It’s not enough to learn productivity hacks, design great products that give your users happiness, and build fascinating features. Without effective release notes, your efforts would be less productive than they should be. Release notes are not optional pieces of writing you push out at an upgrade of a product or a new feature. They are important documents that require a great deal of thoughtfulness.
Release notes talk about new features, bug fixes, and any other improvements on the product that your user should be aware of. That is why, apart from making sure your code looks pretty and your product gives a good user experience, writing an effective release note should be a top priority. If you want your release notes to achieve your desired objectives, there is a process you need to follow to get the best results. This article will show you a clear pathway to how you can come up with a brilliant and effective release note.
Why Are Release Notes Important?
Learning how to write release notes from good examples is great but why should you pay close attention to writing a release note in the first place? Before you start the process of writing an effective release note, you need to know just how important this document is to your product. Why should you take release notes seriously?
They dictate how users view your product
The effort and scrutiny you put into writing a release note show how important your product is to you, and, therefore, will dictate how important your users should take it. If you put together a shoddy or sloppy release note, users won't place much importance on the product. A well-written release note, on the other hand, shows deliberate effort and it would command better attention from your users.
They improve how your product is used
When users become aware of what you have released, they familiarize themselves with it and begin to try it out. This increases product utilization and creates traction. Without the awareness that a good release note creates, a lot of your customers might be uninformed of the new development in your product and, therefore, not use it. If you want users to use your product more, put out good release notes.
They bring new customers
An impressive release note can convert a ‘bypasser’ or ‘onlooker’ into a customer. When your release note is interesting and contains all the necessary information, it can be an effective tool for converting customers. Release notes are not often seen as a tool for conversion but they can be, if well written.
How To Write Effective Release Notes
Structure it like an article
An effective release note should be clearly structured and written like an article. What this means is that it should have a title, body, and subheadings if necessary. This will make it easy to read and understand. The title can be the name of the new improvement or feature. Breaking your points down into bits will make your reader want to read it. Lumping everything together as a long boring paragraph, on the other hand, will turn your reader off.
Tailor the language to suit your audience
Before you set out to write a release note, make sure you have a clear understanding of who your audience is. This understanding will help you determine the language to use in addressing your audience. If your audience is a technical group, use familiar jargon that is easily understandable by that group. You don't need to break down acronyms or explain terms because they are already familiar with them.
If they are a non-technical group or the general public, make your content as easily understandable as possible. Use what is called a ‘layman language, that can be understood by anyone. Using a language that is too general to address a technical group can water down your information and make them doubt your proficiency. Likewise, using technical language for a general group can make your information too complex and, therefore, difficult to grasp.
Use clear and logical language
One of the reasons people don't read release notes is that they are vague and confusing. Therefore, if you want your users to read your release notes, make sure you write them clearly and logically. Don't use long and complex words when there are shorter and clearer alternatives.
Being logical and clear does not mean your content should be less technical than it should be. If your audience requires technical language, go ahead and use it. Just ensure it is not vague and confusing to your readers.
Make them short and sharp
The release notes that get read are those that are short and straight to the point. Writing long release notes is planning not to have them read. Note that people’s attention span on the internet is short, thus, they will only devote that time to content that is concise and to the point.
Add relevant links
An easy way to make your reader test the new feature or experience the new upgrade in your product is by adding relevant links. By linking the features, you direct traffic to the product. A customer might want to test your new feature as they are reading the release note. When you include a link to the product or feature, you make it easy for them to do so. This makes your release note more effective than if it doesn't have the relevant links.
Also, you might want to share more detailed information about the new development or feature. Adding links to user guides, video tutorials, articles, and the likes helps the reader get more robust information without making the release note too long.
Use images, videos, and GIFs
To make your release notes more interesting and captivating, consider using images, videos and GIFs. One of the reasons many people avoid reading release notes is that they are too plain and uninteresting. When you add these captivating features to your release notes, you transform them from plain notes to colorful ones.
Inject some branding and personality
Every document that comes from your brand should reflect your brand’s personality and image. A release note is not an exception. Use the writing style identified with your brand in your release notes. Insert some familiar slogans if necessary; anything that would make the document stand out as yours. This makes it more unique and fascinating.
Publishing Your Release Notes
You can publish your release notes through many channels. You can do so through newsletters, emails, blogs, or social media. You can also use specialized tools which lets you distribute your release notes through in-app messaging. Whatever channel you choose, make sure it can reach your users and collate feedback effectively.
5 Examples of Great Release Notes
Find below 5 examples of effective release notes:
Airtable
This release note has a clear title. It is short and straight to the point. It has a screenshot for better illustration so that the user can see a picture of what is being described. The release note also has relevant links to more information the user might need. The language is a bit technical to suit the audience.
Discord
Discord’s release note is very fascinating. The tone is casual and fun and makes the reader relaxed and want to read more. From the heading to the body, you can feel the brand personality oozing. It is also well detailed with captivating images and illustrations. In addition, it contains links to important information for the user.
Loom
This Loom’s release note on how their users can react to a loom with any emoji is illustrated with an emoji in the heading. This is quite exciting and a great show of brand personality. The tone is fun and casual and makes the reader want to go on. This release note is also very specific and focused on benefits. It has an illustration and a video that provide more information for the user.
Notion
This release note from Notion is well-broken down into subheadings and smaller details. It also has a GIF to illustrate the new features. Furthermore, it is short and straight to the point, making it easy to read and understand.
Slack
Although in one long document, the release notes from Slack are well-outlined and easy to read. A user can easily scan through and pause where their interest is caught. There are also relevant links included for more information.
Wrapping up
To write effective release notes, there are proven tips you need to follow. They include structuring them like an article, tailoring the language to suit your audience, using clear and logical language, and making them short and straight to the point.
Other tested pointers for writing result-oriented release notes are adding relevant links, using images, videos, and GIFs, and injecting your brand personality. With these trusted suggestions, release notes will become easy to write for you and easier to read for your users.