You will learn
- What a merge tag is
- How to add a merge tag to your email
- How to set fallback text for a merge tag
- How to preview a merge tag before sending
Or jump to the Video Walkthrough
What is a merge tag?
A merge tag is a placeholder you insert into your email that Workshop automatically replaces with real recipient information when the email is sent. Merge tags let you personalize an email — such as greeting each recipient by their first name — without writing a separate email for every person.
You can use any attribute associated with a recipient in your directory, such as first name, job title, department, location, or email address. Some attributes are populated automatically, while others (marked Manual) come from fields you maintain directly in Workshop.
Adding a merge tag to your email
Merge tags can be added to any paragraph within your email. To add one:
- Drag a paragraph block from the Build panel into your email, or click into an existing paragraph.
- Click in the area of the paragraph where you'd like the merge tag to appear.
- In the text toolbar at the top of the screen, select the "More" dropdown and Merge tag.
- In the Insert a mail merge tag window, click the Field dropdown and select the attribute you want to use, such as First name.
- Select Insert tag to add the merge tag to your paragraph.
Once inserted, the merge tag appears as a highlighted tag within your paragraph, showing the field name and any fallback text you added. You can click into the tag at any time to edit or remove it.
Setting fallback text for a merge tag
Not every recipient in your directory may have a value for the attribute you've selected. Fallback text ensures your email still reads naturally when that information is missing.
In the Insert a mail merge tag window, enter your fallback text in the Fallback text field before selecting Insert tag. For example, if you're using the First name field, you might enter friend or valued employee as your fallback text.
Note: Fallback text is optional. If you leave this field blank and a recipient is missing the selected attribute, that portion of the paragraph will appear blank for them.
Previewing a merge tag
Before sending your email, you can confirm how your merge tag will appear by navigating to Actions > Preview (or Send a test email).
Tip: By default, this will show the fallback text since it's not previewing for a specific recipient. However, you can preview as a specific recipient by navigating to the "Preview as recipient" option in the upper right-hand corner of the preview and selecting the recipient you wish to preview the email as.