Personalizing your editions with Mail Merge

Personalize your editions with each recipient's own data — first name and other recipient attributes in the body, subject line, and card headlines, plus personalized destinations for text links and buttons.

Table of Contents:

1. Uploading your recipient attributes
2. Adding a merge tag to the edition body
3. Adding a merge tag to the subject line
4. Setting up a custom URL attribute
5. Personalizing a text link or button
6. Editing or removing a merge tag
7. What recipients see
8. FAQs

1. Uploading your recipient attributes

🛠️ How it works:

• If you have Directory Sync (WorkOS or Azure/Entra) or HRIS Sync connected, standard attributes — First Name, Department Name, Job Title, Employment Start Date, and Manager Name — populate automatically. There's no separate upload step once one of these is set up.
• If you don't have a sync connected, you can upload a CSV of your audience with attributes. You can download our CSV template with attributes under Audience > Recipients > Manage recipients > Import CSV > Download CSV template. (Shown in GIF above)
• Custom attributes — including a custom URL attribute for personalized links — aren't self-serve. Request the field from Axios HQ, who will configure it to map from your HRIS or directory sync's custom fields (where your provider supports them) or from your CSV upload.
• Once an attribute is configured, confirm values are populated for the recipients you plan to send to before using it in an edition.

2. Adding a merge tag to the edition body

🛠️ How it works:

• Click in the edition body where you want to insert a personalized attribute.
• Click the "Insert mail merge tag" button in the formatting toolbar.
• Select an attribute from the pop-up — First name, Department Name, Job Title, Employment Start Date, Manager Name, or a custom attribute configured for your org.
• In the modal, confirm the Tag matches the attribute you selected.
• Enter a fallback word or phrase in the "Fallback" field — this is what recipients see if their value can't be found (for example, "there" results in "Hi there," or "friend" results in "Hi friend,"). The fallback applies to every instance of that same attribute in this edition.
• Click "Save" — the tag appears as a pill in the editor, e.g. {{FIRST_NAME | your-fallback}}. At send time, each recipient sees their own value in place of the pill.

3. Adding a merge tag to the subject line

🛠️ How it works:

• Click in the Subject line field at the top of the editor.
• Click the three-dot menu that appears on the right side of the subject line.
• Hover over "Mail merge" and select the attribute you want — First name, Department Name, Job Title, Employment Start Date, Manager Name, or a custom attribute — from the submenu.
• In the modal, enter your fallback text in the "Fallback" field.
• Click "Save" — the tag inserts as a pill in your subject line.

4. Setting up a custom URL attribute

🛠️ How it works:

• Request a custom URL attribute for your org from Axios HQ — this isn't a self-serve setting.
• Once it's configured, add each recipient's complete destination URL as that attribute's value before sending. The field must hold the whole URL — you can't merge-tag into part of a URL.
• Confirm values are populated for the recipients you plan to send to before using the attribute in an edition.

5. Personalizing a text link or button

🛠️ How it works:

• Select the text you want to link, then open the link editor.
• Choose "Personalize this URL" from the link editor.
• Select the custom URL attribute that holds the destination you want.
• Enter a fallback URL — this is required, and it's specific to this link. Unlike text attribute fallbacks, each personalized link or button has its own fallback URL, even if two links use the same attribute.
• Click "Save" to apply the personalized destination.

🛠️ How it works:

• Open the custom button editor for the button you want to personalize.
• Choose the custom URL attribute and set its fallback destination the same way as a text link.

6. Editing or removing a merge tag

🛠️ How it works:

• Click an existing merge tag pill in the body, subject line, or card headline to open the "Mail merge configuration" modal.
• Update the "Fallback" field with a new value and click "Save" to change the fallback for all tags using that same attribute in this edition.
• To remove a tag, click the pill once to select it, then press Backspace or Delete.

7. What recipients see

🛠️ How it works:

• At send time, HQ checks each recipient's attribute value for every personalized tag, link, and button in the edition.
• If the value is present and valid, the recipient sees their own attribute value or is sent to their own URL.
• If the value is missing, empty, or invalid, the recipient sees the fallback text or is sent to the fallback URL instead.
• The web version and HTML/PDF exports always show fallback text and fallback URLs — never recipient-specific values.

If the recipient's name is in HQ it will appear like this:

If fallback is used it will look like this:

8. FAQs

What is Mail Merge?

Mail Merge is a personalization feature that lets you insert recipient attribute tags — like First name, Department Name, Job Title, Employment Start Date, or Manager Name — into your edition body, subject line, or card headline. You can also personalize where a text link or button sends each recipient. At send time, each recipient's email is delivered with their own values in place of the tags, or the fallback you set for anyone missing that data.

What's new in Mail Merge?

Two things: more recipient attributes beyond First name — Department Name, Job Title, Employment Start Date, Manager Name, and custom attributes — usable in the body, subject line, and card headlines, plus personalized destinations for text links and buttons.

Which recipient attributes can I use?

First Name, Department Name, Job Title, Employment Start Date, and Manager Name are available out of the box. You can also request custom recipient attributes specific to your org from Axios HQ.

Who has access to Mail Merge?

Mail Merge is available to users on Advanced and Premier plans. If you don't see the "Insert mail merge tag" button in the toolbar or the "Mail merge" option in the subject line menu, check with your org admin to confirm your plan includes this feature.

What is a fallback and do I have to set one?

Yes — a fallback is required. It's the word or phrase that appears in place of a recipient's attribute value when it can't be found (for example, if the field is blank). Common fallbacks are "there" ("Hi there,") or "friend" ("Hi friend,"). You must enter a fallback before you can save the tag.

Can I use more than one merge tag in an edition?

Yes — you can insert as many tags as you like across the body, subject line, and card headline. The fallback you set applies to all instances of that same attribute in the edition. To update it, click any one of the pills and change the fallback in the modal.

Why am I seeing the fallback even though I have the data on file?

Please review your recipient record. If duplicates exist, our system isn't able to distinguish which is the correct attribute. Once you've applied the attribute to a recipient record, make sure that recipient record is in the series audience.

What happens if a recipient doesn't have a value on file?

If a recipient's attribute value can't be found, they receive the fallback text you configured instead. For example, if your fallback is "there," their email will read "Hi there," rather than "Hi [blank],". This is why setting a meaningful fallback before sending is important.

How do I get a custom URL attribute for my org?

Request it from Axios HQ — custom URL attributes aren't a self-serve setting. Once it's configured, add each recipient's complete destination URL as that attribute's value before sending.

Which fields can I use for a personalized link or button?

Any custom URL attribute that contains the recipient's complete destination URL. You can't insert a merge tag into part of a URL — the attribute must hold the whole thing.

Do personalized links share fallback behavior with text attributes?

No. If you use the same text attribute more than once in an edition, all instances share one fallback. Each personalized link or button has its own fallback URL, even when two links point to the same attribute.

What appears in the web version and exports?

The web version and HTML/PDF exports always show fallback text and fallback URLs, never recipient-specific values.

How are personalized link clicks reported?

Click analytics group activity by destination URL. A text link and a button leading to the same URL contribute to the same destination row, and fallback URL clicks are tracked separately.