---
title: Text element and dynamic text
slug: text
description: How the Text element works in Personizely widgets: rich text options and the dynamic text syntax for visitor, location, company, URL and date values.
image: https://archbee-image-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com/1y1Fr-DMGy_apx7FwibyA/ORDTWfNKMXiY3ZRv0QSgP_personizely-docs-og.png
docTags: 
createdAt: 2026-10-16T20:21:06.070Z
---

The Text element is a rich-text paragraph for a widget: body copy, fine print, captions or labels above a title. Like every text in a widget, it supports **dynamic text**: placeholders such as `{visitor.firstName}` or `{geo.city}` that are replaced with the visitor's own values when the widget shows.

**Available on:** all platforms.

## Options

| Option                         | What it does                                                                                        | Values / default                                                     |
| ------------------------------ | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Text                           | Edited directly in the editor; the toolbar sets bold, italic, color, links and alignment            | Published as a `<p>` paragraph                                       |
| Typography                     | Color, font, size, line height, letter spacing, style, text transform, text wrap, alignment         | Defaults from your [branding](https://docs.personizely.net/branding) |
| **Text wrap**                  | How lines break                                                                                     | Pretty (default for text) avoids a single word on the last line      |
| Style, Size, Spacing, Position | Background, border, radius, shadow, opacity, scale; width and height; padding and margin; placement | —                                                                    |
| Device, Animation              | See [Widget elements](https://docs.personizely.net/widget-elements#settings-every-element-has)      | All devices, no animation                                            |

Templates use two styled variants of the Text element: an **eyebrow** (a small, tracked label above a title) and a **caption** (a quiet line under a call to action). They're ordinary Text elements with different styles.

## Dynamic text

Write a variable in curly braces anywhere in the text, with an optional fallback in single quotes, and Personizely replaces it with the visitor's value when the widget shows: `Welcome back, {visitor.firstName or 'friend'}!`. In the editor, the **Placeholder** button (the `{ }` icon) in the text toolbar inserts one for you.

Dynamic text works in every text of a widget, not only the Text element: [headlines](https://docs.personizely.net/headline), button and form labels, the [HTML](https://docs.personizely.net/html-code) element, link and action URLs and image URLs. For every available value (`visitor`, `geo`, `company`, `data`, `query`, `variable` and `datetime`), the fallback rules and how values are encoded in URLs, see [Dynamic text](https://docs.personizely.net/dynamic-text).

## Behavior details and limitations

- **Preview uses sample values.** In the editor's preview, dynamic text is filled with sample data (for example, a visitor named John from San Francisco). Use [Preview and QA](https://docs.personizely.net/preview-qa) on your site to see real values.
- **Typos show as text.** A variable that doesn't match the syntax, such as `{visitor.first name}`, is shown as written.

## Examples

- **Personal greeting:** `Welcome back, {visitor.firstName or 'friend'}! Your 10% code is below.`
- **Local shipping message:** `Free 2-day shipping to {geo.city or 'your city'}.`
- **Day-aware promo:** `Happy {datetime.dayOfWeek}! Today's deal ends at midnight.`

## Related

- [Dynamic text](https://docs.personizely.net/dynamic-text)
- [Headline](https://docs.personizely.net/headline)
- [Visitor fields reference](https://docs.personizely.net/visitor-fields-reference)
- [Custom fields](https://docs.personizely.net/custom-fields)
- [Widget elements](https://docs.personizely.net/widget-elements)