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Use merge tags with fallbacks
Give merge tags a fallback word so an empty field never leaves an awkward gap in your email.
A fallback is the word a merge tag uses when a contact has no data in that field - so "Hello [firstname]" never goes out as an awkward "Hello ,". It's a small touch that keeps every email reading naturally. This guide covers the syntax.
The syntax
Put the fallback after a comma, inside the brackets:
[field name,fallback]
The part before the comma is the field; the part after is what shows if that field is empty.
Examples
[firstname,friend] reads as either:
- Hello Julia, (if there's a first name), or
- Hello friend (if there isn't).
[firstname,dear customer] reads as either Hello Alex, or Hello dear customer,.
The more you use fallbacks, the more polished your campaigns feel, whatever the state of your data.
Troubleshooting
The fallback doesn't show on empty fields - check a comma separates the field and fallback, with no stray spaces, and that the brackets are closed.
The wrong fallback shows - check the field name's spelling (case-sensitive), and that the field isn't secretly filled with a space.
Commas in the fallback cause trouble - the comma is the separator, so avoid commas in fallback text; use other punctuation instead.
Works in preview but not when sent - the data may have changed between preview and send, or an import was still finishing. Test on a small segment first.
For the full tag reference, see Add merge tags to a campaign. If a fallback won't fire, open a support ticket.