Spintax (spin syntax) is a way of writing several versions of a phrase in one template. {Hi|Hello|Hey} tells your sending tool to pick one option for each recipient, so a single template produces many slightly different emails.

Does spintax help cold email deliverability?

It helps a little, and only alongside the basics. Filters notice when thousands of identical messages arrive from the same senders, and varying greetings, openers and sign-offs breaks up that pattern. It does nothing for bad lists, missing authentication or sending too much per inbox.

What spintax syntax does Instantly use?

Instantly uses {{RANDOM | option one | option two}} with double braces and the RANDOM keyword. Single-brace {a|b} is not spun in Instantly. Paste your template above and switch the converter to Instantly to rewrite it.

What spintax syntax does lemlist use?

lemlist uses Liquid tags: {% spin %}{% variation %}Hi{% variation %}Hello{% endspin %}. Each variation needs its own {% variation %} tag. The converter above outputs this format.

Can spintax be nested?

Classic {a|{b|c}} nesting is supported by some tools and not others, and platforms that support it rarely document it well. Nesting also makes copy hard to proofread. Keep groups flat unless you've tested your tool with a send to yourself.

How many variations should a cold email have?

Enough that no two prospects at the same company are likely to get the same email: a few hundred is plenty. Three or four groups with two or three options each gets you there. Past that, you're adding risk of awkward combinations, not deliverability.

Free tool

Spintax generator & checker

Paste a cold email with spintax. We'll catch broken braces as you type, count how many unique versions it produces, show you real spins, and convert it to the syntax your sending tool expects.

Your template

Accepts {a|b}, {{RANDOM | a | b}} and lemlist's {% spin %}, even mixed. Merge tags like {{firstName}} are left alone. Runs in your browser; nothing is sent anywhere.

Valid432 unique variations

Preview variations

51025

#1
Hey {{firstName}}, Saw that {{companyName}} is hiring a couple of SDRs this quarter. Looks like the team is scaling fast. Most teams at that stage burn a month getting new reps' inboxes ready before they can send a single email. We set that up in a day. Worth a quick chat next week? Best, Sam
#2
Hey {{firstName}}, Saw that {{companyName}} is hiring a couple of SDRs this quarter. Looks like the team is scaling fast. Most teams at that stage burn a month getting new reps' inboxes ready before they can send a single email. We set that up in a day. Would it help if I sent over a short walkthrough? Cheers, Sam
#3
Hi {{firstName}}, Saw that {{companyName}} is hiring two SDRs this quarter. Looks like the team is scaling fast. Most teams at that stage burn a month getting new reps' inboxes ready before they can send a single email. We set that up in a day. Open to a 15-minute call next week? Thanks, Sam
#4
Hello {{firstName}}, Noticed that {{companyName}} is hiring a couple of SDRs this quarter. Looks like the team is scaling fast. Most teams at that stage lose weeks getting new reps' inboxes ready before they can send a single email. We set that up in a day. Worth a quick chat next week? Best, Sam
#5
Hello {{firstName}}, Noticed that {{companyName}} is hiring a couple of SDRs this quarter. Looks like the team is scaling fast. Most teams at that stage burn a month getting new reps' inboxes ready before they can send a single email. We set that up in a day. Worth a quick chat next week? Thanks, Sam

Convert syntax

The same template, rewritten for the tool you send from.

{a|b}Smartlead and most tools{{RANDOM | a | b}}Instantly{% spin %}lemlist

{Hi|Hey|Hello} {{firstName}},

{Saw|Noticed} that {{companyName}} is hiring {two|a couple of} SDRs this quarter. {Congrats on the growth.|Looks like the team is scaling fast.}

Most teams at that stage {burn a month|lose weeks} getting new reps' inboxes ready before they can send a single email. We set that up in a day.

{Worth a quick chat next week?|Open to a 15-minute call next week?|Would it help if I sent over a short walkthrough?}

{Best|Cheers|Thanks},
Sam

What the checker catches

Errors

Unclosed {, {{ and {% spin %} groups, and stray closing braces. Most tools send these as literal text, so a prospect sees {Hi|Hello at the top of your email. Click the line:column to jump to the problem.

