Merge tags in Messages insert personalized data from constituent profiles — like first name, last name, or username — directly into email subject lines and message bodies. When a message is sent, each recipient's placeholder is replaced with their actual profile data.
💡Quick answers
- What are merge tags in Messages? Placeholders (like %%first_name%%) that are automatically replaced with each recipient's actual data from their Constituent Manager profile when the message is sent.
- Where can merge tags be used in a message? In the email subject line, from label, and the body of the message; click the Merge Tag button in the appropriate editing area to insert the correct code.
- What happens if a recipient's profile is missing data for a merge tag? The merge tag will be replaced with a blank or a default fallback value; always preview messages with test data to see how missing fields will appear.
- Can merge tags pull data from form submissions? Yes; merge tags within form notification emails can pull data directly from the form submission fields — use the Merge Tag button in the form's Custom Message area to insert form-specific tags.
You can personalize messages to address recipients by name, or to reflect other information (usernames, nicknames, etc.) from a recipient's profile in Constituent Manager.
The Messages module has a Personalization option that allows you to insert a user's profile data by means of placeholder text. For instance, instead of addressing recipients as "Dear Reader," you could address them by their first name by using the %firstname% placeholder. When your message is sent, Messages will automatically replace the placeholder text with the appropriate data from the user's Constituent Manager profile.
Troubleshooting: Can I personalize my message with other fields not listed?
Yes. Up to 10 custom fields can be added to Constituent Manager for use with personalization. Please submit a ticket at least one week prior to the tentative send date for assistance with adding these fields and uploading the data.
Using the template and message editor, you can insert personalization placeholders into any text element. Click on the text element to edit it, then click the Merge tags button to display the available placeholders.
Important Note
Subscriber data is drawn from email addresses that are associated with a profile in Constituent Manager. Merge tags — except for first name, last name, and email — are not available for subscribers who aren't in one of the Constituent Manager roles (that is, someone added to a list using the Contact or Upload methods, or someone who subscribed themselves to a public list). For best results, make sure you're only using merge tags when you have that data available for all recipients.
To test any merge tags you've added, you can use the "Preview As" functionality.
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