Using Custom Fields in Brevo to Personalize Emails

Category: Brevo CRM & Contacts Management — Written by Email Educate

Personalization is the core of effective email marketing — it’s the difference between a generic broadcast and a message that feels hand-written, timely, and relevant. Inside Brevo, custom fields are the foundation of personalization. They store unique data about each subscriber: their interests, preferences, lifecycle stage, purchase behavior, and more. When used properly, custom fields unlock dynamic content, smart segmentation, and powerful automation — helping you send emails your audience actually cares about in 2026.

Key Tip — Custom fields are not just data storage. They are personalization signals that drive segmentation, automation, targeting, and customer journey design inside Brevo.

Why Custom Fields Matter in Email Personalization

Every inbox algorithm rewards relevance. Custom fields enable you to send more relevant emails by providing structured data about your subscribers.

With custom fields you can:

personalize greetings and message content
send smarter and more accurate product recommendations
segment subscribers based on preferences
trigger automations based on user data
track onboarding, behavior, and lifecycle
boost engagement and inbox placement

The more structured your data is, the more powerful your personalization becomes.

The 6 Types of Custom Fields You Should Create in Brevo

1. Interest Fields

Track topic preferences (e.g., automation, ecommerce, templates).

2. Lead Source

Store acquisition origin for segmentation and ROI measurement.

3. Personal Preferences

Content frequency, format preference (email vs video), etc.

4. Lifecycle Fields

Subscriber → lead → customer → repeat customer.

5. Behavioral Fields

Track quiz results, product category interests, and website activity.

6. Metadata Fields

Fields like signup date, last purchase, last visit, or country.

Step 1 — Decide What Data You Actually Need

Collecting too much data creates noise and complexity. Only add custom fields that help you improve personalization, targeting, or automation.

Essential fields for most users:

First Name — personalization basics
Lead Source — tracks acquisition effectiveness
Interest Category — segmentation and targeting
Preferred Frequency — reduces unsubscribes
Lifecycle Stage — automation logic

Start with essentials. Expand when automation requires deeper data.

Step 2 — Capture Custom Field Data at Signup

The best time to collect custom field data is the moment someone joins your list. Brevo makes this easy with custom form fields and hidden tracking parameters.

Best practices:

ask only one additional question in the signup form
use dropdowns or radio buttons for clean data
use hidden fields to capture UTM and referrer data
store page URL where signup happened
pre-fill based on intent (e.g., lead magnet topic)

The cleaner the data at capture, the better your segmentation becomes.

Step 3 — Use Custom Fields to Enhance Personalization

Brevo supports personalization through dynamic content, conditional blocks, and template variables. Custom fields allow you to tailor email content to each subscriber.

Examples of personalization using custom fields:

Name-based personalization: “Hi {{ contact.FIRSTNAME }}”
Interest-based recommendations: Display different content blocks based on interest field
Role-based CTA: Show different offers to founders vs marketers
Region-based send time: Trigger emails based on user timezone
Lifecycle-based emails: Customer fields trigger specific sequences

Personalization is not just about names; it’s about sending the right message to the right person at the right time.

Step 4 — Build Segments Using Custom Fields

Custom fields make segmentation more powerful by letting you filter subscribers based on detailed attributes.

Useful segment examples:

Interest-based: interest = “automation”
New subscribers: signup_date > last 7 days
High-intent leads: quiz_intent = “high”
Returning customers: purchase_count > 1
Inactive: last_engagement > 90 days

Segments should update automatically, giving you real-time targeting.

Step 5 — Trigger Automations Using Custom Field Updates

Custom fields can start, modify, or route users through different automation workflows.

Examples:

Interest field changes: Trigger different welcome sequences
Lead score updates: Notify sales or move to warm-lead automation
Lifecycle field updates: Move contact into customer sequence
Preference changes: Adjust frequency or content type automatically

This is where custom fields become truly powerful — they automate personalization.

Real-World Use Cases for Custom Fields

Ecommerce

Store product category interest, size preferences, and purchase history to personalize emails.

SaaS

Track onboarding stage, feature interest, trial progress, and use-case fit.

Coaches & Creators

Track topic preference and skill level for tailored content.

Service Businesses

Store client type, service tier, and project stage for targeted follow-ups.

Optimization Routine — Weekly, Monthly, Quarterly

Weekly

Monitor new field entries
Fix incorrect values
Review automation triggers

Monthly

Audit fields for relevance
Merge redundant fields
Improve personalization logic

Quarterly

Update field structure based on new campaigns
Expand fields for deeper segmentation
Refine lifecycle logic based on 2026 trends

Common Mistakes to Avoid

creating too many fields without purpose
mixing up tags and custom fields
not cleaning invalid field entries
collecting too much data upfront
not using field changes as automation triggers

Pros & Cons of Using Custom Fields

Pros

better personalization
stronger segmentation
more powerful automations
improved relevance and engagement
cleaner CRM structure
aligned with Brevo’s strengths

Cons

requires planning and structure
wrong field design creates clutter
needs consistent maintenance

Final Verdict

Custom fields are the backbone of personalization inside Brevo. They power segmentation, automation, targeting, dynamic content, and lifecycle management. When you structure your fields cleanly and use them in automations, your CRM becomes dramatically more powerful — and your email relevance increases instantly. Strong personalization is not a gimmick; it is the foundation of better engagement and inbox placement in 2026.

Recommendation

Use Brevo custom fields to power every major automation and personalization workflow. Keep your field structure simple, consistent, and directly tied to your segmentation strategy. Let Brevo update fields dynamically through automation so your CRM stays clean, accurate, and ready for highly personalized campaigns throughout 2026.

Next Steps — Build Your Personalization System

Email Educate provides complete Brevo personalization templates, including field structures, automation triggers, and dynamic content models.

Get Personalization Templates More CRM Guides

Pro tip: Collect only the data you actually need — clean personalization beats complicated systems.