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Custom Variables

Overview

In addition to standard user variables, Neon Blue supports custom variables that you can reference directly inside a Magic Prompt. These variables let you influence how content is written, control how many versions are created, and pass audience context into the AI.

What matters most is how the variable is tagged. The same variable can either create multiple versions of creative or simply guide the writing of a single version.

How to Think About Custom Variables

When you include a custom variable in a Magic Prompt, Neon Blue treats it in one of two ways.

Sometimes the variable is used to create multiple variants, with one version generated per value. Other times, the variable is passed in as context only, shaping the copy without increasing the number of variants.

The syntax you use determines which behavior you get.

Example Variable: Segment

In the examples below, segment represents an audience segment such as conscious comfort seeker or eco warrior. The same patterns apply to any custom variable you define.

Generate a Version for Every Value

Use this when you want Neon Blue to write a different version for every available value.

{{variable.segment.*}}

This tells Neon Blue to iterate across all segment values. If you have ten segments, the system will generate ten variants. If you combine this with other expanding variables, the total number of variants will multiply.

This option is best when you want broad creative exploration or intentionally distinct messaging per audience.

Generate Versions for a Specific Subset

Sometimes you only want to generate content for a few selected values rather than everything.

In this case, Neon Blue generates one variant per listed value. The example above produces three variants and ignores all other segments.

This is useful when you want tight control over scope and variant count while still testing distinct messaging.

Pass Values as Context Only (No New Variants)

There are also times when you want the AI to consider multiple values without creating more versions.

Here, each segment is passed into the prompt as context. Neon Blue still produces a single variant, but the writing reflects awareness of all listed segments.

This approach works well when you are crafting broader messaging or when variant count is already being driven by other variables.

A Simple Way to Choose

If your goal is one version per value, use the wildcard or subset syntax. If your goal is richer context without more versions, use individual tags.

Practical Examples

Writing one email per segment:

Writing a few targeted versions:

Writing one email informed by multiple segments:

How Variants Multiply (Permutations)

Some custom variables create new versions (expand), while others only provide context. When you mix them together, only expanding variables affect how many variants are created.

When multiple variables expand in the same Magic Prompt, Neon Blue generates a variant for every combination of their values. In other words, the total variant count is the product, not the sum.

Simple rule

Multiply the number of values for each expanding variable:

  • 3 values × 2 values = 6 variants

  • 5 values × 5 values × 5 values = 125 variants

Context-only tags do not change the count - they’re included in every generated variant.

What * Means

The wildcard syntax expands across the entire group of values in that variable namespace.

For example:

This means “generate one variant for every segment in the segment group.” If your segment group has 10 segments, this tag expands to 10 values.

Concrete prompt example

What happens:

  • segment expands to 3 values

  • tone expands to 2 values

  • brand_value is context-only

Result: 3 × 2 = 6 variants

When to be careful

Variant counts can grow quickly with *. For example, if you expand across:

  • 10 segments ({{variable.segment.*}})

  • 5 categories ({{variable.category.*}})

  • 4 offers ({{variable.offer.*}})

That produces: 10 × 5 × 4 = 200 variants

Common Pitfalls

The most common mistake is using the wildcard when you only wanted context, which can quickly create far more variants than intended. It’s also easy to forget that variant counts multiply when you use more than one expanding variable in the same prompt.

How This Fits With Magic Prompt Types

Dynamic prompts use expanding variables to create combinations. Batch prompts often rely on context-only tags to keep the number of versions stable. Manual variants typically use custom variables only as context.

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