How To Promote New SaaS Feature Announcements

Launching a new feature for your SaaS business is an exciting experience. However, informing your faithful customers about it so that they’re aware can be a bit of a challenge. 

In this article, we’ve put together 5 ways to promote your SaaS new feature announcements. 

What is a new feature announcement?

Feature announcement is an exciting way to reveal a new update to your SaaS product. These updates can include new features you’ve recently added or improvements to existing ones.

Importance of Announcing new features

Just because you built it doesn’t mean your users (and potential users) will stumble upon it and start using it. You have to give them a nudge in the right direction. 

Here are some benefits of product announcement promotions.

• Promoting new features can increase users’ chances of spotting and adopting these new features.

• You can attract potential new users by showcasing the unique offerings of your product to the world. This generates curiosity and eagerness to try out your product especially if it solves their pain point.

• Promoting new features is also helpful in winning back users who may have previously churned due to certain features being unavailable. By highlighting the new additions, they might find what they were previously looking for and return to your product.

How to effectively create a feature announcement strategy?

Adding new and exciting features to your product will enhance its quality, and your customers will appreciate the added value. But keep in mind, these perks won’t come into play unless your customers know about them.

So, what makes a good feature announcement strategy?

Establishing a clear objective

What are you hoping to get out of this feature announcement? Are you aiming to get your current customers to notice and use new features? Looking to reel in some new customers? Or trying to woo back folks who left because you didn’t have the features they were after.

Once you’ve got your goal sorted, you can pick the perfect way and timing to trumpet your new feature to the world.

Choosing your target audience

Your product is a tool for different kinds of customers and can be used in many ways. 

Instead of spamming all your users with every little detail about your product, its better to ensure the right messages reach the right people. They don’t need to be flooded with features that aren’t their cup of tea, especially when announcing new features in your app.

Improving your app’s performance by testing and optimizing in-app messaging.

To ensure the success of your new feature announcement, test every aspect of it. This includes the call to action, the features’ location, and other related details. Don’t forget to note when you sent it out and which platform you used.

The whole point of testing is to see which in-app alerts catch your users’ attention and to find out what kind of feature update gets people to use the new stuff. 

5 ways to promote new feature announcements

#1 Email

A good old email never fails when connecting with your customers. With email, you’ve got plenty of options. 

For starters, you could whip up a general email blast to everyone. Make sure to provide all the necessary information about your new feature. Remember to include a “try me” link at the end to make it more appealing to users.

You can also consider breaking down your audience based on their product usage. This lets you tailor your emails to their needs more effectively. 

Say, for instance, a group of them are using similar features, you could let them know how this latest addition might benefit them. If they need to bump up to a higher plan to enjoy this new feature, it’s a perfect opportunity to craft an email that nudges them toward an upgrade.

# 2 In-app messaging

As a SaaS company, one ace up your sleeve can be in-app messaging. You can inform your customers about your new feature by placing a notification at the bottom of the screen that includes a direct link or by popping up a helpful modal. This can increase the likelihood of your message being seen when your customers are most receptive to the information.

# 3 Blog posts

If your business has an active and engaging blog, don’t overlook its potential value. Odds are a good chunk of your followers are already fans of your product, or at least super curious about it. Your blog is an excellent platform to showcase and promote any new releases.

Drop a blog post to let people in on the reasons behind the launch of this new feature and its inner workings. Sharing the benefits of the new feature can be enticing for users. By revealing how it can enhance their experience with your product, they may be more likely to try it out.

# 4 Social media

Social media can be compared to a reliable backup friend who is always available to help you connect with people not on your direct customer list.

The beauty of social media is its versatility. Want to share a video, gif, or even a trendy meme? You’ve got freedom to do that. Each platform lets you jazz up your announcements with unique formats and get immediate reactions from your users. 

Rather than bombarding them with every teeny-tiny update, try saving your posts for when you’ve got big news to share, like a significant feature rollout.

#5 Changelog

As a SaaS company, you need to have a neat changelog page on your site. It’s your way of giving users the lowdown on all the updates your product has had. Plus, it’s a nice way to keep things transparent and keep the trust going.

Think of the changelog as a go-to info hub for users. They can swing by anytime to catch up on updates. Changelog posts provide more detailed information than other channels, allowing you to explain updates thoroughly.

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#6 Other external channels

There are other options to get the word out to your loyal and potential customers when promoting a product announcement.

Check out some ways you can do this:

• If you have a community on platforms like Slack that includes your target audience, it’s an excellent place to share your latest features.

• Investing in online ads, whether on Google or social media, can help you reach a larger audience of potential customers.

• Press releases are also ideal for promoting an announcement.

• You can share the latest updates of your product with your current customers by hosting a webinar.

How often should you announce new features?

When it comes to spreading the word about product changes in the SaaS world, there’s no one-size-fits-all approach. It all boils down to a few different things, like how quickly your product evolves, what your users expect, and your business game plan. 

Ensuring customers are updated with regular updates is usually a smart move. It lets them know that you’re constantly working on making things better. You’ll find many businesses going for a monthly or even quarterly heads-up, just enough to keep customers clued in but not so much that they’re drowning in details.

That said, you don’t have to roll out the red carpet for every minor tweak or bug fix. It’s the big stuff, the game-changing new features that are worth making a song and dance about.

Something to keep in mind is that if you’re launching updates left and right, and they’re causing more disruption than they’re worth, it might sour the customer experience. You need to strike a balance between keeping customers on top of things and not messing with their day-to-day activities.

Don’t hesitate to play around with the strategies in this article. Whether writing a blog or sending emails to promote your product announcement, you shouldn’t shy away from experimenting with different strategies to connect with your customers effectively.