Definition
💡 Mail merge can create personalized emails, letters, labels, and other documents needed in bulk. It's done by merging a template with data from a source, such as an email list or CSV file, using either a word processor like MS Word or an email service provider like Outlook.
Mail merge is a handy tool for customizing mass content without manually entering information for each recipient—which sounds rather tedious, especially if you have hundreds or thousands of them!
Mail merge is typically used for marketing, customer outreach, newsletters, and more. It's an excellent hack for saving time and improving the success rate of your emails because you're making them more targeted and relevant for each recipient.
Example
Mail merge is typically used when you need to send out bulk communication or a long list — without manually personalizing them. Examples include:
- Marketing emails with the recipient's name and other personal details added to the message.
- Writing hundreds of letters without having to add personalized greetings individually.
- Creating labels or envelopes with different names and addresses.
- Building a long directory of employees and creating an email contact list from it.
What is Mail Merge in Gmail?
Mail merge can be done through most email service providers, such as Gmail and Outlook.
Gmail has built-in mail merge features that allow users to create personalized emails using data from a spreadsheet or contact list. Let's see how it works.
How to use Mail Merge in Gmail
⚠️ Note that mail merge in Gmail is only available if you have an account under an eligible Google Workspace plan. Using a personal account not part of a Google Workspace will not give you access to this feature.
Here's how to use this feature directly from your email:
- Compose your email template in Gmail by clicking the Compose button in the upper left corner of your inbox. You can also use an existing draft.
- Make your way to the To: line and add recipients.
- At the right side of the To: line, next to Cc and Bcc, is the icon for mail merge. Click it to enable.
- If you type "@", mail merge will give you options to personalize the first name, last name, full name, or email address. Pick the option to insert the appropriate merge tag. Press Enter.
And to use mail merge using a spreadsheet:
- Follow steps 1 to 3 above.
- After enabling mail merge, click Add from a spreadsheet. Select the relevant spreadsheet.
- In the pop-up window, choose the columns from your spreadsheet that have recipient information — such as email, first name, and last name (which can be optional).
- Click Finish. At this stage, your spreadsheet is added to the To: line in the message.
- In your message body, type @ to select a merge tag based on the relevant column headers in your spreadsheet.
- To insert the merge tag, press Enter.
Other possible ways to perform Mail Merge
Mail merge is a useful tool for creating personalized emails and documents in bulk. It allows you to merge a template with data from a source, such as an Excel spreadsheet or Google Sheets document, to quickly and efficiently create customized content.
You can use mail merge in various programs such as Word, Excel, and Google Sheets:
- Mail merge from Excel to Word: Commonly used to create letters, envelopes, or labels in MS Word using data from an Excel spreadsheet.
- Mail merge in Word: Directly create personalized emails or documents in MS Word by importing and merging data from a source like an Excel spreadsheet.
