Use Advanced Dynamic Variables

Overview

Dynamic variables personalize sequence emails with Apollo data and custom field values. Basic dynamic variables insert a field value. Advanced dynamic variables add conditional logic and modifiers, so you can display different copy when a field is present, blank, or matches a specific value.

Use advanced dynamic variables in the subject or body of sequence email templates and email steps. Conditional blocks support standard Apollo fields and supported custom fields. Use {{#if}}, {{#else}}, and {{#endif}} to create fallback copy, compare values, and build nested conditions. You can also use -> operators to format text or adjust date values.

Check out the following sections to add and use advanced dynamic variables.

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Use Advanced Dynamic Variables in a Sequence Email

Add advanced dynamic variables to the subject or body of an email step.

To use an advanced dynamic variable in a sequence email:

1. Launch Apollo and click Sequences.
2. Create a sequence or click an existing sequence.
3. Open an existing email step, or add a new one.
4. Enter the conditional logic in the email subject or body.
5. Preview the email with contacts that have different field values to confirm that each conditional branch displays the correct copy.
6. Click Save.

You have now added an advanced dynamic variable to a sequence email.

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Types of Advanced Dynamic Variables

You can use the following types of advanced dynamic variables:

• Empty Fallback
• Dynamic Fallback
• Conditional Comparisons and Custom Fields
• Letter Case and Pluralization Operators
• Current Date and Time Operators
• Custom Date Operators

Each type helps you adjust your email copy based on available field values or send-time context.

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Empty Fallback

Use an empty fallback when you want Apollo to display content only when a field contains data. Add the field variable inside the {{#if}} block.

For example, use the following conditional to greet a contact when their first name is available:

{{#if contact.first_name}}Hi {{contact.first_name}},{{#endif}}

If the contact’s first name is John, Apollo displays:

Hi John,

If the first-name field is blank, Apollo omits the entire greeting.

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Dynamic Fallback

Use a dynamic fallback when you want Apollo to replace a missing field with text you provide.

For example, use the following conditional to greet a contact by name or use a generic greeting when their first name is unavailable:

Hi {{#if contact.first_name}}{{contact.first_name}}{{#else}}there{{#endif}},

If the contact’s first name is John, Apollo displays:

Hi John,

If the first-name field is blank, Apollo displays:

Hi there,

Each part of the conditional controls the result:

• {{#if contact.first_name}} checks whether the first-name field contains data.
• {{contact.first_name}} displays the first name when the field contains data.
• {{#else}}there displays the fallback text when the field is blank.
• {{#endif}} closes the conditional block.

To add literal fallback copy, use a conditional block with {{#else}}. Use -> only with supported text and date operators.

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Conditional Comparisons and Custom Fields

Use conditional comparisons to display different copy when a standard or custom field matches a specific value. You can compare text, numbers, and true or false values.

For example, use an account custom field to tailor your copy by industry:

{{#if account.custom_industry == "Technology"}}...

Replace account.custom_industry with the custom-field variable Apollo inserts from the dynamic variables menu for your field.

Apollo supports the following comparison operators:

You can nest conditional blocks to compare multiple values. Add one {{#endif}} statement for every {{#if}} statement.

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Letter Case and Pluralization Operators

Use letter case and pluralization operators to change how Apollo displays a text value.

Chain supported operators with -> to apply more than one change:

{{contact.title->capitalize_each_word->plural}}

This variable displays engineering manager as Engineering Managers.

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Current Date and Time Operators

Use current date and time variables to personalize email copy based on the applicable date or time of day. For date calculations, add a supported -> operator to a now_* variable.

Apollo applies the offset before it displays the requested date component. For now_day and now_weekday, non-zero offsets skip weekends.

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Custom Date Operators

Use custom date operators to extract or adjust parts of a date stored in a custom field. Add the custom field from the dynamic variables menu so Apollo uses the correct field name.

For example, suppose the account custom field product_announcement contains October 15, 2026:

• {{account.product_announcement->day}} displays 15.
• {{account.product_announcement->month}} displays October.
• {{account.product_announcement->year}} displays 2026.
• {{account.product_announcement->weekday}} displays the day of the week.

You can also chain a date adjustment after the date component. For example, {{account.product_announcement->year->plus_1}} displays 2027.

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Example Use Case for Advanced Dynamic Variables

Suppose you want to greet each contact by name, tailor your copy to an account custom field, and propose a future year:

Hi {{#if contact.first_name}}{{contact.first_name}}{{#else}}there{{#endif}},

{{#if account.custom_industry == "Technology"}}Technology teams often use Apollo to personalize outreach at scale.
{{#else}}{{#if account.custom_industry == "Marketing"}}Marketing teams often use Apollo to coordinate personalized campaigns.
{{#else}}Growing teams often use Apollo to personalize outreach at scale.{{#endif}}{{#endif}}

We'd like to show you how Apollo can support your goals for {{now_year->plus_1}}.

The first conditional greets the contact by name when a first name is available. Otherwise, Apollo uses there.

The nested conditional compares the account’s custom industry field:

• If the value is Technology, Apollo displays the technology copy.
• If the value is Marketing, Apollo displays the marketing copy.
• If the field has another value or no value, Apollo displays the general fallback.

The two nested {{#if}} statements require two {{#endif}} statements.

The {{now_year->plus_1}} variable adds one to the current year.

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Next Steps

Ready to put advanced dynamic variables to work? These resources can help you build stronger personalization across templates, sequences, and AI research.

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