Recipient name variables let you address contacts by name in emails — making automated and manual outreach feel personal without extra effort.
What they do
When you insert a recipient name variable into an email, Tern replaces it with the contact's actual name when the email is sent. Two variables are available:
Recipient First Name - resolves to the contact's first name (e.g., "Jane")
Recipient Last Name - resolves to the contact's last name (e.g., "Smith")
You can use either or both in the same message.
Where you can use them
Recipient name variables are available in:
Trip emails (via Share)
Itinerary share emails
Form share emails
Contact emails
Message templates
Conversation replies
How to insert a variable
Open the email composer for any of the supported surfaces above.
Click the variables dropdown in the rich text editor toolbar.
Select "Recipient First Name" or "Recipient Last Name" from the list. The variable appears as a pill in the editor.
Send the email. The variable resolves to the contact's name automatically.
You're all set! The recipient will see their name in place of the variable.
Important: single recipients only
Recipient name variables only work when sending to one recipient at a time.
If you select multiple travelers or contacts, these variables will not be offered in the dropdown.
If you manually type a variable and try to send to multiple recipients, Tern will block the send with an error explaining why.
For automations targeting a group audience (e.g., "all travelers"), enable Send Individually to use recipient name variables. With Send Individually on, each traveler receives a separate email with their own name resolved.
Note: If you see an error like "Recipient name variables are only available when sending to a single recipient," check that you haven't selected multiple contacts or that your automation audience is set to Send Individually.
Using variables in message templates
When building a message template in your Library, you can insert recipient name variables the same way. The variable resolves at send time based on whoever receives that specific email.