One of the most powerful features of having a fully integrated email system in our platform is being able to craft emails with placeholder tags that customize each individual email with things like name, CheckIn QR code, past donation amounts, and many more. There are multiple ways to access placeholders, and multiple ways to use them in your email marketing efforts.
Inserting Placeholders in an Email
Here is a simple example – the red boxes contain custom information for that person receiving your email:
Each of those boxes is a placeholder. This is what we entered into the email:
As you can see, placeholders are powerful tools when you link your email system tightly with your signup platform. The use cases are infinite. For example:
- Pre-Event Reminders like the one above
- Registration opening to past participants with reminders and links to past results
- Personalized invitations to special events
- Donation Reminders
- Fundraiser encouragement
Available Placeholders
This is a list of all of the placeholders currently available for Registration Participant Lists (note that each list type, like Donors, will have their own set of placeholders, and that you can upload your own lists with any custom placeholder):
| PLACEHOLDER | DESCRIPTION |
|---|---|
| %EMAIL% | Recipient’s E-mail address. |
| %FIRST_NAME% | Recipient’s first name. |
| %LAST_NAME% | Recipient’s last name. |
| %UNSUBSCRIBE_LINK% | Unsubscribe link (This is just the URL. You should add content to indicate that this link is to unsubscribe). |
| %RACE_NAME% | Race name. |
| %RACE_LOCATION% | Location of the race. |
| %RACE_LOCATION_DESCRIPTION% | Custom description of the race’s location. |
| %RACE_DATE% | Date of the race. |
| %RACE_START_TIME% | Start time of the first event of the race. |
| %RACE_REGISTRATION_LINK% | Full HTML link to race’s RunSignup registration page. If writing HTML directly, do NOT use this in <a href=”%RACE_REGISTRATION_LINK%”>. |
| %RACE_REGISTRATION_URL% | URL to race’s RunSignup registration page. |
| %RACE_INFORMATION_LINK% | Full HTML link to race’s RunSignup information page. If writing HTML directly, do NOT use this in <a href=”%RACE_INFORMATION_LINK%”>. |
| %RACE_INFORMATION_URL% | URL to race’s RunSignup information page. |
| %VOLUNTEER_SIGNUP_LINK% | Full HTML link to race’s RunSignup volunteer signup page. If writing HTML directly, do NOT use this in <a href=”%VOLUNTEER_SIGNUP_LINK%”>. |
| %VOLUNTEER_SIGNUP_URL% | URL to race’s RunSignup volunteer signup page. |
| %PACKET_PICKUP_LOCATION% | Packet pickup location. |
| %PACKET_PICKUP_DATE% | Date of the packet pickup. |
| %PACKET_PICKUP_TIME% | Time of the packet pickup. |
| %PACKET_PICKUP_DESCRIPTION% | Packet pickup custom description. |
| %PACKET_PICKUP_TIME_RACE_DAY% | Packet pickup start time on race day. |
| %PRICE_INCREASE_TABLE% | Formatted table showing all events current prices, and price increases. |
| %RACE_SPONSORS_AND_OFFERS% | Block containing sponsors and any offers associated with them. |
| %RACE_SPONSORS% | Block containing race sponsors |
| %REGISTRATION_ID% | Registration ID. |
| %BIB_NUMBER% | Bib number. |
| %EMAIL_ADDRESS% | Recipient’s e-mail address. |
| %EDIT_REGISTRATION_LINK% | Full HTML link to edit registration. If writing HTML directly, do NOT use this in <a href=”%PLACEHOLDER_EDIT_REGISTRATION_LINK%”>. |
| %EDIT_REGISTRATION_URL% | URL to edit registration. |
| %REGISTRATION_ID_QRCODE% | QR code image for the registration ID. |
| %SHIPPING_ADDRESS% | Recipient’s shipping address. |
| %DATE_OF_BIRTH% | Recipient’s date of birth. |
| %AGE% | Recipient’s age. |
| %GENDER% | Recipient’s gender. |
| %GROUP_BIB_NUMBER% | Recipient’s group bib number. |
| %CHIP_NUMBER% | Recipient’s chip number. |
| %GIVEAWAY_ITEM% | Recipient’s giveaway item. |
| %ADDON_ITEMS% | Recipient’s addon items. |
| %TEAM_NAME% | Runner’s group/team name |
| %DIGITAL_BIB_LINK% | Full HTML link to the recipient’s digital bib with the text “Digital Bib”. |
| %DIGITAL_BIB_URL% | URL to the recipient’s digital bib. Use this to build your own HTML link and text. |
| %REGISTRATION_REFERRAL_CODE% | Registration’s referral code if applicable. |
| %REGISTRATION_REFERRAL_CODE_LINK% | Full HTML link to the race page with the registration’s referral code if applicable. |
| %REGISTRATION_REFERRAL_CODE_URL% | URL to the race page with the registration’s referral code if applicable. |
| %REGISTRATION_REFERRAL_REMINDER_MESSAGE% | Message reminding the user to use their referral link, including a copy of the link. |
| %INDIVIDUAL_RESULTS_LINK% | Link to the participant’s results. |
| %INDIVIDUAL_RESULTS_URL% | URL to the to the participant’s results. |
| %FINISHER_CERTIFICATE_LINK% | Link to the participant’s finisher certificate. |
| %FINISHER_CERTIFICATE_URL% | URL to the participant’s finisher certificate. |
| %REGISTRATION_ID_BARCODE% | Barcode for the recipient’s registration ID (if applicable). |
| %WAIVER_STATUS% | Participant’s waiver status. |
| %CORRAL_NAME% | Registrant’s corral (if applicable). |
| %CORRAL_START_TIME% | Registrant’s corral start time (if applicable). |
| %CORRAL_DESC% | Registrant’s corral description (if applicable). |
| %RACE_WAIVER_LINK% | Link to the participant’s waiver. |
| %FUNDRAISER_LINK% | Link to the participant’s personal fundraiser. Fundraiser must be linked to registration. |
| %FUNDRAISER_URL% | URL to the participant’s personal fundraiser. Fundraiser must be linked to registration. |
| %FUNDRAISER_PLEDGE_LINK% | Link to the participant’s personal fundraiser page to make pledges. Fundraiser must be linked to registration. |
| %EVENT_NAME% | Recipient’s event. |
| %EVENT_START_TIME% | Recipient’s event start time. |
| %LOG_ACTIVITY_LINK% | A link to the participant’s activity logging page. |
| %LOG_ACTIVITY_URL% | URL to a participant‘s activity logging page. |
Entering Placeholders
When editing an email, there are two ways to enter placeholders. First, the menu option at the upper right of the editor breaks the placeholders into categories since there are so many (Note, the placeholders available are based on the “Send To” lists that you have included in your email – so if you are choosing an imported contact list you will likely not see this many placeholders):
Once you get used to placeholders, you can simply start typing a “%” and it will show you all placeholders. Keep typing and it will automatically show you all the placeholders that start with the letter “Re” if you type “%Re”:
Default Placeholder Option
You may not have a placeholder for every contact in your database. For example, you may have imported an email list where some emails have first name, and others do not. When you create your email, we give you the change to enter in default placeholder value – for example Dear “Supporter” or Dear “Friend” for those emails where you do not have the data:
Summary
Placeholders unlock many powerful features. We have written about several for our Ticket Platform, Custom Lists and Donations. Let us know interesting examples you come up with.
