeds sections from the audit’s Select Reports choices.
- Re-running a Portal Audit creates a new snapshot. It does not automatically retarget or rebuild an existing report.
- Portal Audit Workflows in the report come from the audit-time HubSpot snapshot, not from a live Workflow Map pin.
The working audit UI (and the audit Public Link) stays the operational view. The client report is the version you brand, trim, and send.
Public Link vs the Report Builder
These are two different paths:
- Public Link — the client-facing share URL on the Portal Audit (
/audits/public/<token>/). This is how clients open the audit itself. Create it from the Portal Audits list; it is not a share toggle inside Report Settings. - Report Builder — the partner editor. Preview the letter-sized canvas, turn modules on or off, export a PDF, and save. Builder Share (a separate HTML URL from Report Settings) was removed.
Keep the builder, /reports/, and Generate PDF partner-only. Send clients the PDF and/or the audit Public Link.
What you can include
On New Audit, Select Reports is the checklist of hubs and subsections to collect (Technical, Object Analysis, Data Health, Traffic, Lifecycle, Workflows, Marketing, Sales, Service). The first time you create a client report from that audit, those choices seed the matching report modules — including Marketing Contacts and Sales Automation / Deal Workflows when you selected them.
Always seeded around that content: a cover, table of contents, executive summary, and key findings.
Not on Select Reports (and not seeded as Portal Audit report chapters):
- Workflow Connections and map-style Workflow Health tooling live on Workflow Maps / Signals.
- Client-report Workflow Issues is the Portal Audit snapshot version (counts of workflows per issue), not the map’s name-chip view.
When to use a report
Typical moments:
- Onboarding — a first readout of users, tracking, data quality, and automation after you connect a portal.
- QBR — a dated snapshot you can send ahead of a review, without walking the full audit UI.
- Retainer expansion — a focused packet (for example Sales + Workflows, or Service only) when Select Reports was scoped that way.
- Post-audit readout — the same snapshot as the Public Link, formatted as a PDF your client can keep.