Overview
Dynamic content allows you to display different content variations to different recipients within the same email. This helps you create personalized email experiences without duplicating email designs.
Dynamic content uses existing local or global segments to determine which content each recipient sees.
Before You Start
Before you begin, make sure you have:
Configured dynamic content for your Marketing Automation Platform (MAP)
Created at least one local or global segment
Make sure dynamic content is configured in your Knak account.
If not, check the help articles specific to your Marketing Automation Platform (MAP):
Add Dynamic Content to an Email Content Block
Follow these steps to personalize content within your email.
Step 1: Select a Content Block
Select the content you want to personalize:
Text
Images
Buttons
Social icons
Dividers
Spacers
Note: Oracle Responsys, Adobe Journey Optimizer (AJO), and Salesforce Marketing Cloud (SFMC) support section-level Dynamic Content in Knak. Use section-level Dynamic Content to personalize entire sections of your email instead of individual content blocks. For more information, see Section-Level Dynamic Content.
Step 2: Enable Dynamic Content
Click the Dynamic Content icon in the attributes panel.
Step 3: Manage the Default Variant
Each dynamic content block includes a default variant. This content displays when a recipient does not match any audience segment.
Configure the default variant before creating audience-specific variants.
Hide Content by Default (Optional)
Use Hide content by default when content should only appear if a segment condition is met. If this option is enabled, the content block will not appear unless a recipient matches a segment rule.
Example Use Cases
Exclusive offers for specific customers
Regional promotions
Partner-only announcements
How to Enable
Select the dynamic content block.
Open the Variants panel.
Check Hide content by default.
Step 4: Select a Segment
Click the Cog icon to choose an existing segment.
You can:
Select a global segment
Create a new local segment
Recommended: Use global segments whenever possible for consistency across campaigns.
To learn more about global segments and local segments, see Dynamic Content | Global and Local Segments
Review Segment Information
Hover over a segment
Open the segment flyout
The flyout displays:
Marketing Automation Platform (MAP)
Segment type
Segment conditions
Step 5: Customize and Manage Each Variant
Each segment creates a separate content variant. Update the content for each variant individually.
Prioritize Audience Segments
Segment order determines which content displays. Place more specific segments before broader segments.
Example:
Priority | Segment | Conditions |
First | Canadian Healthcare Directors | Industry In List (Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals), Country Equals Canada, Job Title Contains Director, Work Phone Has Content |
Second | North American Healthcare Contacts | Industry In List (Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals), Country In List (Canada, United States) |
Third | Healthcare Audience | Industry In List (Healthcare, Pharmaceuticals) |
Why Order Matters
A recipient with the following profile:
Industry = Healthcare
Country = Canada
Job Title = Director of Operations
Work Phone = 555-123-4567
This customer contact matches all three segments. Because the Canadian Healthcare Directors segment appears first, that recipient sees the content assigned to that segment.
Tip: Place the most restrictive conditions first when creating overlapping segments. This helps ensure the correct content variant displays for each recipient.
Reorder Variants
When segment conditions overlap, Knak displays the first matching variant.
Place more specific segments higher in the list.
Example:
Customer segments before regional segments
VIP audiences before general audiences
Use Dynamic Content in Email Details
You can also personalize Email Details fields using dynamic content.
Supported personalization includes:
Profile data
Merge tags
URL parameters
Marketing automation tokens
Common use cases include:
First name personalization
Company name personalization
Campaign tracking parameters
Preview Dynamic Content in Knak
Preview each dynamic content variant before sending your email.
Preview the Default Content
Open the Preview tab.
Leave all segment toggles turned off.
Review the default content.
The default content displays when a recipient does not match any segment.
Preview Segment Variants
Open the Preview tab.
Enable the toggle for a segment.
Review the content displayed for that audience.
Repeat for each segment variant.
The preview updates to show the content that recipients in the selected segment will see.
Remove Dynamic Content From a Content Block
To remove dynamic content from your content block:
Select the dynamic content block
Click the Remove Dynamic Content icon
Remove a Segment Variant From a Content Block
Remove a single segment variant from a dynamic content block. This does not remove dynamic content from the block.
Select the dynamic content block.
Expand the Dynamic Content Variants section.
Locate the variant you want to remove.
Click the trash can icon beside the variant.
The variant is removed from the current content block.
Delete a Segment
Delete a segment when it is no longer needed.
Click the gear icon to open Segment Settings.
Select the segment.
Click Delete.
Confirm the deletion.
⚠️ Important: Deleting a segment is different from removing a segment variant. Removing a segment variant only affects the current content block. Deleting a Global Segment removes it from all emails and modules that use it.
Dynamic Content Best Practices
Follow these recommendations when building personalized email experiences.
Use global segments when you plan to reuse personalization across multiple emails.
Use local segments for campaign-specific personalization.
Review your email in your Marketing Automation Platform after syncing to confirm dynamic content and audience segmentation are configured correctly.
Keep segment logic simple when possible.
Use clear segment names to make variants easier to manage.
Review your default content carefully. It displays when no segment conditions match.
Points of Consideration
Workspace Syncing
Syncing emails between workspaces may affect access to local or global segments.
Review segment availability after syncing content.
Using “In List” Conditions
Use the In List operator to match multiple values within a single condition.
Values must be separated by commas.
Example:
Setting | Value |
Variable | Country |
Operator | In List |
Value | Canada, USA, Mexico |
Manage User Permissions for Dynamic Content
Control access to Dynamic Content using roles.
Update Role Permissions
Go to Admin.
Click Roles.
Select the role to modify.
Scroll to the Dynamic Content section.
You can grant permission to:
Manage dynamic content variants
Manage global segments
Manage local segments
Need more help? Contact support via live chat using the chat bubble in the bottom right corner or email support@knak.com.