Why Use Custom Field Merge Tags in Your Emails

Custom fields let you store unique information about each contact in your CRM — such as a preferred service, a membership tier, a pet's name, or any other detail specific to your business. By inserting a custom field merge tag into an email template, the email builder automatically replaces the merge tag with the actual value stored in that field for each contact when the email is sent. This means you can send one email that reads differently for every recipient, without writing separate emails for each contact.

A merge field is a placeholder that inserts personalized content into an email. For example, the merge field ~Contact.FirstName~ is replaced with the value stored in the First Name field of each contact's record when the email is sent. Custom merge fields work the same way but pull from custom fields you have created yourself in your CRM.

A custom field is an optional field you create to extend a contact record beyond the default fields. For example, you could create a custom drop-down field to store a contact's preferred appointment day, or a text field to store their company vehicle type. Custom fields can then be referenced in email templates using custom merge tags.

Important: Do Not Apply Partial Formatting to a Merge Field

Applying a formatting change — such as bold, italic, font size, or font color — to only a portion of a merge field will break the merge field. When the merge field is broken, the email will display the raw merge field code (for example, ~Contact.CustomField~) instead of the contact's actual value. To avoid this, select the entire merge field before applying any formatting, or apply formatting before inserting the merge field.

The email builder preview shows a merge field that has been broken by partial formatting. The raw merge field code is visible in the email body as plain text instead of displaying the contact's custom field value. The merge field text shows inconsistent formatting — part of the tag is bold and part is not — which is the cause of the broken merge field.

How to Insert a Custom Field Merge Tag into an Email Template

1. In the email builder, click inside the text block where you want to insert the custom field value. Position your cursor at the exact location in the text where the custom field value should appear.

   With your cursor in position, click Merge Tags in the email builder toolbar. In the Merge Tags menu, click Custom Fields. A list of your available custom fields will appear. Click the name of the custom field you want to insert.

   

   The Merge Tags menu is open in the email builder toolbar and displays several categories of merge tags. The Custom Fields option is highlighted. The submenu to the right of Custom Fields displays the list of available custom fields. Clicking a custom field name from this list inserts the corresponding merge tag at the cursor position in the email template.

2. The custom merge tag will be inserted into the email template at the cursor position. The merge tag appears as a code placeholder — for example, ~Contact.YourCustomFieldName~ — in the email body. This placeholder will be replaced with each contact's actual custom field value when the email is sent.

   

   The email template displays the custom merge tag placeholder inserted at the cursor position. The merge tag is visible as a code string within the email body text. The surrounding email content is unchanged.

3. When the email is sent and a contact receives it, the email builder automatically replaces the custom merge tag placeholder with the value stored in that custom field on the contact's record. Each contact who receives the email sees their own custom field value in place of the merge tag.

   

   The sent email preview shows the custom merge tag replaced with the contact's actual custom field value. The email reads as natural text with the personalized value appearing in place of the merge tag code. Each contact who receives the email sees the value stored in their own contact record for that custom field.