Variables are placeholders that fill themselves in with the customer’s details. You might know them as merge fields, merge tags or dynamic fields. You add a variable to a template once, and every proposal created from that template swaps it for the details of the lead it belongs to.
So “Hi Proposal Recipient Name” in your template becomes “Hi Sarah” on Sarah’s proposal, without you typing anything.
Why variables matter
A template full of variables gives you a personalised proposal the moment you create it. You’re checking a page rather than writing one.
Variables also stop mistakes. A date or a venue typed by hand can be typed wrong. A variable pulls from the lead, so the proposal always says what the lead says.
Where you can use them
You can use variables in any text on a proposal: headings, paragraphs, buttons and the page title. The page title is the text in the browser tab, and you set it in Configure proposal. Something like “Your wedding proposal | Proposal Recipient Name” makes the tab feel personal.
The most common places are the opening greeting, the hero heading and a line near the top that confirms the event date and venue.
How to add a variable
Click into the text where the variable should go.
Type a curly brace: {
Choose the variable you want from the list that appears.
In the builder you’ll see the variable’s name highlighted. The customer sees the real value.
Write the sentence so it still reads well once the variable is replaced. “We’d love to be part of Event Name at Venue: Name” works. A sentence that only makes sense if you already know the value doesn’t.
Variables you can use in proposals
Proposal details:
Proposal Recipient Name: the name of the person the proposal is for.
Proposal Expiry Date: the date the proposal expires, written out in full, for example Friday 14th November 2026.
Proposal Expiry Countdown: how long is left before the proposal expires, for example “5 days”.
Event details, from the lead:
Event Name
Event Date
Event Type
Venue: Name
Customer details:
Customer: Company, which is useful for corporate events.
Your business details:
Your business name, phone number and email address. Using these instead of typing them means every template stays correct if your details ever change.
Fallbacks for empty fields
A variable can only show data that exists on the lead. If the lead has no venue yet, there’s nothing to insert.
Give your variables a fallback, which is the text shown when the field is empty. A fallback of “your venue” turns “We’d love to be at Venue: Name” into “We’d love to be at your venue” instead of a gap. Fallbacks also make your template read properly when you preview it without a real lead.
When a variable shows the wrong thing or nothing at all
Check the lead first. Nearly every variable problem comes from a lead created in a hurry with fields left blank or filled in the wrong place. Fill in the field on the lead and the proposal updates.
If the lead looks right, there’s a separate troubleshooting article for blank names, dates and venues that works through the other causes in order.