Placeholders in emails
Overview
A placeholder is a spot in the text that is replaced by a real value when the mail goes out — {{ first_name }} becomes “Maria”. They are written with two curly braces, and the spelling is exact: {{ Firstname }} or {{ vorname }} is not replaced and ends up in the recipient's inbox as it stands.
So you do not type them. The editor shows the complete list at the bottom right — one click inserts the placeholder where the cursor is.
The list
The list comes from the system and names three things per placeholder: what it means, an example value, and its origin — where the value comes from. The origin answers the most common question of all: why is this one empty?
| Origin | When the value is there |
|---|---|
| Recipient | Always. Address and name are fixed in every send. |
| Contact | Only for contacts from the master data. For a lead from a form, salutation, position and department are empty. |
| Lead | Only for leads. |
| System | Created at send time (unsubscribe link, origin tags). |
Custom fields
Every custom field of a contact or lead can be used: {{ cf.customer_number }}. The name after the dot is the technical name from the settings, not the label. Because every company has different fields, the list shows no fixed name for these but the form {{ cf.<fieldname> }}.
Core tasks
Write a salutation that holds without the value. “Hi {{ first_name }},” becomes “Hi ,” for a recipient without a first name. Write the sentence so it works without it — “Good morning” with the name on the next line is the safe form.
Check before sending. The test send replaces placeholders exactly like the real one. Whatever remains there remains for the recipient too.
Do not build the unsubscribe link yourself. It sits in the mandatory footer of every marketing mail. The {{ unsubscribe_url }} placeholder exists only for an additional unsubscribe sentence in the body.
Fields in detail
This page has no input mask — it lists the placeholders that can be used in subject, content and templates.
| Element | From | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Placeholder | the system catalogue | The key you write into the text. It is replaced per recipient — everyone gets their own values. |
| Meaning | catalogue | Where the value comes from: contact, customer, campaign, brand. |
| Fallback | definition of the placeholder | What is inserted when the recipient has nothing on file. This is the most important point on the page: without a fallback the mail reads "Dear ," — the classic mass-mailing mistake. |
| Example | preview | What it looks like for the recipient. |
Placeholders that do not exist stay in place unreplaced rather than vanishing quietly. That is intended: a typo should be noticed before the mail goes out — which is why the test mail pays off.
Settings & permissions
- The list comes from the system and cannot be maintained — it is a statement about what the send
REALLY replaces. Whatever is missing here is replaced nowhere.
- It is visible with the manage campaigns permission (
marketing.campaign.manage) — the same
permission you write with.
- Custom fields only become available once they exist in the settings. The technical name there
is the name in the placeholder.
- The unsubscribe link comes from the send, not from the template. It cannot be switched off:
a marketing email without a way to unsubscribe is unlawful.
FAQ & troubleshooting
The inbox shows {{ firstname }}. That placeholder does not exist — it is {{ first_name }}. Anything not in the list stays as it is.
The salutation is empty. Salutation and position exist only for contacts. A lead from a form does not have them, and forms usually do not ask.
Leads have no last name. A lead carries ONE name. It is split at the first space: everything before is the first name, everything after the last name. With a one-part name the last name stays empty.
A custom field is not replaced. Check the technical name in the settings — the label is not the name.