Audience-targeted copy variants

The same product can serve multiple different personas. A free-tier user visiting the billing page should see different copy than an enterprise customer. A user who has not completed onboarding should see an encouraging nudge; one who has should not.

When these variants are managed in application code, with if (user.plan === 'pro') conditionals scattered across components, the rules become invisible to anyone who is not reading the code. Changes require a deployment. Reviewers cannot see the full set of variants in one place.

Messagevisor moves those rules into the translation layer, where they are visible, testable, and changeable independently of the application.

The model: overrides with segments#

Every Messagevisor message can have an overrides array. Each override defines which audience should receive an alternate translation, expressed as a segment reference or an inline condition. The SDK evaluates the overrides at runtime against the active context and returns the first matching translation.

This model keeps the conditional logic in the definition, not in the application. The application calls translate("billing.upgrade") and receives the right string for that user. It never contains the logic for which string to return.

Defining reusable audience segments#

Start by defining the audience rules as named segments. This makes them reviewable, testable, and reusable across multiple messages.

segments/plan-pro.yml

description: Users on the Pro plan
conditions:
  attribute: plan
  operator: equals
  value: pro

segments/plan-enterprise.yml

description: Users on the Enterprise plan
conditions:
  attribute: plan
  operator: equals
  value: enterprise

segments/onboarding-incomplete.yml

description: Users who have not completed onboarding
conditions:
  attribute: onboardingComplete
  operator: equals
  value: false

segments/new-user.yml

description: Users who signed up in the last 30 days
conditions:
  attribute: daysSinceSignup
  operator: lessThanOrEquals
  value: 30

Applying overrides to a message#

With segments defined, apply them as overrides in a message. Overrides are evaluated top-to-bottom; the first match wins.

messages/billing/upgrade.yml

description: Call to action on the billing page
translations:
  en: Upgrade your plan
  nl: Upgrade je abonnement
overrides:
  - key: enterprise
    segments: plan-enterprise
    translations:
      en: Talk to your account manager
      nl: Neem contact op met uw accountmanager
  - key: pro
    segments: plan-pro
    translations:
      en: Explore add-ons for your Pro plan
      nl: Ontdek uitbreidingen voor je Pro-abonnement

Enterprise users see the account manager prompt. Pro users see the add-ons prompt. Everyone else sees the default upgrade CTA.

Composing segments for complex audiences#

Use logical composition when a variant should apply to multiple audiences simultaneously:

messages/dashboard/welcome.yml

description: Dashboard welcome heading
translations:
  en: Welcome back
  nl: Welkom terug
overrides:
  - key: new-pro-user
    segments:
      and:
        - plan-pro
        - new-user
    translations:
      en: Welcome to Pro - let's get you set up
      nl: Welkom bij Pro - we helpen je op weg
  - key: incomplete-onboarding
    segments: onboarding-incomplete
    translations:
      en: Pick up where you left off
      nl: Ga verder waar je gebleven was
  - key: pro
    segments: plan-pro
    translations:
      en: Welcome back to your Pro workspace
      nl: Welkom terug in je Pro-werkruimte

The new-pro-user override fires for users who match both plan-pro and new-user. Because it appears first, it takes precedence over the more general pro override for that audience.

Using inline conditions for one-off logic#

When the condition is too specific to warrant its own segment file, write it inline:

messages/trial/banner.yml

description: Trial expiry banner
translations:
  en: Your trial ends soon
  nl: Je proefperiode loopt bijna af
overrides:
  - key: trial-urgent
    conditions:
      attribute: trialDaysRemaining
      operator: lessThanOrEquals
      value: 3
    translations:
      en: "Your trial ends in {trialDaysRemaining, number} days - upgrade now to keep your data"
      nl: "Je proefperiode eindigt over {trialDaysRemaining, number} dagen - upgrade nu om je data te bewaren"
  - key: trial-ending
    conditions:
      attribute: trialDaysRemaining
      operator: lessThanOrEquals
      value: 7
    translations:
      en: "Your trial ends in {trialDaysRemaining, number} days"
      nl: "Je proefperiode eindigt over {trialDaysRemaining, number} dagen"

Passing context from the application#

The application supplies the runtime context. The SDK matches it against segment conditions to determine which override applies:

JavaScript

import { createMessagevisor } from "@messagevisor/sdk";
import datafile from "./datafiles/messagevisor-web-en-US.json";
const m = createMessagevisor({
  datafile,
  context: {
    platform: "web",
    plan: currentUser.plan,
    onboardingComplete: currentUser.onboardingComplete,
    daysSinceSignup: currentUser.daysSinceSignup,
    trialDaysRemaining: currentUser.trialDaysRemaining,
  },
});
// Returns the right variant for this user automatically
const upgradeLabel = m.translate("billing.upgrade");

The context can be updated as user state changes without reinstantiating the SDK:

JavaScript

m.setContext({
  plan: updatedUser.plan,
  onboardingComplete: updatedUser.onboardingComplete,
});

React usage#

React

import { useMessagevisor, useTranslation } from "@messagevisor/react";
function BillingPage() {
  const upgradeLabel = useTranslation("billing.upgrade");
  return <button>{upgradeLabel}</button>;
}

The hook re-evaluates when locale, context, or datafile changes, so locale switches or plan upgrades in a live session reflect immediately.

Testing audience variants#

Write explicit assertions for each audience to catch regressions when segments or overrides change:

tests/messages/billing/upgrade.spec.yml

message: billing.upgrade
assertions:
  - description: Default for free users
    locale: en
    target: web
    context:
      plan: free
    expectedTranslation: Upgrade your plan
  - description: Pro variant
    locale: en
    target: web
    context:
      plan: pro
    expectedTranslation: Explore add-ons for your Pro plan
  - description: Enterprise variant
    locale: en
    target: web
    context:
      plan: enterprise
    expectedTranslation: Talk to your account manager
  - description: New Pro user sees setup prompt
    locale: en
    target: web
    context:
      plan: pro
      daysSinceSignup: 5
    expectedTranslation: Welcome to Pro - let's get you set up

These tests run in CI and catch any change that silently breaks an audience variant before it reaches production.

Reviewing all variants in the catalog#

The catalog renders each message with all its overrides and the associated segment conditions expanded. Product managers and content editors can review what each audience sees without reading YAML or running CLI commands. Deep-linkable rows make it easy to point a stakeholder at a specific variant for sign-off.

Command

$ npx messagevisor catalog