What is Liquid?
Liquid is a simple, open-source templating language that lets you add logic to your email communications. Instead of creating dozens of different email templates, you can show or hide content based on who’s receiving the email. Think of it as a way to make your emails smarter – they automatically adapt to each student’s situation without you having to do the work manually.
Why Personalise Your Communications?
Recent research from the 2025 Marketing and Recruitment Practices for Undergraduate Students report shows what students actually want:
- Around 88% of students find emails from their college helpful
- Roughly 60% of students expect personalisation across multiple channels
- Students want authentic messaging that doesn’t feel “salesy, pushy, or robotic”
- Personalised communications get much better engagement rates
Getting Started with Liquid
01. Start Small and Build Confidence
Don’t try to create a complex email on your first attempt. Begin with simple yes/no logic – maybe showing different content to veteran students versus non-veterans. Once you’ve got that working, you can tackle more complicated scenarios.
{% if contact.field.veteran == "Veteran" %} Bonus for our students who are veterans: you'll get a special cord to wear at commencement ceremony and be featured on our social media! {% endif %}
02. Plan Before You Code
Before you start writing any Liquid code, map out what you want to achieve. What student data do you have? What content should different groups see? How will the email flow when certain sections appear or disappear? A bit of planning upfront saves hours of frustration later.
03. Clone and Repurpose Templates
Once you’ve built a template that works, don’t start from scratch next time. Clone it and modify it for new campaigns. You’ll already know the logic works properly, which means less testing and fewer headaches.
04. Test Everything, Especially on Mobile
Always test your emails with different data combinations. What looks great on desktop might be a mess on mobile, especially when content blocks appear or disappear based on student data. Create test contacts with different field values and send yourself the email to see how it actually looks.
05. Mind the Details
The little things will trip you up:
- Use the merge tag picker to avoid typos in field names
- Remember that Liquid is case sensitive (“Veteran” ≠ “veteran”)
- Always include closing tags for your conditional statements
- Watch for weird spacing issues that might make your email look broken
Real-World Applications
Registration Nudges
Instead of creating 15–20 different templates for registration reminders, build one template that adapts based on:
- Whether they’re a new, returning, or transfer student
- What programme they’re enrolled in
- Any outstanding requirements or holds on their account
Event Communications
For events like commencement, personalise based on:
- Whether they’ve RSVP’d (and what to do if they haven’t)
- Their academic division (so you can tell them what colour tassel they need)
- Any special recognitions they’re receiving
Course Location Information
Create one email that shows the right information based on:
- Whether they’re taking in-person, online, or hybrid classes
- Which campus they’ll be attending
- Specific requirements for their courses
Programme-Specific Requirements
Instead of making students figure out what they still need to complete, tell them directly:
{% if contact.field.missing_prereqs contains "CourseCode" %} You still need to complete [Course Name] {% endif %}
Advanced Strategies
Subject Line Personalisation
You can use Liquid in subject lines too. Just remember there are character limits, so keep it concise.
A/B Testing
Use Liquid to create A/B tests within a single template by coding different content variations based on a random field or specific criteria.
Multi-Channel Integration
Apply the same personalisation approach across email, SMS, and chatbot communications for a consistent experience.
Tips from the Experts
- Give yourself permission to start small – you don’t need to master everything at once
- Plan your approach differently than you would for static emails
- Learn as you go using available resources
- ChatGPT is surprisingly good at troubleshooting Liquid code issues when you get stuck
Results You Can Expect
Pikes Peak State College shows what’s possible when you get personalisation right:
- Commencement emails: Nearly 80% open rate
- Vet Tech programme emails: 55% open rate with 46% click rate
- Class location emails: 76% open rate (17% increase from previous performance)
- Overall email performance: Almost 60% open rate across 17 million emails
These aren’t just vanity metrics – higher open rates mean more students are actually seeing important information about deadlines, requirements, and opportunities. Plus, you’ll save countless hours that would otherwise be spent managing multiple templates and spreadsheets.
Ready to see these strategies in action?
Watch our full webinar with Pikes Peak State College to see live demonstrations of Liquid templating, real examples of their personalised campaigns, and step-by-step guidance on implementing these techniques at your institution.
Watch the full webinar: Transform Your Email Campaigns with Pikes Peak State College →
