Email Subject Line Personalization Tags

Definition

Personalisation tags in subject lines go beyond simply inserting the subscriber's first name. They can include location, recent purchase, membership tier, anniversary, birthday, or any data point stored in your subscriber profile.

Common Tags

• {{first_name}} — Most common but increasingly expected
• {{city}} or {{location}} — Geographic personalisation
• {{recent_purchase}} — What they last bought
• {{membership_tier}} — Gold, Silver, Bronze status
• {{anniversary_months}} — How long they have been subscribed
• {{birthday_month}} — Birthday month messaging

Best Practices

Always have a fallback value for subscribers missing the personalisation field. Avoid over-personalisation — a subject line with three or more tags can feel creepy rather than relevant. Test personalisation against non-personalised controls to measure true lift.