For updates to existing products, the notes educate end-users the notes educate end-users on what’s new and how the product has been improved since the last release. While there’s no standard format for release notes, they should adhere to your own company standards. Release notes for a brand-new product might be slightly more descriptive than for bug fixes and feature enhancements. As with any other product-related documentation, consistency is key. With helpful release notes, product teams can turn users into happy, loyal customers by producing user documentation that provides value—improving product adoption. Product release notes can help businesses keep track of how well their products are performing and identify potential issues.

Release notes don’t need to be on every communication channel you have; it’s down to your business to decide where’s best to publish them, as well as how to do so. Rules can be set to trigger the generation of release notes and ensure the most relevant people or groups of people can quickly access them. ARN is proficient in generating reports based on any rule such as email chains among team members or a pdf for client review. You can usually distribute release notes in your software or app when users log into the latest version. In this article, we’ll look at what release notes are, who should write them, and how you and your users benefit from good release notes.

Feefo’s in-app update announcement gives you the release notes immediately

While announcing a new feature (a bulleted list), HelpScout also draws users’ attention to Messages editor features some may not be currently using. Release notes can also contain test results and information about the test procedure. Notes about software or hardware installation, upgrades, product documentation, etc. You can add something personal by thanking your users for their time and patience and, if you can, let them know when to expect the next release. Under the “What’s New” category, they discuss the changes they’ve made and why.

Requiring them to dig through docs or endure a barrage of notifications and popups is also not ideal. List of specific actions needed by users or functionality impacted by the changes. Samsung makes their users’ lives as easy as possible by incorporating most of the above elements into their Samsung Internet Release Notes. These visual guides help illustrate the exact steps required, making changes appear easy to adapt to. The earlier you present your notes, the better — if your tech allows, display your update messages right after users log in to make sure they see them and start to explore their viability.

Yet, they can be your best friend in improving product adoption. However, you can invite others to join you inside of a workspace and collaborate together with the knowledge, projects, documents, and content inside of the workspace. Include any resource manuals, videos, etc. that can substantiate the new features. These resources can be “how-tos” for understanding how the new features work, especially if they are technical in nature. This may be just the version number or a specific name given to the update.

Rapidr helps you capture product ideas, requests, and feedback from colleagues and customers with their customer portal and in-app widget. In the search box on the top left corner, you can search for the “release notes template”. Once your desired template pops up, click on it and click on the “Use Template” button on the bottom right corner. Add the details of your company’s registered name, and the official name of the product. The reader should clearly know which product is being updated in the release.

How to use ChatGPT for Release notes

When you’re crafting your release notes, stick with simple, plain language and skip any heavy technical jargon. Remember, you’re writing for humans, and tech-speak can get in the way of delivering your message. Connect with your customers on a deeper level by getting creative with your release notes — inserting a little personality can go a long way toward creating more faithful users. For many, release notes are extremely technical documents that are drawn up by developers for developers.

Each new change is listed separately, and once clicked on, more detailed information about that change appears in the same modal. In-app widgets offered by tools like Rapidr can provide your users with a quick summary of the latest changes in your app without overwhelming them with information. They can also encourage users to leave reviews and feedback and gather user feedback on new features before releasing them. Beamer helps improve user engagement with an easy-to-use newsfeed and changelog. Beamer is one of the most expensive solutions compared to other changelog tools.

How to Write Release Notes: Top Tips, Examples & Tools

Let’s dive into the thick of it all and explore some best practices for creating your release notes that serve their purpose with style. Implementation — This section will detail how you’re implementing these new changes. Mention things like code changes, database updates, and other similar details. Changes to previous release notes — This section lays out a history of previous changes from past release notes. Release notes can also help track statistics such as number of bugs fixed, new bugs introduced, story points released, estimated time vs actual time, etc. These stats are crucial in optimizing the entire release management process.

Our changelog lets you easily tie your feature requests with product updates and notify your users. Companies must distribute release notes to keep their customers updated and aware of new changes. It also helps them in avoiding customer complaints about bugs and errors.

Issues/limitations/challenges — In this section, you should talk about all the limitations and obstacles you experienced while completing these changes. Fixed issues — Here, describe all the issues that your new release fixes. Introduction — The introduction should briefly describe the changes and the product. Impacts – Changes in prerequisites, configuration, hardware, etc. are listed here. They double up as action items for stakeholders that support the release in question. Overview – An introduction with a summary of features highlighting the new features.

As such, it’s not enough to simply announce that changes have been made. Users need to understand why you’ve added, fixed, or reduced some features of your application. This knowledge will help them feel that you’re listening to their feedback and are actively working to improve the product for them. Below, we’ll provide you with tips based on successful examples from top software companies to help you with your own release notes. With these tips, and the best release notes software, you’ll have your customers sold for the long term.

This approach allows for companies to maintain comprehensive lists of changes to their software going back to the product’s first version for their customers. In truth, however, release notes can play a vital role in the overall product experience because they provide a valuable opportunity to communicate with customers and your broader market. When done https://www.globalcloudteam.com/ well, they have the potential to nurture engagement and increase customer loyalty. This is followed by a table containing the release content, which is sectioned into two columns. The first row details the specific changes or updates made, and the second column directs customers to linked documents that provide more detail on the changes and updates.

• Explain what changed, but don’t go too deep into the technical details.
• They can interlink release notes with other bit documents inside of their workspaces with Bit’s wiki feature for both- internal use and external sharing.
• It’s time to ship your product…and you have to write release notes.
• These are usually distributed on a company’s website or via email.

By showcasing your development efforts in your latest releases, they help you stand out from the competition. It’s important to know your customer—77%  of consumers would preferably purchase from brands that share their values. The following list is a selection of major software from different branches, such as software games, operating systems, automotive, CAD design, etc.

If your brand is funny and light-hearted, your notes should reflect that. If your brand is eco-aware and green-friendly, adopt that messaging in your release notes as well. This consistency will resonate with customers who are familiar with your brand and drive loyalty.