The first-name merge tag that cost replies

The first-name merge tag that cost replies
Everyone says "always drop their first name in the opener — it boosts response."
Myth. A tool vendor tested 3,000 DMs with and without "Hey {{first_name}}". Identical otherwise. With the tag: 7.1% replies. Without: 7.4%. Statistically flat — but in the open-text replies, three people wrote "saw the merge tag, hard pass." The name signals automation now, not warmth, because everyone uses it. It's not personalization that lifts replies — it's evidence you actually looked. Drop a detail only a human could've found, and skip the token any tool can stuff.