Email personalization is shaping each email around the person who receives it. In cold email it's the difference between a message that gets read and one that reads like a mass mailing.
The levels
- Basic: merge tags for first name and company. Expected, not impressive.
- Segment: a different email for each industry, role or company size, so the problem and example fit.
- One-to-one: a first line about something specific to them, such as a recent hire, a new product or something they wrote.
What works best at scale
A tight segment with a relevant example beats a clever first line on a broad list. Write one email per segment, then add a short personal line where you have something real to say. AI can draft first lines from public information, but check them: a wrong detail is worse than none.
Mistakes to avoid
- Empty merge tags ("Hi ,") from missing data. Preview every email first.
- Fake familiarity ("Loved your recent post!") with nothing specific.
Check how your tags fill in with the free merge tag preview.