A concise guide detailing essential personalization tags for personalizing email newsletters, covering basic and advanced fields for effective engagement.
Using Personalization Tags in Email Newsletters
Personalization tags are placeholders in your email content that get replaced with specific subscriber data when the email is sent. This allows for personalization at scale. A key feature of personalization tags is the ability to set default values for cases where a subscriber's specific information might not be available.
It's important to note that different ESPs may use various terms for similar functionalities. What we call 'personalization tags' in Letterhead might be known by other names on different platforms. Common alternative terms include: Merge Tags, Dynamic Tags, Placeholder Tags, Variable Tags, Dynamic Content Tags, Custom Placeholders, etc.
Each of these terms serves the same purpose: to allow you to insert personalized content into your emails based on the data you have about your subscribers. The specific terminology can vary depending on the platform or service, but the underlying concept remains consistent across different email marketing tools.
Example Usage with Default Value:
In your newsletter, you can address subscribers by their first name to add a personal touch. The personalization tag for this would be {{ firstName }}. However, not all subscribers might have their first name available in your database. In such cases, you can set a default value like 'Reader' or any appropriate term.
Example Syntax:
Hello {{ firstName or 'Reader' }}!
Outcomes:
-
If the subscriber's first name is available:
- The email will read: Hello Bruce!
-
If the subscriber's first name is not available:
- The email will read: Hello Reader!
Customizing the Default Value:
The default value 'Reader' is just an example. You can customize this to fit the tone and context of your email. For instance, 'Valued Customer', 'Friend', or any term that aligns with your brand voice.
It's important to remember that personalization tags should be used judiciously. Overuse can make the email feel less personal, even if it's personalized. Aim for a balance between personalization and a natural, conversational tone.
When using personalization tags, it's essential to stick to simple quotation marks. Using curly quotation marks can lead to issues when sending your newsletter.
Commonly used personalization tags:
| Field Name | Personalization Tag Format |
|---|---|
|
First name |
{{ firstName }} |
|
Last name |
{{ lastName }} |
|
UniqueId |
{{ uniqueId }} |
|
Email Address |
{{ emailAddress }} |
|
Job Title |
{{ jobTitle }} |
|
Company Name |
{{ companyName }} |
|
City |
{{ city }} |
|
Country |
{{ country }} |
|
Birthday |
{{ birthday }} |
|
Member Status |
{{ memberStatus }} |
|
Last Purchase Date |
{{ lastPurchaseDate }} |
|
Publication Date |
{{ publicationDate }} |
|
Subscriber Status |
{{ subscriberStatus }} |
|
Last Open Date |
{{ lastOpenDate }} |
|
Last Click Date |
{{ lastClickDate }} |
|
Interests |
{{ interests }} |
|
Custom ID |
{{ customID }}
|
|
Brand/Organization Slug (visible in the URL) |
{{ brandSlug }} |
|
Channel Slug (visible in the URL) |
{{ channelSlug }} |
Complete list of personalization tags:
| Field Name | Personalization Tag |
|---|---|
| First name | {{ firstName }} |
| Last name | {{ lastName }} |
| UniqueId | {{ uniqueId }} |
| Age | {{ age }} |
| Address Line 1 | {{ addressLine1 }} |
| Address Line 2 | {{ addressLine2 }} |
| Attitudes | {{ attitudes }} |
| Birthday | {{ birthday }} |
| Beliefs | {{ beliefs }} |
