If you send a lot of prospecting emails, you know how soul-crushing it is to write the same bland pitch over and over—and how fast people delete anything that looks like a mass email. This guide is for anyone who wants to actually get replies from cold outreach, without spending hours researching every lead.
Here’s the not-so-secret sauce: dynamic fields. They’re what let you send emails that sound like you wrote them for one person—even when you’re sending to hundreds. We’ll walk through how to use Persana dynamic fields to do this right, explain what to avoid, and help you keep things simple so you don’t drown in complexity.
Why Personalization Matters—and Where It Goes Off the Rails
You already know “Hi {{first_name}}” isn’t winning hearts. People spot mail merges a mile away. Real personalization is about adding details that prove you did your homework—even if you didn’t, because a tool did it for you.
But here’s where people screw up: - Overdoing it: Paragraphs of fake familiarity just feel creepy. - Bad data: Pulling in the wrong company, job title, or other details is worse than no personalization. - Too much manual work: If you’re spending 10 minutes per lead, you’ll never hit your numbers.
Persana’s dynamic fields promise to help—but only if you set them up right and use them sparingly.
Step 1: Get Your Data in Shape
Dynamic fields are only as good as the data behind them. Before you even open Persana, get your list together.
What you need: - A spreadsheet or CRM export with the basics: first name, company, job title, LinkedIn URL, maybe a recent news headline about the company if you want to get fancy. - Clean data: No missing fields, weird formatting, or duplicates.
Pro tip: Don’t try to personalize with data you can’t reliably get for every prospect. If half your leads have blank “industry” fields, don’t use it in your emails.
Step 2: Pick the Right Fields to Personalize
It’s tempting to add a dozen dynamic fields, but more isn’t better. Stick to what actually matters.
Fields that usually work: - First name (obvious, but don’t mess it up) - Company name - Job title (if you’re sure it’s current) - Something specific: “Saw you recently raised Series B” or “Noticed you’re hiring engineers”
Fields to skip unless you’re sure: - Location (can get weird if someone just moved) - Anything scraped from social media (often outdated or wrong) - Generic “industry” fields—unless your message really changes based on it
Keep it simple: Two or three well-chosen fields beat a Franken-email any day.
Step 3: Set Up Dynamic Fields in Persana
Now the fun part. In Persana, you’ll set up your email template to pull in these fields automatically.
How to do it:
1. Load your list: Import your prospects with all the fields you want to use.
2. Write your template: Use brackets or whatever syntax Persana expects (e.g., {{first_name}}, {{company}}). Example:
Hi {{first_name}},
I saw {{company}} is expanding your product team. I work with startups like yours to help speed up hiring...
- Add fallback values: What if a field is blank? Set a default so your email doesn’t break. For example:
Hi {{first_name | there}},
That way, “Hi there,” is better than “Hi ,”.
- Preview before you send: Always. Send a few test emails to yourself with different records.
Don’t trust automation blindly. Weird things slip through—especially with names, company names that start with “The,” or job titles that don’t fit your sentence.
Step 4: Make It Actually Feel Personal
Dynamic fields are a tool, not a magic trick. If your base email is generic, no amount of {{first_name}} will save it.
What works: - Reference something recent or specific (a funding round, new product launch, or job posting). If you can’t, at least mention the company in a way that isn’t just “I see you work at {{company}}.” - Keep it short—two or three sentences is usually enough. - Use plain language. Nobody wants to read a robot’s pitch.
What to avoid: - Flattery that’s obviously fake (“I was so impressed by your company’s innovative solutions”... come on). - Overly complex sentences just to fit in a dynamic field. - Relying on fields you haven’t triple-checked.
Example of a good template:
Hi {{first_name}},
Congrats on {{company}}’s recent {{recent_news | growth}}! I help teams like yours with [your solution]. Mind if I send more details?
Notice the fallback in {{recent_news | growth}}—if there’s no news, it still makes sense.
Step 5: Test, Tweak, and Don’t Overthink It
Here’s the honest truth: No template is perfect on the first try. Send small batches, see what gets replies, and adjust.
How to get better results: - Check your open and reply rates. If nobody responds, your “personalization” might be too generic or off-target. - Ask a friend or colleague to read a few examples. If they can spot the automation, so will your prospects. - Don’t get stuck tweaking forever. Good enough and sent beats perfect and sitting in drafts.
What NOT to do: - Don’t try to personalize everything. Pick one or two moments in your email where a human touch makes a difference. - Don’t make your data model so complex you can’t manage it. - Don’t forget to remove people who aren’t a fit—no amount of personalization will fix spam.
A Few Honest Pros and Cons of Using Dynamic Fields
Pros: - Saves a ton of time. - Lets you hit higher volume without sounding like a robot (if you’re careful). - Easy to update as your list or offer changes.
Cons: - One bad data field can ruin dozens of emails. - It’s easy to start sounding formulaic. If everyone’s using the same tool, buyers spot the pattern. - You still have to actually write a decent email—no tool does that for you.
Summary: Keep It Simple, Iterate Often
Personalizing prospecting emails with Persana dynamic fields is about working smarter, not harder. Get your data right, pick a couple of fields that matter, and write like a human. Don’t let the tool steer you into over-complicating things—simple, honest emails almost always win.
If your first batch flops, tweak and try again. The goal isn’t to trick people with fake personalization. It’s to show them you care enough to send something relevant—and do it without burning yourself out.