📌 The first name variable is an unofficial feature, so it could disappear at any time. If you’re logged into Substack and you see your name after the word “Hey” below, then it’s still working.
Hey
You might be wondering why your name is showing up in my post.
It turns out Substack has a secret name variable! If you type % % first_name % % (without spaces) into the body of a post, each of your readers sees their own first name in its place.
I haven’t found this documented by Substack anywhere. They have never announced it, and there’s nothing about it in the help center, so it’s likely an accident. I’ve been testing the variable on Really Good Business Ideas, and today I’m sharing everything I know about it in this post.
What Is Substack’s First Name Variable?
The first name variable is a text placeholder that displays each reader’s first name inside the body of a Substack post, both on Substack and in the email version, using the name Substack has on file for that reader. Substack has never documented the feature, so it’s likely an accident, and it could stop working at any time without notice.
How to Add a Personalized Greeting to a Substack Post
Type the variable directly into the body of the post, exactly as written but without any spaces: % % first_name % %. I’ve only added spaces here to prevent it from rendering!
When Substack has no name to show, the variable renders as a blank space. For example, a logged-out visitor reading on the web sees nothing where the first name variable sits.
This means you might want to avoid using punctuation right after the variable so it doesn’t look like a typo to logged-out visitors. (Remember I’ve added the spaces to prevent it from rendering).
“Hey % % first_name % %” degrades to “Hey”
“Hey % % first_name % %,” degrades to “Hey ,”
Where Does the First Name Variable Work?
The first name variable only works in the body of a Substack post. Readers see their name (or a blank space) whether they’re viewing the post on the website, in the app, or in an email.
Everywhere else on Substack shows the raw variable text instead:
Post titles and subtitles.
Email subject lines.
Notes.
Chat.
Test emails of unpublished posts also won’t render the first name variable. A test send isn’t attached to a real subscriber, so Substack has no name to fill in. If you ever want to confirm the variable is still working before you send it, you can always come back and look for your name at the top of this post!
Accidental or not, this variable is one small piece of a much bigger personalization toolkit that Substack has been building out. I’ll cover the whole collection of personalization features in the coming weeks. Make sure you’re subscribed so you don’t miss it.
To endless possibilities,
Casandra
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Seeing my name in an article stopped me dead in my tracks. I had to know how it was done, and your article came up first in my Google search. Thanks so much!!!
I'm familiar with this type of feature in CRMs and form builders. I didn't know Substack had it. Thanks for sharing.