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How do I change the font or style of a token?

A token keeps a font, size, colour or bold setting when your selection covers the whole token, both pairs of curly braces included. Format only part of it and the styling is removed when the email is merged. Formatting a whole line or the whole message is the safest option.

Formatting Personalization Tokens

Select the whole token, including both pairs of curly braces, then apply your font, size, colour, bold or italic. In {{ First Name }} the selection has to run from the first { to the last }. A selection that covers only First Name does not keep the style.

For consistent formatting across a greeting or the whole email, select that larger area instead. Any tokens inside it are covered automatically.

Diagram comparing a correct selection covering the whole token with an incorrect one leaving the braces outside, and the merged result of each

Options for Consistent Message Styling

  • Whole message. Select the entire body (Ctrl+A, or Cmd+A on Mac) and apply the font and size. Use this when the whole email should be in one typeface.
  • A line or paragraph. Triple-click it, then apply the formatting. Useful for a styled greeting such as Dear {{ First Name }},.
  • One token. Drag from just before the opening {{ to just after the closing }}. Use this when only the merged value should stand out, for example an invoice number in bold.

Two habits catch people out when formatting a single token:

  • Double-clicking selects a word, not the token. In {{ First Name }} you get First or Name, and the braces stay behind.
  • Ctrl+Shift+arrow also moves by word, so it can stop between the column name and the closing braces.

If in doubt, extend the selection a character or two into the surrounding text.

Best Practice for Writing Emails

  1. Write the plain text of your email.
  2. Insert the tokens with “Select a column to add to your email:” and the “Add to body” or “Add to subject” buttons.
  3. Apply your formatting last, selecting whole lines or the whole body where you can.
  4. Send a test email with “Send test email to yourself”.

The test email uses the first row of your spreadsheet, so check the formatting of the merged values themselves, not just the text around them.

Note for Conditional Tags

SecureMailMerge only removes stray HTML from inside {{ ... }} tokens, not from the control tags used by conditions, which look like {% if New == "TRUE" %}. Formatting part of a condition tag can leave HTML inside it, which can fail with a Liquid syntax error.

Apply formatting to the content between {% if %} and {% endif %} instead. That is the part your recipients see.

Diagram comparing formatting the message inside a condition block with incorrectly formatting part of the condition tag

How much formatting to use

Formatting in email is a request, not a guarantee, and clients apply their own rules. Keep the email in one readable typeface and use bold sparingly, and if your template does use a more involved design, send a test to a couple of different clients before starting the campaign.

Frequently asked questions

Why did bold formatting disappear from my token?
The formatting was most likely applied inside the token rather than around it. SecureMailMerge removes HTML tags found inside a token, and the styling those tags carried goes with them. Select the token again including both pairs of braces, then apply the formatting.
Why does a partly selected token lose its style?
Outlook stores formatting as hidden HTML tags around the characters you selected, so stopping just inside the braces puts those tags inside the token. Before merging, SecureMailMerge removes HTML tags found inside a token so that a stray tag cannot stop it being recognised, and your styling is removed along with them. Tags that surround the whole token are left alone, so the merged value inherits them. This is why formatting can look right in the compose window and be missing in the test email.
What happens if the formatting splits a pair of braces?
The braces in each pair have to stay together. HTML between the two opening braces, or between the two closing braces, means the token may not be recognised as a token at all, so it is not replaced with your data. Starting the selection a character or two before the first brace avoids this.
Do I have to format each token separately?
No. You can select and format a whole line or the whole message body, including any tokens inside it.
Does the merged value keep the formatting of the token?
Yes, when the formatting surrounds the whole token. Apply it to the token including both pairs of braces, then confirm the result in a test email.
When should I apply formatting, before or after inserting tokens?
After. Write your message, insert the tokens with "Add to body", then select each whole token and apply the formatting.

See also

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