Definition
An email token has two common meanings. In templates, a token is a placeholder — like a merge tag — that the send engine replaces with data, such as a subscriber’s name or a personalised link. Separately, a token can be a cryptographic value embedded in an email, such as in a magic link or a URL parameter, that authorises access to an account or API.
Merge Tokens
{{first_name}}inserts a subscriber name{{unsubscribe_url}}provides the unsubscribe link- Product and offer tokens fill campaign details
- Custom tokens map to list fields
Security Tokens
One-time tokens in links let a subscriber log in or confirm without a password and expire to prevent reuse. API tokens control access to a sending platform’s services. Managing expiry and revoking tokens keeps accounts and data secure.
Using Tokens Correctly
Use tokens to personalise and to secure flows, but validate that the data behind each token is correct and fresh. Guard API keys and one-time tokens, and design personalised content so missing data fails gracefully rather than sending a broken value.
Was this useful?
Related Glossary Terms
A/B Testing
A/B testing in email marketing is the practice of sending two variations of an email to a small sample of your list to determine which version performs better before sending the winner to the remaining subscribers.
Abandoned Cart Email
An abandoned cart email is an automated message sent to customers who added items to their online shopping cart but left without completing the purchase. It is one of the highest-converting email types in ecommerce.
AI Email Summary
An AI email summary is a short, machine-generated overview of an email's key points, shown by Gmail, Outlook and Apple Mail before a recipient opens the message. It is reshaping how email marketers think about subject lines, preview text and open rates.
AI Inbox Summary
An AI inbox summary is an AI-generated digest that condenses unread email — often highlighting news, actions and senders — changing how clearly your marketing email reaches and engages subscribers.
AI Inbox
An AI inbox is an email client that uses artificial intelligence to summarise, sort, prioritise and sometimes answer emails before the human recipient reads them. It is transforming email marketing metrics and copywriting.
AI Overview Email
An AI overview is a short, automatically-generated summary of a topic shown in AI search results, often drawing on and citing sources like email marketing content.
Frequently Asked Questions
An email token is either a template placeholder replaced with dynamic data at send (like a merge tag) or a cryptographic value that authorises access, such as a magic link or API token.
A token in a template is replaced by the send engine with a field value, such as a subscriber’s name or an unsubscribe URL, personalising each email without editing every message.
One-time tokens, often in magic links or confirmation links, let a recipient log in or verify identity without a password and expire to prevent reuse or interception.