When it comes to incorporating placeholders in your emails, attention needs to be paid in order to ensure that placeholders work so that embarrassing scenarios such as blank placeholders do not occur.
So, how can this be solved? The key lies in understanding the email placeholder feature available on freshsales and mapping it to the right values.

 

Reasons why placeholders fail:
- Scenario 1: When the associated field value is empty
- Scenario 2: When the placeholder does not is not linked/mapped to the used entity  
- Scenario 3: When a special character is used in custom field placeholder


When are email placeholders most likely to fail?
Email placeholders are most likely to fail in the following scenarios:


Scenario 1. 

Scenario for failure

Example

What needs to be done?

When the associated field value is empty, i.e, when the field associated with a particular placeholder does not carry a value. 

If a few of your leads have an empty ‘territory’ field, sending a bulk email with the ‘territory’ placeholder will result in these leads receiving an email where there will be null value in place of the placeholder.

Ensure that the fields associated with a placeholder are filled.    


Scenario for failure:

Here’s how the error appears:


Scenario 2. 

Scenario for failure

Example

What needs to be done?

When the placeholder does not is not linked/mapped to the used entity i.e you used a lead placeholder in an email addressed to contacts.

A ‘lead stage’ placeholder does not map to contacts and hence will not work if the bulk email is addressed to contacts.

Use the placeholder only for bulk emails that are addressed to the relevant entity. 


Scenario for failure:



Scenario 3. 

Scenario for failure

Example

What needs to be done?

When a special character is used in custom field placeholder, i.e, you have used a special character in your placeholder content
Note:  This limitation is only for the ‘name’ of the custom field and not the value under the custom field.

A placeholder used for the custom field with the ‘Type of $ payment’ will be void when sent to the recipient. 

Remove the special character from the field title before using it as a placeholder in the email. 


Scenario for failure:


Here’s how the error appears:




To learn how to set up placeholders, read this 
article