Going beyond "Hi First Name" — 3 easy ways to personalize your emails

"Hi First Name, thank you for being a VIP!"

Oof.

Email snafus are common—typos, broken designs, etc. But few errors are more personally offensive than "Hi First Name."

Sure, you can add complex dynamic personalization blocks in your emails, but that could take some time.

While you're waiting, here are some quick ways you can personalize:

1. Write the name somewhere else:

The same way normal people say your name at other times during a convo, not just the beginning.

I'm a fan of using the reader's name at the end of my emails. It's a pleasant surprise after reading a message and seeing my name somewhere in the mix.

"What do you think, Kat? I'd love to hear your thoughts on this!"

2. Send emails at local time: 

Set your emails to go out in your recipient's local time zone.

2 PM in NYC is 2 AM in Manila. Heck, 10 AM in Miami is 7 AM in Los Angeles.

If you're sending out a newsletter to a wide audience, and there's nothing time-sensitive in it, try to send it at local time. Not only will your recipient feel more valued, you also won't be bothering them at 6 AM telling them about your latest products.

3. No name? No problem: 

Instead of giving up and defaulting on "Hey there," try to be more creative.

The key is to be specific and/or find what you have in common. For example, if I'm emailing a group of people from Ship30For30, I'd send an email starting with "Hiya Shipmate!"

Adding these little extra touches makes a big difference.

Hope this helps and I can't wait to see the awesome emails you create!