Template Variables

A reference for the merge variables you can use in your email sequences, what each one fills in with, and how personalization works.

What template variables are

Template variables (also called merge fields) are placeholders you type into a subject line or email body. When Defrost sends, each one is replaced with the matching detail for the specific person receiving that email. You write the email once. Every recipient gets their own filled-in version.

Variables use double curly braces, like {{first_name}}. Type them exactly as shown, including the braces.

The variables you can use

These are the merge fields the editor and the AI rewrite understand. The snake_case forms below are the canonical set used when Defrost rewrites or generates copy for you.

Variable Fills in with Example
{{first_name}} The recipient first name Hi {{first_name}},
{{company_name}} The recipient company name the team at {{company_name}}
{{job_title}} The recipient job title as a {{job_title}}, you probably
{{industry}} The recipient industry most {{industry}} teams
{{pain_point}} The pain point Defrost matched to this lead solving {{pain_point}}
{{recent_event}} A recent signal about the company (news, hiring, funding) saw the {{recent_event}}

Composer shorthand

Inside the sequence composer, you will also see these shorthand placeholders. They are the same idea, shown in the editor preview:

Variable Fills in with
{{firstName}} The recipient first name (composer shorthand for {{first_name}})
{{company}} The recipient company (composer shorthand for {{company_name}})
{{email}} The recipient email address, shown in the To line preview

The unsubscribe link

Every email Defrost sends includes a working unsubscribe link, which is required by law. You do not have to add it yourself. If you want to control where it appears in your copy, place the {{unsubscribe_url}} token and Defrost fills it with the recipient specific one-click unsubscribe link. If you leave it out, Defrost still adds a compliant unsubscribe footer for you.

How personalization actually works

Defrost does more than swap in a name. After it finds and verifies a lead, it researches the company and the person, then weaves in one strong, specific signal per email. The one-signal rule keeps your message from reading like an over-personalized form letter. The variables above are the fields you can reference directly. The deeper personalization (the specific sentence about a recent post, a hiring push, or a product launch) is written for you by the copy engine.

Tips

  • Always include {{first_name}} in your opening. It is the single highest-impact merge field.
  • Keep a natural fallback in mind. If a field is missing for a given lead, a sentence built entirely around it can read oddly, so phrase around the variable rather than depending on it.
  • Do not invent variables. Only the fields listed above are filled in. Anything else stays as literal text in the sent email.
  • Preview before you launch. The composer shows you how a step reads with the placeholders in place.

See also