What is Release Notes?

Release notes, in depth

Good release notes are written for the user who almost cares: scannable, benefit-first, honest about fixes. They are also a distribution moment — the one time you can legitimately reappear in a user’s inbox or app with news they asked for, especially users who requested the shipped feature.

The highest-leverage line in any release note is the one that closes a loop: “you asked, we shipped.” Explicitly connecting releases to user requests converts an announcement into proof that feedback works, which recruits the next round of feedback.

Putting it into practice

Keep a running draft as things merge so notes take minutes, not archaeology. Cross-reference your feedback system: whoever requested or voted for a shipped item should encounter the news — in TellTide’s model, the roadmap status flip is that encounter.

Related terms

• Changelog — A changelog is a chronological record of what changed in a product — new features, improvements, and fixes — published where users can see it.
• Closing the loop — Closing the loop means telling the people who gave feedback what happened to it — the fix shipped, the feature is planned, or the request was declined and why.
• Public roadmap — A public roadmap is a customer-visible board of what a product team is considering, building, and shipping — typically with statuses users can follow and items they can vote or comment on..