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Personalization is what makes cold email feel personal instead of blasted. Norbelys gives you two ways to do it, and you can combine them.

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1. Merge tags (always available)

Merge tags drop a contact’s data into your email. Insert them from the Variables menu in the editor. A tag looks like {{firstName}} and is replaced with that person’s value when the email sends. You can use:
  • The system fields — email, first name, last name, phone.
  • Any of your custom fields — by their code, e.g. {{company_size}}. See Custom fields.
  • Sender fields — {{sender.name}} and {{sender.email}}, the mailbox the email is sent from.
  • {{unsubscribeUrl}} — the one-click unsubscribe link (see Compliance).

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Always add a fallback

Some contacts won’t have every field filled in. Give tags a fallback so the email still reads well:
If firstName is empty, this becomes “Hi there,”.
A merge tag with no fallback that turns out empty causes that send to be skipped — Norbelys won’t send “Hi ,” to someone. Use the default: filter on anything that might be blank. Note that a bare {{firstName | "there"}} is invalid — you must write {{firstName | default: "there"}}.

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Conditionals

Show a whole phrase only when a field exists:
You can add an {% else %} branch for the case when it’s empty.

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Spintax — a unique email every time

Wrap alternatives in braces separated by |, and Norbelys picks one per recipient:
Each person gets a consistent choice, and every send comes out slightly different, which is good for deliverability. Spintax can be nested.
The Send test & preview button renders your email with the exact same engine that sends it — what you see in the preview is byte-for-byte what a recipient gets.

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2. AI personalization at send time (optional)

For deeper personalization, turn on Personalize on the email’s meta bar. Instead of using merge tags, Norbe writes a fresh version of the email for each person at the moment it sends — mentioning their industry, city, or whatever you ask for.
1

Set a writing instruction

Tell Norbe what to do — for example “Mention their city,” “Direct, no-fluff tone,” or “Goal: book a 15-minute call.” Presets are provided.
2

Choose research sources

Let Norbe draw from the person’s fields, company data, and their company website.
3

Keep a safety fallback

Your written email becomes the safety fallback. It must have a subject and body so there’s always something to send.
4

Preview with a real person

Pick a real contact and generate a live example through the actual send path before you turn it on.
Send-time personalization can never break your sending. If the AI half-configured or the model is slow, the person simply gets your written fallback — “sending never waits for AI.” Turning personalization off means everyone gets that fallback copy.

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Which should I use?

  • Reach for merge tags for reliable, fast, one-to-one touches like names, companies, and simple conditionals — they always work and cost nothing extra.
  • Reach for AI personalization when you want each email genuinely tailored and are okay spending AI credits on it. It’s included in your plan’s AI allowance (see Billing).