What is dynamic content in email?

Dynamic content automatically adapts within an email based on recipient data. Instead of creating separate emails for different audiences, you create one email with content blocks that change.

How it works: Define rules for content variations. "If customer tier = VIP, show exclusive offer. If customer tier = standard, show general offer." The email template is one, but renders differently for each recipient.

Common use cases:

Product recommendations based on browse or purchase history.
Location-specific content showing local stores or events.
Lifecycle-appropriate messaging adapting for new vs returning customers.
Language variations within a single campaign.
Pricing and currency localization.

Benefits: Scale personalization without creating dozens of campaign versions. Reduce errors from managing too many assets. Enable more sophisticated targeting within single sends.

Requirements: Clean, accurate data to drive the rules. ESP or platform that supports dynamic content blocks. Testing process to verify all variations render correctly.

It's like a message in a bottle that rewrites itself based on who finds it. The bottle is one, but every recipient reads a letter meant for them.