Dynamic variables (macros): what they are

Dynamic variables — also called macros or dynamic parameters — automatically insert click data into an ad link: which ad, keyword, device or region the visit came from. You write the macro into a UTM tag once, and the ad platform replaces it with a real value on every click.

For example, in Google Ads utm_content={creative} is replaced with the ID of the ad that was clicked. Macros most often go into utm_content and utm_campaign, but any tag will do.

The key subtlety: every platform has its own macro wrapper, and you cannot mix them up. Substitution is literal string replacement — get a bracket wrong and the macro lands in your reports as plain text. The main wrappers are: {...} — Google Ads, Yandex.Direct, most push and native networks; {{...}} — VK Ads, Meta Ads, Outbrain; __...__ — TikTok Ads; [...] — RichAds and some push networks; ${...} — the click ID in PropellerAds.

Below are macro tables verified against official docs for the platforms and trackers that are current in 2026.

Google Ads: ValueTrack macros

Google Ads uses the ValueTrack system — macros in single curly braces {...}. Put them into UTM tag values; the case inside the braces does not matter, but the braces themselves are critical. Note that there is no {campaignname} macro — only the numeric {campaignid} is available.

There are two tracking fields, and it matters not to confuse them. The final URL suffix is a tail of parameters appended to the landing page URL without a redirect — this is where UTM tags belong. The tracking template is a tracker URL with a redirect that the click passes through before the landing page; the {lpurl} macro only works there.

Recommended final URL suffix:

utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaignid}&utm_content={creative}&utm_term={keyword}&adgroupid={adgroupid}&network={network}&device={device}&matchtype={matchtype}&placement={placement}&gclid={gclid}

Yandex.Direct: link parameters

Yandex.Direct uses macros in single curly braces {...}. Mind the limits: there is no {gender} macro in Direct, and {param1} / {param2} can only be set via an XLS file, Direct Commander or the API.

Recommended template:

utm_source=yandex&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={campaign_id}&utm_content={ad_id}&utm_term={keyword}&source={source_type}_{source}®ion={region_id}&device={device_type}

Direct appends the yclid click ID to the link automatically by default — do not add it by hand. Keep the URL length limit in mind — 4096 bytes: Cyrillic in UTF-8 uses it up faster (one Russian character takes 2 bytes).

VK Ads: dynamic parameters

VK Ads (ads.vk.com) has replaced both the old VKontakte office (vk.com/ads) and myTarget: from 17.11.2025 no new campaigns can be created in them, and on 28.01.2026 both offices were fully closed and switched to read-only. Advertising in Odnoklassniki now also runs only through VK Ads. The macro syntax is inherited from myTarget — double curly braces {{...}}.

The main trap. Despite the name, {{campaign_id}} inserts the ad group ID, not the campaign ID. The campaign ID itself (top level) is {{ad_plan_id}}. There is no {{ad_id}} macro: the ad ID is passed by {{banner_id}}.

Recommended template:

utm_source=vk_ads&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign={{ad_plan_id}}&utm_content={{banner_id}}&utm_term={{search_phrase}}&adgroup={{campaign_id}}&geo={{geo}}&demo={{gender}}.{{age}}

Meta Ads (Facebook/Instagram): macros

Meta Ads (Facebook and Instagram) uses macros in double curly braces {{...}}. They go into the ad-level URL parameters field — without a leading ?, just the parameters themselves.

Gotcha 1: the name macros ({{campaign.name}}, {{adset.name}}, {{ad.name}}) are frozen at first publish — if you rename the campaign later, the old name keeps flowing into reports. Use ID macros for stability. Gotcha 2: Meta adds the fbclid click ID to the link itself — do not put it in the template.

Recommended URL parameters value (without ?):

utm_source={{site_source_name}}&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign={{campaign.id}}&utm_content={{adset.id}}_{{ad.id}}&utm_term={{placement}}

TikTok Ads: dynamic macros

TikTok Ads uses macros in the __MACRO__ format — two underscores on each side and strictly UPPERCASE. This is critical: TikTok is case-sensitive, and many generators force tags to lowercase, which breaks the macro. Turn off auto-lowercase for these values.

Level trap: __AID__ is the ad group ID, not the ad itself; the creative ID is __CID__; the ad ID in Smart+ campaigns is __ADID_V2__. TikTok adds the ttclid click ID automatically (it lives about 30 days). Mind the 125-character UTM string limit — anything longer is truncated.

Recommended template:

utm_source=tiktok&utm_medium=paid_social&utm_campaign=__CAMPAIGN_ID__&utm_content=__CID__&utm_term=__AID__&placement=__PLACEMENT__

Ad platform click IDs

A click ID is a unique identifier of a specific click that the ad platform adds to the link itself on the redirect. It is used for accurate conversion matching, including passing data back via postback and for offline conversions. There is no need — and it is harmful — to type these parameters into UTM by hand: the platform will insert its own value and yours only gets in the way.

Push and pop networks: macros

Push and pop networks have no single standard: each network has its own macro wrapper, and you cannot mix them up. PropellerAds passes the click ID via ${SUBID} (its only macro with a dollar sign and in uppercase), while the rest are lowercase in single braces; RichAds uses square brackets and UPPERCASE — [CAPS]; Evadav uses curly braces and UPPERCASE — {CAPS}. Below are the macros of three networks, verified against official docs.

Native and teaser networks: macros

Native and teaser networks also use different wrappers. MGID, Taboola and Kadam write macros in lowercase single braces {...}; Outbrain uses double curly braces {{...}} (or square brackets). A Taboola specific: the network inserts the tblci click ID into the link itself (tblci={click_id}), but in the server-side (S2S) postback the same parameter is called click-id — with a hyphen, not an underscore.

Trackers: mapping tags and postbacks

A tracker sits between the ad platform and the offer: the click travels along the chain source → tracker → offer. In the ad you insert the platform’s macros into the tracker’s sub-slots (for example, track.domain.com/xYz?sub_id_1={{campaign.id}}&sub_id_2={{adset.id}}), the tracker records the click and redirects to the offer, passing its own click ID (?clickid={subid}). When a conversion happens, the affiliate network fires the tracker’s postback and reports the status and payout. UTM tags and tracker mode do not conflict: white verticals, e-commerce and GA4/Metrica reports need UTM, while affiliate work by click ID needs sub-slots and postbacks. Below is a Rosetta stone of equivalents across four trackers.