How to use templating syntax based personalization

Last updated: July 11, 2025

Overview

Personalization tags are piece of templating syntax that pull information stored in contact profiles into email and SMS messages, allowing you to personalize your content to each individual contact without having to write out each piece of information manually.

Refer to 📄 Templating syntax and personalization reference guide for details on what data is available to you for personalization.

Read on to learn how to incorporate personalization into your email and SMS marketing efforts!

Before getting started

If you plan to use custom fields to personalize email or SMS content, create them in Sendlane and collect data from contacts.

Insert personalization in email subject lines

  1. Click into the subject line where you want the personalization to appear

  2. Click the tag icon

  3. Select a personalization tag

Insert personalization in email content

  1. Click into the email wherever you want personalization to appear

  2. Click the three dot menu

  3. Click the personalization icon

  4. Click the Select Personalization dropdown

  5. Select a personalization

If contacts have data for the selected custom field, they'll see their data where the personalization tag was inserted.

If contacts do not have data for the inserted custom field, they will see a blank space unless you create a default value for the field.

How do I change the font styling for an inserted personalization?

When you select a custom field or templating syntax personalization from a dropdown, the syntax is inserted into the email as a snippet with protections that help avoid breaking the syntax.

To change the styling of an inserted syntax snippet:

  1. Use your cursor to select the snippet (you may need to select the space just before and after the snippet)

  2. Paste the snippet somewhere else to remove the formatting by pressing CMD/ CTRL + Shift + V

  3. Copy the snippet from where it was pasted in the previous step

  4. Paste the snippet back into your email

  5. Format the text as normal

Insert personalization in SMS messages

  1. Click into the SMS message where you want personalization to appear

  2. Click the personalization icon

  3. Select a personalization

Personalization in SMS must be highlighted pink

Personalization selected from the personalization icon will be highlighted in pink when you insert it into your SMS.

Highlighted pink personalization will pull data from contact profiles and display it in the message contacts receive.

If personalization is not highlighted pink, it will not pull contact data and will display as a broken personalization tag in the message contacts receive.

Create a default value for personalization

See How to set a default value for a personalization tag.

Troubleshooting

My contact's personalization tag isn't populating with their data!

You may not see populated personalization tags for two common reasons:

  1. The contact's profile doesn't have data in the specified field. Contact profiles without data in personalization tag fields will see a blank space where that personalization tag is inserted in any email they receive unless you set a default value.

  2. There is a typo in the personalization tag. Copy and paste personalization tags from the personalization tab of the audience page or this help doc to avoid typos.

How can I see available syntax options in an SMS message?

The json_encode function can only be used in an email.

If you are creating an SMS only automation, add an email node to view available options, then delete the email node when you are finished building your automation.