How to personalize emails with merge tags on GetResponse

beginner 8 min read Updated 2026-03-19

Quick Answer

GetResponse merge tags allow you to personalize emails by inserting subscriber-specific information like names, locations, or custom fields. Simply use the merge tag format {{first_name}} or select from the merge tags menu in the email editor.

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Prerequisites

Active GetResponse account
Email list with subscriber data
Basic understanding of email marketing
Contact fields properly configured

Step-by-Step Instructions

Access the Email Creator

Log into your GetResponse account and navigate to Email Marketing from the main dashboard. Click Create Email and choose your preferred template or start with a Blank Template.

Choose a template that matches your brand style to save time on design later.

Open the Email Editor

Once your template loads, click on the text block where you want to add personalization. The rich text editor will appear at the bottom of the screen with formatting options and merge tag tools.

Insert Basic Merge Tags

Click the Merge Tags button (looks like curly brackets {}) in the editor toolbar. Select from common options like {{first_name}}, {{last_name}}, or {{email}}. The tag will be inserted at your cursor position.

Always include a fallback value like {{first_name | Friend}} in case the field is empty.

Add Custom Field Merge Tags

For custom fields, click Merge Tags and scroll down to Custom Fields section. Select the custom field you want to use, such as {{custom_field_company}} or {{custom_field_city}}. These will pull data from your contact profiles.

Ensure your custom fields have meaningful names to easily identify them in the merge tags list.

Use Advanced Merge Tags

Access advanced options by clicking More Merge Tags. Here you can add date/time stamps with {{current_date}}, survey links, or subscriber join dates. You can also use conditional logic like {{#if custom_field_vip}}VIP Content Here{{/if}}.

Test conditional merge tags with different contact profiles to ensure they work correctly.

Preview Your Personalization

Click Preview in the top toolbar, then select Preview with Contact Data. Choose a contact from your list to see how the merge tags will appear with real subscriber information. Check multiple contacts to verify different scenarios.

Preview with contacts that have incomplete data to test your fallback values.

Test and Send

Before sending, use the Send Test feature to send a test email to yourself. Verify all merge tags populate correctly. Once satisfied, click Next to configure your send settings and choose your target list.

Send tests to multiple email addresses to check how personalization appears across different email clients.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Merge tags showing as plain text instead of personalized data

Check that your contact list has data in the corresponding fields. Go to Contacts > Manage Fields to verify field names match your merge tags exactly.

Custom field merge tags not appearing in the dropdown

Ensure your custom fields are properly created and assigned to contacts. Navigate to Contacts > Custom Fields and verify the field is active and has data.

Fallback values not displaying when contact data is missing

Check your merge tag syntax. Use the pipe symbol correctly: {{first_name | Dear Subscriber}}. Ensure there are no extra spaces around the pipe symbol.

Conditional merge tags not working properly

Verify the conditional syntax is correct and the custom field values match exactly. Use {{#if field_name}}content{{else}}fallback{{/if}} format and check for typos in field names.

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