Mailchimp dynamic content: conditions, setup, limits and conditional merge tags

Mailchimp dynamic content lets you send one email that shows different blocks to different people, based on conditions you set from your audience data. You turn it on for a content block, choose a condition such as a group, a tag or an audience field, and Mailchimp shows or hides that block for each recipient. Mailchimp's help page on dynamic content, read on 13 October 2026, lists it as included with the Standard plan or higher.

What it does and what it replaces

Without it, a newsletter with an offer for one customer group means building two versions of the email, scheduling two sends and keeping two designs in step. With dynamic content you build one email, mark the block that only some people should see, and send once. Mailchimp's own example is a plant store whose weekly newsletter includes a product block for contacts in a "Cacti" group; the block is set to show for that group and stays hidden for everyone else.

Use it when most of the email is the same for everyone and one or two blocks change. If the whole email differs, make separate emails.

The conditions you can use

Parameter	Operators	Example
Audience field (text, dates, addresses)	Is, is not, contains, does not contain (contains options are in the new builder only)	City contains "Leeds"
Group	Is, is not	Interest group is "Cacti"
Tag (new builder only)	Is, is not	Tag is "Trade customer"

Mailchimp states that "contains" and "does not contain" work with an audience field but not with tags or groups. You can stack up to 10 conditions on one block using "Add another rule".

Set it up in the new builder

1. Click the content block or layout you want to make conditional, or add a new one.
2. In the content block menu, open the Visibility tab.
3. If Mailchimp asks you to choose an audience first, pick it and continue.
4. Click Customize recipients.
5. In the first drop-down choose a tag, an audience field or a group.
6. Choose Is or Is not, or Contains or Does not contain for a field, and enter the value.
7. Add further rules if you need them, then click Save.

The legacy builder has a "Set Dynamic Content" button in the editing pane instead. The result is the same, but it offers fewer conditions.

Limits to know before you build

• Plan. Standard or higher.
• Footer blocks. Dynamic content cannot be used in footer content blocks, so the legal footer stays the same for everyone.
• Audience required. It renders from live merge tag information, so it works and previews only in emails with an audience attached.
• Test sends. Dynamic content merge tags are not activated in test emails. Preview with the live merge tag info slider switched on, or send a live email to a small test segment.
• Copies. Saved and replicated emails keep their dynamic content settings, so check the conditions when you reuse an old email.

Conditional merge tags, the other route

Mailchimp also offers conditional merge tags, which run inside the text of a block. They use IF, ELSE, ELSEIF and IFNOT logic and these operators: equal to, not equal to, greater than, less than, greater than or equal to, and less than or equal to. Mailchimp's example:

*|IF:AGE >= 21|*
Check out our special deals on wine!
*|END:IF|*

The rules from Mailchimp's help page on conditional merge tags are worth keeping beside you.

• They work with audience fields and groups. Tags do not work with them.
• They do not work in subject lines or with unique URLs, and they do not populate in test emails.
• The IF check looks at the entire string, so AND and OR conditions should not be used.
• For number comparisons, use number fields, so that results are consistent.

A useful pattern is a fallback for missing data, so a contact without a first name does not receive a blank greeting:

Hello *|IF:FNAME|*
*|FNAME|*,
*|ELSE:|*
Friend,
*|END:IF|*

Choose dynamic content when you want to show or hide whole blocks without touching code, and conditional merge tags when you need a change inside a sentence or a fallback for a missing field.

Five uses that earn their keep

1. New customer against returning customer. A welcome block for people with a "First order" tag, a loyalty block for everyone else.
2. Location. The address and hours of the nearest shop, driven by a city or postcode field.
3. Interest. The product block for the group each person picked at sign-up.
4. Language. Spanish text for contacts whose language field says so, English for the rest.
5. Trade against retail. Wholesale pricing for a trade tag, public pricing for the rest.

All five depend on clean audience data. A group or tag that is half filled shows the wrong block to half the people, so audit the field before you rely on it.

A test routine before every send

1. Create a small segment of colleagues and friends that includes at least one person for each condition.
2. Send a live email to that segment, since test emails will not show the dynamic blocks.
3. Check that each person sees only the blocks meant for them and that no gap or empty space appears where a block is hidden.
4. Check the email on a phone and in a second email client.
5. Only then schedule the full send. Our guide to email marketing deliverability covers list health and the flows that follow.

Questions about Mailchimp dynamic content

Which Mailchimp plan includes dynamic content?

Mailchimp's help page states that the feature is included with the Standard plan or higher. Check the current plan comparison on Mailchimp's pricing page before you build around it.

How many conditions can I add to one block?

Up to 10 in the new builder, set with "Add another rule".

Why does my test email not show the dynamic block?

Mailchimp does not activate dynamic content merge tags in test emails. Use the live merge tag info preview or send a live email to a small test segment.

Can I use dynamic content in the subject line?

Dynamic content is built for content blocks. Mailchimp says conditional merge tags do not work in subject lines, so test subject line variations with a different feature.

Can I use tags with conditional merge tags?

No. Conditional merge tags work with audience fields and groups, and dynamic content is the route for tags.

What the reader types before they open the email

Dynamic content makes one email say the right thing to each segment. The same care belongs to the step before the list: the person who is deciding whether to sign up to your newsletter or buy from your shop often asks an assistant about you first. Ask ChatGPT, Gemini and Perplexity what your business sells, who it is for and what customers say, and compare the answer with the segments you email. AI Knows Us (aiknowsus.com) records those answers for a business across five assistants, so the offer in your email and the description that brought the subscriber in can be checked against each other.