Use variables in templates
Variables put values into an email when it is sent: fields of the entry that started the automation, fields of each recipient, the output of earlier steps, the business name, the current time, and a personal unsubscribe link. Each recipient gets their own values, so one template reads as a personal message.
Variables put values into an email when it is sent: fields of the entry that started the automation, fields of each recipient, the output of earlier steps, the business name, the current time, and a personal unsubscribe link. Each recipient gets their own values, so one template reads as a personal message.
Requirements
- A role that can edit email templates and automations.
- A template; see Create an email template.
What you can insert
| Source | Example | Available in |
|---|---|---|
| The entry that triggered the run | The viewing date on a showing | Automations started by an entry |
| An entry that entry points at, one step away | The listing address, through the showing's listing reference | Automations started by an entry |
| The recipient | The buyer's first name | Send-email steps, filled in per recipient |
| An unsubscribe link | A personal link to stop receiving emails | Send-email steps, per recipient |
| An earlier step | The subject and body an AI step wrote | Any later step |
| The business | The business name | Everywhere |
| The time | The moment the step runs | Everywhere |
| What started a scheduled or webhook run | The data an outside system sent | Scheduled, webhook, and bulk-edit runs |
The list of variables available depends on the collection and on what starts the automation, and is offered when you edit the step.
A worked example
A brokerage sends a reminder the day before each showing. The template greets the buyer by first name, gives the listing's address through the showing's reference to the listing, states the showing time, and ends with the unsubscribe link. One template serves every showing.
Notes and limitations
- One step through a reference. You can reach a field of the entry the trigger entry points at, but not a further step beyond it. Add a lookup on the entry if you need a value from further away; see Rollup vs lookup.
- No triggering entry on schedules. Scheduled and webhook runs have no triggering entry; use what the run was started with instead.
- An empty body is not sent. If the variables leave the email's body blank, the send step skips it rather than sending an empty message.
- Unsubscribes are handled across the business. The link works without any field on your audience collection.
Related
For sending, see Send an email; for AI-written emails, Add an AI step to an automation.