Variable Merge Fields & Personalization

Personalization is the key to higher engagement and better response rates in direct mail. Open Letter Connect’s merge fields let you customize each mailer with recipient-specific details, making your outreach feel personal at scale.

This section will guide you through using merge fields, best practices, and formatting tips for creating effective, personalized mailers.

What Are Merge Fields?

Merge fields are placeholders that automatically pull information from your contact list into your mailer.

For example:

• {{first_name}} will insert John

• {{property_address}} will insert 123 Main Street

This makes each mail piece feel like it was written specifically for the recipient.

Available Merge Fields

Here’s a full list of standard merge fields available for all mailer formats:

Category	Fields
Contact Fields	First Name, Last Name, Full Name, Company Name, Mailing Address 1, Mailing Address 2, Mailing City, Mailing State, Mailing Zip Code, Contact Phone Number, Contact Email
Property Fields	Property Address, Property City, Property State, Property Zip Code, Property Offer, Property Written Offer
Sender Fields	Sender First Name, Sender Last Name, Sender Company Name, Sender Phone Number, Sender Email, Sender Website
Miscellaneous	Mailing Date, Custom Fields (unlimited user-defined fields)

Note: Real Penned Letters do not support QR codes due to their handwritten format constraints.

How to Insert Merge Fields

1. Open the OLC template editor.

2. Navigate to the Merge Fields panel on the right.

3. Click the field you want to insert (e.g., First Name).

4. The merge field appears in your text as a placeholder: {{first_name}}.

• When you send your mailer, OLC automatically replaces these placeholders with real data from your uploaded contact list.

Formatting Tips for Merge Fields

• Avoid special formatting (bold/italic) within merge fields: Currently, merged content inherits the surrounding text style but cannot be styled individually.

• Characters supported in merge fields: Fields can handle common characters like $ - ( ). While most special characters (*^%#}{][) are supported, it's best to test these in proofs for your specific design.

• Always preview your mailer with sample data: Download a proof to ensure fields populate correctly (e.g., no blank names or misaligned addresses).

Best Practices for Personalization

1. Keep personalization simple and focused: Use 1-2 key fields per mailer to keep the message natural. Example:

   • “Hi {{first_name}}, I’m interested in your property at {{property_address}}.”

2. Avoid overusing merge fields: Over-personalizing can make your message feel robotic. Focus on making it conversational.

3. Plan for incomplete data: Since OLC currently does not support fallback values, only insert fields that you know are populated in your contact list.

4. Use merge fields for relevance, not just names:

   • Reference property details for real estate (e.g., property address).

   • Reference offer amounts for financial campaigns (e.g., property_offer).