How to use dynamic content blocks on Mailchimp

intermediate 8 min read Updated 2026-03-18

Quick Answer

Dynamic content blocks in Mailchimp allow you to show different content to different segments within the same email campaign. You can create personalized sections based on subscriber data, interests, or behaviors by setting up conditional rules in your campaign builder.

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Prerequisites

Active Mailchimp account with Standard plan or higher
Segmented audience with tags or custom fields
Basic understanding of email campaign creation
Pre-written content variations for different segments

Step-by-Step Instructions

Create or Edit Your Email Campaign

Log into your Mailchimp account and navigate to Campaigns. Click Create Campaign and select Email, or edit an existing draft campaign. Choose your audience and proceed to the Design Email step.

Dynamic content is only available on Standard plans and higher, so ensure your account has the proper subscription level.

Add a Dynamic Content Block

In the email builder, drag a Text or Code block to your desired location. Once added, click on the block to select it. Look for the Dynamic Content option in the editing toolbar and click it to enable dynamic content for this block.

Set Up Your First Condition

Click Add Rule to create your first dynamic content condition. Choose your condition type from the dropdown menu: Tag, Merge Field, Group, or Segment. Select the specific criteria (e.g., a tag name or custom field value) and enter the content you want to show to subscribers who meet this condition.

Start with simple conditions like tags before moving to more complex merge field conditions.

Add Additional Content Variations

Click Add Rule again to create content for different segments. For each rule, select your condition criteria and input the corresponding content. You can add multiple rules to target various subscriber groups within the same dynamic block.

Order matters - Mailchimp will show content from the first matching rule, so place more specific conditions at the top.

Configure the Default Content

Scroll down to the Default Content section at the bottom of the dynamic content editor. Enter the content you want to show to subscribers who don't match any of your specific rules. This ensures all recipients see relevant content even if they don't meet your targeted conditions.

Always include meaningful default content rather than leaving it blank to avoid empty sections in your email.

Preview Your Dynamic Content

Click Preview and Test at the top of the campaign builder. Use the Preview Dynamic Content feature to see how your email will appear to different segments. Select different subscriber profiles or manually enter test data to verify each content variation displays correctly.

Test with actual subscriber data by entering email addresses of contacts with different tags or field values.

Test and Send Your Campaign

Send test emails to yourself and team members who represent different segments. Verify that the dynamic content displays correctly for each recipient. Once satisfied, proceed with scheduling or sending your campaign through the normal Confirm and Send process.

Consider sending to a small test segment first before rolling out to your entire audience to catch any issues.

Common Issues & Troubleshooting

Dynamic content option is not appearing in the email builder

Ensure you have a Standard plan or higher and that you've selected an audience with segments or tags. Dynamic content is not available on the free Essentials plan.

All subscribers are seeing the default content instead of targeted variations

Check that your condition rules are correctly configured and that your subscribers actually have the tags or custom field values you're targeting. Verify your audience segmentation is properly set up.

Content appears blank or broken for some recipients

Review your Default Content section and ensure it contains meaningful content. Also check that all dynamic content variations are properly formatted and don't contain HTML errors or broken merge tags.

Dynamic content rules are not working as expected

Remember that Mailchimp processes rules in order from top to bottom and stops at the first match. Reorder your rules so more specific conditions appear before general ones, and test with the preview feature.

Prices mentioned in this guide are pulled from current plan data and may change. Always verify on the official Mailchimp website before purchasing.

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