Writing Release Notes : Release notes
It provides a a direct means for product teams to distribute necessary communications in an environment where marketing and sales teams control the majority of the conversation with users and customers to write release notes.
If you know how to write a release notes correctly, release notes can assist in reducing customer churn from unsatisfied customers and converting new website visitors into users by demonstrating the team’s active product improvement.
You will learn how to write and distribute release notes in this guide, as well as how to use a few tools that make the process easier. Additionally, you will find templates for your own product updates.
How do release notes work?
Product managers and developers communicate product enhancements, major bug fixes, and brand-new features to users through release notes. In order to make it simple for users to locate all of the most recent updates in a single location, they are typically stored in a feed, page, or blog category.
Why do release notes exist?
In the release cycle, writing release notes is a mandatory step. They are absolutely necessary because they give you a chance to demonstrate to potential and current customers that your team is constantly improving the product, incorporating feedback, and using it.
The advantages of writing release notes for each significant release include:
- Improve product utilization: When users are aware of new features, they are more likely to try them and keep an eye out for them. As a result, they start using your product more frequently and start experimenting with new features.
- Reduce churn: If a user has been waiting for a new feature, you can prevent them from churning by informing them as soon as it becomes available. Release notes help reduce churn by reminding users that your company always has the features they need, even if they aren’t directly waiting for a particular feature or improvement.
- Convert potential new customers by demonstrating that your product is constantly evolving and improved. They want to use something that will work in the future, last a long time, and won’t force them to move their data to another tool. As a result, you demonstrate to potential customers that your development team is dependable by regularly publishing release notes in a public, easily accessible location.
- Reduce support tickets: The greater the number of users who are aware of your upcoming releases, the fewer users will submit support requests asking when a specific update or major bug will be fixed.
Who is responsible for release notes?
Depending on the company’s size and complexity, a different position will be in charge of writing and publishing release notes. Release notes will be written by the lead developer at one- and two-person startups. This might be a product manager at medium-sized businesses. Release notes may be coordinated by multiple product managers and the head of product or chief product officer at large businesses.
The person in charge of that release note will vary among large teams based on the release’s importance and which product team developed that update.
How do you actually write a release note? Here are five suggestions. What to include and how to write the content so that users can understand it are our top recommendations.
1.Every release note should be written in the same way as an article or blog post, albeit in a much shorter format. We mean that, like an article, the release note will have a title and content for the body. The release note’s title should be as brief as possible. You can give it the name of the improvement or feature.
For instance, some of the most recent titles in our own release notes are as follows:
2.At Frill, our target audience consists of product managers and developers with a high level of knowledge of software building. You should tailor the content to their technical knowledge. Nonetheless, we make every effort to keep our release notes straightforward and uncomplicated. However, we are not required to explain our use of acronyms. If they’re looking for more new features, users can scroll down to find them.
In our announcements feed, these are the tags that we frequently employ:
New feature Improvement Release notes (monthly summary) You should have no more than two to four tags to avoid confusing your users.
4.Link the submissions of associated user ideas You should also link the relevant submissions of user ideas to that announcement.
By tying the concept to the release note, you demonstrate to your customers that you regularly take their feedback into account and act on it. Naturally, not every release note will include a user idea—some will be for internal improvements—but that’s okay. Connect them whenever you can to demonstrate your care for your users.
5.Make it simple to publish and share release notes by utilizing a release notes software. With release notes software, you can publish release notes quickly without requiring approval from the digital marketing or content team. It is essential for the development and product management teams to have their own channels of communication with users. That can be met by using a release notes tool.
There are three things to look for in a release notes tool. Not every tool has the same features.
1.Possibility of linking user idea submissions to release notes You will want to be able to link user idea submissions to their associated release notes in order to demonstrate to users that you value their feedback and why you released that update.
All of the release notes, the public roadmap, and user idea submissions can be found in one place. Choose a tool that lets users communicate with each other and provide feedback on the release notes. roadmap Additionally, ensure that the software you select permits users to comment and upvote on ideas. This enables you to prioritize submitted ideas over others.
3.A platform with announcement reactions (emojis that users can click to respond to your note) is also a smart choice for gauging response. You’ll be able to see which of your announcements received the most attention this way.
Who ought to compose release notes?
Release notes should be written with end users in mind because they are essentially marketing material for customers. Your release notes should not be written by your developers or engineers. Yes, they can write briefs about them; however, your content marketing team must receive these briefs.
How can release notes be shared most effectively?
The following is the most effective method for distributing your release notes and informing customers about product updates:
Newsletter:Inform your most devoted customers immediately of important product updates.
Groups on Facebook: Create a sharable post to spread the word about your fantastic new product features.
This concludes our guide on how to write release notes. Release notes: everything you need to know.
We have you covered if you need to create release notes for your product or product features. Start writing release notes that enhance both your brand and your customers’ product experiences with this free template.
Consider the ways in which the engagement strategy, energy, and ultimately fun can be applied to your own company. They are incorporating their release notes and giving your own release notes a novel product spin.