| Business Website | {{ businessWebsite }} |
| Content Topics | {{ contentTopics }} |
| CRMID | {{ CRMID }} |
| City | {{ city }} |
| Country | {{ country }} |
| Children | {{ children }} |
| Custom ID 1 | {{ customID1 }} |
| Custom ID 2 | {{ customID2 }} |
| Custom ID 3 | {{ customID3 }} |
| Custom ID 4 | {{ customID4 }} |
| Custom Behavior 1 | {{ customBehavior1 }} |
| Custom Behavior 2 | {{ customBehavior2 }} |
| Custom Behavior 3 | {{ customBehavior3 }} |
| Custom Behavior 4 | {{ customBehavior4 }} |
| Custom Web Profile 1 | {{ customWebProfile1 }} |
| Custom Web Profile 2 | {{ customWebProfile2 }} |
| Custom Web Profile 3 | {{ customWebProfile3 }} |
| Custom Web Profile 4 | {{ customWebProfile4 }} |
| Delivery Preference | {{ deliveryPreference }} |
| Events | {{ events }} |
| Ethnicity | {{ ethnicity }} |
| Education | {{ education }} |
| Facebook Profile Name | {{ facebookProfileName }} |
| Gender | {{ gender }} |
| Google Profile Name | {{ googleProfileName }} |
| Github Profile Name | {{ githubProfileName }} |
| Honorific | {{ honorific }} |
| Home Phone | {{ homePhone }} |
| Income | {{ income }} |
| Interests | {{ interests }} |
| Instagram Profile Name | {{ instagramProfileName }} |
| Job Title | {{ jobTitle }} |
| Job Company/Organization Name | {{ jobCompanyOrOrganizationName }} |
| Last Contact | {{ lastContact }} |
| Last Event Date | {{ lastEventDate }} |
| Last Purchase Date | {{ lastPurchaseDate }} |
| Last Delivery Date | {{ lastDeliveryDate }} |
| Last Campaign Delivered | {{ lastCampaignDelivered }} |
| Last Open Date | {{ lastOpenDate }} |
| Last Campaign Opened | {{ lastCampaignOpened }} |
| Last Click Date | {{ lastClickDate }} |
| Last Link Clicked | {{ lastLinkClicked }} |
| Language | {{ language }} |
| Latitude | {{ latitude }} |
| Longitude | {{ longitude }} |
| Letterhead ID | {{ letterheadID }} |
| Last IP Address | {{ lastIPAddress }} |
| LinkedIn Profile Name | {{ linkedInProfileName }} |
| Member Status | {{ memberStatus }} |
| Member Status Changed Date | {{ memberStatusChangedDate }} |
| Most Engaged Topics | {{ mostEngagedTopics }} |
| Most Engaged Sources | {{ mostEngagedSources }} |
| Marital Status | {{ maritalStatus }} |
| Mobile Phone | {{ mobilePhone }} |
| Notes | {{ notes }} |
| Opt-In Time | {{ optInTime }} |
| Opt-In IP | {{ optInIP }} |
| Purchases | {{ purchases }} |
| Postal Code | {{ postalCode }} |
| Pronouns | {{ pronouns }} |
| Political Affiliation | {{ politicalAffiliation }} |
| Pets | {{ pets }} |
| Publication Date | {{ publicationDate }} |
| Referral Status | {{ referralStatus }} |
| Referral Source | {{ referralSource }} |
| Referred By Email | {{ referredByEmail }} |
| Referred By First Name | {{ referredByFirstName }} |
| Referred By Last Name | {{ referredByLastName }} |
| Race | {{ race }} |
| Region | {{ region }} |
| Religion | {{ religion }} |
| Subscribed Time | {{ subscribedTime }} |
| Subscribed IP | {{ subscribedIP }} |
| Subscriber Status | {{ subscriberStatus }} |
| Subscriber Status Changed Date | {{ subscriberStatusChangedDate }} |
| Sexual Orientation | {{ sexualOrientation }} |
| State/Province | {{ stateProvince }} |
| Suffix | {{ suffix }} |
| Snapchat Profile Name | {{ snapchatProfileName }} |
| Time Zone | {{ timeZone }} |
| Twitter Profile Name | {{ twitterProfileName }} |
| TikTok Profile Name | {{ tikTokProfileName }} |
| Unsubscribe Time | {{ unsubscribeTime }} |
| Unsubscribe IP | {{ unsubscribeIP }} |
| Work Phone | {{ workPhone }} |
| Website | {{ website }} |
| Website Profile Name | {{ websiteProfileName }} |