# How to add custom fields to capture more about your subscribers > Custom fields let you collect more than name and email, then personalize and segment on it. Add one step by step: pick a type, name it and its merge tag, set options, and use it in emails and segments. - Canonical URL: https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-add-custom-fields-to-your-list - Author: Ryan Walsh, Audience & Analytics Editor - Category: List Management — Segments, tags, import/export, double opt-in, verification, hygiene - Content type: tutorial · Difficulty: beginner - Tags: Personalization, Custom Fields - Published: 2026-06-03 · Last updated: 2026-08-15 - Reading time: 6 min - Publisher: AcelleMail Knowledge Base, https://acellesend.com/kb --- Every subscriber is more than an email address. Where they signed up, which plan they're eyeing, their birthday, their company size — that's the data that lets you send *"here's the Growth plan you looked at"* instead of *"Dear customer."* **Custom fields** are how you capture it. A custom field adds a column to your list, gives you a merge tag to drop that value into any email, and becomes something you can filter on when you build a segment. This guide adds a custom field from scratch, end to end, so by the finish you can collect a new piece of data, personalize with it, and target by it. **Who this is for:** anyone managing a mailing list who wants to collect more than name and email. You'll work on the customer side, inside one of your lists — no admin access needed. ## Before you start - **A list to add the field to** — custom fields belong to a single list. Go to **Audience → Lists** and open the one you want to extend. - **Know what you're collecting** — a piece of data with a clear use: "plan interest" to tailor offers, "signup source" to see what's working, "birthday" to send a date-triggered email. If you can't name how you'll use it, don't collect it. ## Step 1 — Open Manage list fields Open your list, then click the **Manage list fields** tab. This screen lists every field on the list — the built-in ones (Email, First Name, Company, Date of Birth…) plus any custom fields you add. Each row shows the field's **name**, its **type**, and — the important part — its **merge tag**, like `{{ SUBSCRIBER_FIRST_NAME }}`. That tag is how you reference the value later. One rule to know up front: the **Email** field is required and can't be removed. Everything else is yours to add, reorder, hide, or delete. ![The Manage list fields screen](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/kb-bot/how-to-add-custom-fields-to-your-list/step-1-fields.png) *The Manage list fields tab lists every field with its type and its merge tag (`{{ SUBSCRIBER_… }}`). Email is required and can't be removed; everything else is yours to manage.* ## Step 2 — Add and configure a field Scroll to the **Add field** row at the bottom and click the **type** that fits your data. Grouped by what they do: - **Text** — a short free-text answer (job title, city). - **Number** — a numeric value you can compare (team size, order count). - **Dropdown / Radio** — one choice from a fixed list you define. - **Multi-select / Checkbox** — one or more choices from a fixed list. - **Date / Date & time** — a calendar value (birthday, renewal date). - **Text area** — a longer free-text answer. - **Phone** — a phone number. A new field row appears, expanded, ready to configure: - **Label** — what you (and your signup form) call the field, e.g. *Plan interest*. - **Tag** — the merge tag's name. It's auto-prefixed `SUBSCRIBER_`, so typing `PLAN_INTEREST` gives you `{{ SUBSCRIBER_PLAN_INTEREST }}`. This is the token you'll use in emails and segments. - **Default value** — an optional value used when a subscriber leaves it blank. - **Required** — force a value at signup. - **Visible** — show the field on your signup forms (turn it off for data you set yourself, like a score or tag). - **Options** — for a Dropdown, Multi-select, Checkbox, or Radio, add each choice as a **label — value** pair (e.g. *Starter — starter*). Click **Add option** for more. Fill it in, then click **Save fields** at the bottom. ![Configuring a Dropdown custom field](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/kb-bot/how-to-add-custom-fields-to-your-list/step-2-configure.png) *A Dropdown field being configured: a Label, its auto-generated merge tag, and the choices as label — value pairs. Number, Date, Text and the rest share the same Label / Tag / Required / Visible controls.* > **Tip:** Keep tags short and stable. The merge tag is baked into every email and segment that uses the field, so renaming it later means updating those references. Pick `PLAN_INTEREST` once and leave it. ## Step 3 — Use your new field A custom field earns its keep in two places, both powered by that merge tag: - **Personalize emails.** Drop `{{ SUBSCRIBER_PLAN_INTEREST }}` into a subject line or body and each recipient sees their own value — *"Ready to move up to Growth?"