Warnings

Groups with a single option (they never vary), empty options (they leave double spaces), and duplicate options (they skew the odds). None of these break a send; all of them are usually mistakes.

Merge tags

{{firstName}}, {{company}} and other variables are recognised and left untouched, even inside a spin group.

Variation count

The exact number of distinct emails the template can produce, counting nested groups. Previews are always unique, so if you ask for 25 and get 8, the template only has 8.

Why spintax matters for cold email

Mailbox providers see your campaign as a whole, not one email at a time. When hundreds of messages with byte-identical bodies arrive from a handful of new senders, that fingerprint is easy to cluster, and one recipient marking it as spam can count against all of them. Varying the text across sends makes each message look like what it should be: one person writing to another.

Spintax is a supporting measure. It won't rescue a campaign with broken authentication, a dirty list, or 200 emails a day per inbox. Get those right first with the deliverability checklist and deliverability fundamentals, then use spintax to stop your copy from being the thing that gives you away.

Spintax syntax by platform

Tool	Syntax
Smartlead	{Hi\|Hello\|Hey} {{first_name}}
Instantly	{{RANDOM \| Hi \| Hello \| Hey}} {{firstName}}
lemlist	{% spin %}{% variation %}Hi{% variation %}Hello{% endspin %} {{firstName}}
Clement	{Hi\|Hello\|Hey} {{firstName}}

Most other tools follow the classic single-brace form. Variable names differ between tools, so check those separately; the converter only rewrites spin groups.

Good spintax vs bad spintax

Spin the wording, never the meaning. Every combination should be an email you'd be happy to send, because some prospect will get each one.

Spin the parts that are interchangeable: greetings, the transition into your observation, the call to action, and the sign-off. These change the fingerprint without changing what you're saying.
Keep the core claim fixed. Your value proposition and any numbers should read the same for everyone, or you can't tell which message earned the reply.
Don't spin word by word. {I|We} {think|believe} {you|your team} {might|could} produces grammar collisions and reads like a thesaurus. Spin whole phrases or sentences instead.
Check every option in context. Spin the preview above 25 times and read them. Capitalisation and punctuation after a group are where mistakes hide.
Spin subject lines lightly. Two or three short options are enough, and keep them all lowercase-casual or all formal so the thread looks consistent.

Before you launch, run the final copy through the cold email checker for spam-trigger phrasing, or start from a draft with the cold email generator.

Frequently asked questions

What is spintax?: Spintax (spin syntax) is a way of writing several versions of a phrase in one template. {Hi|Hello|Hey} tells your sending tool to pick one option for each recipient, so a single template produces many slightly different emails.
Does spintax help cold email deliverability?: It helps a little, and only alongside the basics. Filters notice when thousands of identical messages arrive from the same senders, and varying greetings, openers and sign-offs breaks up that pattern. It does nothing for bad lists, missing authentication or sending too much per inbox.
What spintax syntax does Instantly use?: Instantly uses {{RANDOM | option one | option two}} with double braces and the RANDOM keyword. Single-brace {a|b} is not spun in Instantly. Paste your template above and switch the converter to Instantly to rewrite it.
What spintax syntax does lemlist use?: lemlist uses Liquid tags: {% spin %}{% variation %}Hi{% variation %}Hello{% endspin %}. Each variation needs its own {% variation %} tag. The converter above outputs this format.
Can spintax be nested?: Classic {a|{b|c}} nesting is supported by some tools and not others, and platforms that support it rarely document it well. Nesting also makes copy hard to proofread. Keep groups flat unless you've tested your tool with a send to yourself.
How many variations should a cold email have?: Enough that no two prospects at the same company are likely to get the same email: a few hundred is plenty. Three or four groups with two or three options each gets you there. Past that, you're adding risk of awkward combinations, not deliverability.

Related free tools

See all free tools →

Try Clement free for 14 days

Clement spins classic {a|b} spintax per recipient and shows you a preview of each step before it sends.

Start free trial