How to Create Emails with Dynamic Content

Dynamic Content allows you to send personalized, targeted emails to different audience segments in a single send. This guide covers prerequisites, step-by-step instructions, and best practices.

New to Dynamic Content? Learn about its benefits and use cases here.

Prerequisites

Before using Dynamic Content, verify you meet these requirements:

Creating a Dynamic Content Email

Step 1: Create a New Email

1. Click Emails at the top of the ContactMonkey Dashboard
2. Click Create New Email
3. Select one of the following
   1. A premade template
   2. Upload a JSON
   3. Start from Scratch
4. Fill out a name and add tags (optional)
5. Toggle ON the Dynamic Content email setting
6. Click Create to open the Email Builder

Step 2: Design Your Email

Create your email layout, including:

• Headers and footers visible to all recipients
• Global content (company-wide updates, announcements)
• Content rows you'll make dynamic

Tip: Use text titles to label content rows during design (ex: "Canadian Employees Section"). Delete titles before sending.

Step 3: Apply Display Conditions to Rows

1. Select the row you want to display conditionally by clicking its margins
2. In the properties menu on the right, scroll to the Dynamic Content block
3. Click Select Lists
4. Choose contact lists from List Management (up to 10 lists per row)
   • Example: Assign "Canadian Based Employees" list to CA-specific content
5. Repeat for other dynamic rows, assigning appropriate lists

Step 4: Preview Your Email

1. Click Preview at the top right
2. Select the Display conditions drop-down to see how content displays for different audiences
3. Verify each segment sees the correct content
4. Adjust display conditions or design as needed
5. Click Save and Exit when finished

Step 5: Send a Test Email

Dynamic Content test emails work differently to give you peace of mind:

Test recipients see ALL content with indicators showing which lists see each row. This lets reviewers verify targeting without needing access to each contact list.

Use the Send Test  feature to confirm:

• Global content displays for all recipients
• Dynamic rows are correctly assigned to lists

Sending a Dynamic Content Email

1. Open your email sending platform (Outlook, Outlook Dashboard, Google Dashboard)
2. Select your email template (Dynamic Content emails have a special label in the template list)
3. Contact lists are pre-selected automatically based on dynamic row assignments
   • Example: If a row is assigned to "US Employees," that list auto-populates as a recipient
4. Add any additional contact lists as needed
   • Individuals/distribution lists entered in the To field will be ignored
5. Click Send & Track/Send now

ContactMonkey automatically ensures:

• Global content appears for all recipients
• Dynamic rows display only to assigned contact lists
• Recipients in multiple lists receive ONE email with all relevant content (no duplicates)

How Recipients Experience Dynamic Content

Recipients see versions based on their list memberships:

• All Employees list: Global content only
• US Employees list: Global content + US-specific rows
• EU Employees / APAC Employees lists: Global content + region-specific rows
• Multiple lists (ex: in both US Employees and Sales Team): Global content + all assigned rows

Best Practices

Plan Your Lists Before Designing

Create and segment contact lists in List Management before building your email. This makes assigning display conditions faster and ensures accurate targeting.

Keep Display Conditions Simple

Avoid overly complex targeting rules. Clear, simple list assignments reduce errors and make emails easier to manage.

Use Default Global Content

Always include global content (headers, footers, company-wide messages) so everyone receives relevant communication, even if they don't match specific dynamic criteria.

Define Clear Campaign Goals

Before building, identify your objective: boosting engagement, informing specific groups, or driving action. This guides your segmentation and content strategy.

Preview and Test Thoroughly

Use the preview feature to verify content displays correctly for each audience segment. Send test emails to colleagues to catch issues before the final send.

Avoid Dynamic Content for Confidential Information

Important security consideration: Do not use Dynamic Content to send confidential or sensitive information. If misconfigured, sensitive content could be sent to the wrong audience.

For confidential communications:

• Send to a single, verified audience
• Use specialized secure systems designed for sensitive content
• Verify recipient lists carefully

Email is not inherently secure, and Dynamic Content carries the same limitations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I save Dynamic Content emails as templates?

Yes. To save as a template:

1. Create your Dynamic Content email
2. Click the down arrow beside Save and Exit
3. Select Convert to Template

Can I share a Dynamic Content email with another team?

Yes, but display conditions are removed when sharing to respect list permissions and privacy. The recipient will need to reapply display conditions using their accessible lists.

Why don't I see "Dynamic Content" in Row Properties?

Possible reasons:

• The email wasn't created with Dynamic Content enabled
• Your account doesn't have the feature activated (check with your Admin or Owner in Settings → Email Settings)

What if a recipient belongs to multiple lists?

Recipients in multiple lists receive ONE email containing all content assigned to their lists. No duplicates are sent.

What happens if I add a list not assigned to any dynamic row?

Recipients in that list will only see global content. Dynamic rows won't display for them since they weren't assigned as display conditions.

Can I use merge fields with Dynamic Content?

No, merge fields cannot be used with Dynamic Content.

See Also

• Using Dynamic Content with Multi-Language Emails