* See [advanced merge tags](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/personalization-beyond-first-name-advanced-merge-tags) for fallbacks and formatting. - **Target with segments.** The moment you save the field, it shows up as a **condition** when you build a segment — so you can send only to *Plan interest equals growth*. That's the payoff below. ![The custom field as a segment condition](https://acellesend.com/plugins/acelle/landing/images/kb-bot/how-to-add-custom-fields-to-your-list/step-3-use-in-segment.png) *Right after saving, "Plan interest" is selectable as a segment condition — filter your list by the data you just started collecting. See the full segment walkthrough for how to stack conditions.* And when you [import contacts from a CSV](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/importing-contacts-csv-best-practices-and-field-mapping), your new field appears in the field-mapping step, so you can map a spreadsheet column straight into it. ## Field types — which to pick - Filtering or math later (counts, sizes) → **Number**. - A fixed set of answers you'll segment on → **Dropdown** (one) or **Multi-select** (several) — cleaner than free text, which is easy to mistype. - A date you'll trigger emails from → **Date**. - Anything freeform → **Text** (short) or **Text area** (long). Choosing a structured type (Dropdown/Date/Number) over plain Text pays off at segment time — you filter on clean values instead of guessing at typos. ## Troubleshooting - **The field doesn't show on my signup form** → turn on **Visible** for it. Fields with Visible off exist on the list but aren't shown to subscribers (useful for internal values you set yourself). - **The merge tag prints literally in an email** → check the tag spelling matches exactly (case included). `{{ SUBSCRIBER_PLAN_INTEREST }}` only resolves if that's the field's real tag; a typo renders as plain text. - **I can't find the field as a segment condition** → save the field first (**Save fields**), then reopen the segment builder — conditions read the list's saved fields. - **I need to remove a field** → use **Delete field** on its row. Note this drops that column's data for every subscriber, so export first if you might want it back. The Email field has no delete — it's required. ## Recap You've added a custom field: opened Manage list fields, picked a type, named it and its merge tag, set its options and visibility, and saved. Now you can collect that data, personalize emails with `{{ SUBSCRIBER_… }}`, and target it in a segment. Next, turn that field into an audience in [Build a subscriber segment](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/how-to-build-a-subscriber-segment), and put the merge tag to work in [Personalization beyond first name](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/personalization-beyond-first-name-advanced-merge-tags). --- ## Related articles - [Importing Contacts CSV — Best Practices and the 6-Click Field Mapping Wizard](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/importing-contacts-csv-best-practices-and-field-mapping): Format the CSV right before you upload — column headers in row 1, UTF-8 encoding, one email per row. AcelleMail's import wizard handles the rest in 6 clicks. Visual walkthrough of the wizard plus error-recovery patterns + bulk-update strategies in the collapsible section. - [List Hygiene in AcelleMail: Verify, Filter, Blacklist](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/email-list-hygiene-clean-your-list-for-better-deliverability): AcelleMail gives you three concrete tools to keep a list clean — per-list email verification, the Subscribers status filter, and a customer-managed Blacklist. This walkthrough shows when to use each and what good hygiene looks like in production. - [Subscriber Preferences & Frequency — A Preference Center That Reduces Unsubscribes](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/managing-subscriber-preferences-and-frequency): Offer a preference center — "Hey, instead of unsubscribing, want fewer emails per week, or only the product updates?" — and unsubscribe rates drop materially. AcelleMail's built-in Update form covers this in 3 clicks. Visual walkthrough plus per-topic-list patterns in the collapsible. - [Segments: Slice Your List Into Audiences That Convert](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/advanced-segmentation-strategies): Build dynamic subscriber groups in AcelleMail using list fields, tags, activities, and email-verification results. Walk-through with real screenshots of the segment builder. - [Build a Signup Form and Embed It on Your Site](https://acellesend.com/kb/articles/creating-effective-signup-forms-and-landing-pages): AcelleMail has a drag-and-drop visual builder for signup forms with 4 popup layouts and 5 display triggers (immediate, delay, exit intent, on click, first visit). Walkthrough with real screenshots of every panel.