Definition
Personalisation means tailoring a message so it fits the specific recipient: their name, business, situation or recent activity.
Levels
- Merge fields — {FirstName}, {Company}, {City}.
- Segment-level — message tailored to a group's shared situation.
- One-to-one — a first line about something specific to that person.
What actually matters
Names and company names are expected. What makes people reply is relevance: a first line that shows you understand their situation — their Maps rank, their latest video, their launch, their ads.
Data that makes it possible
Lead lists with rich data let you personalise quickly:
- Google Maps: rating, reviews, rank, website status
- YouTube: latest video, subscribers, upload frequency
- Ad Library: number and age of ads
- Product Hunt: launch date and rank
- TrustMRR: MRR and growth
- Skool: bio and location
Mistakes
- personalisation that is wrong or invented
- creepy details from someone's private life
- broken merge fields ("Hi {FirstName}")
Related: personalising cold email at scale
Example
Generic: "Hi Sam, I help businesses grow online." Personal: "Hi Sam — Carter Plumbing has 60 five-star reviews but shows 6th for 'emergency plumber Denver'." The second shows you looked.
Key takeaways
- Personalisation proves the email was written for them.
- Relevance beats merge fields.
- Accurate data makes personalisation fast.