8 Best SaaS Product Updates & Feature Launch Email Tactics (2024)

💬 Doing feature update/launch emails is a pretty key initiative for many SaaS products and brands, yet over the years I have seen, let's say "lacklustre" approach, to doing these types of email campaigns - however, I've also seen some amazing examples from products/brands I've used over the years, and included some of those in this checklist, as well as others I came across which I thought were really great for inspiration.

Various tactics and tests that you can try (which are cost-effective) for SaaS product update/feature launch emails

💬 As mentioned above, I've done mini-breakdowns, incl. examples, along with actionable tactics that you can test for context and objectives. :)

For feature launches (especially for any major releases), focused emails like this example from Bubbles are great.

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• Like the UI of the first graphic with the "motion" of the video clip being dropped into the upload - helps readers visually see how it works instantly
• Also like the second graphic that highlights the channel reordering
• Great email layout overall which keeps things simple and concise for subscribers

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• I also wanted to share two great references from Vimeo as well with keeping emails succinct, and visually appealing to focus on one key CTA

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If you’ve got a few features/releases to share, or perhaps you’re wanting to do a roundup from the past month, incorporating annotations with images to showcase how certain features work can help communicate faster to readers.

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• Similar to the first example I shared above Bubbles, like the fact they've used the UI from the product to showcase the specific feature 'in action' -helps users better understand in a quicker fashion how it works
• Also like the specific CTA callouts per feature highlight

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With any new larger initiatives related to the brand/business, you can incorporate product updates - some of which may be aligned with the larger initiative as well. 

• Just like this example from Dovetail, where thy did a main community announcement, alongside other helpful things to mention reated to the product

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GIFs are great for quickly sharing previews of how features work, which is great for those scanning down the email. 

• One of my fave daily tools is Notion, and they do an amazing job with their GIFs

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It’s worth running a test where you have “two CTAs” - one being the primary CTA (desired action), and the other being a secondary “softer” CTA which is a supporting resource related to the feature/release. 

Remember, the guide is also a conversion path, but serves a CTA for audiences who may need to better understand the use case, value and how the feature can help with their context/goals.

• This below from Anchor is a good reference of doing CTAs

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If you're looking into doing a campaign on getting customer feedback, then this is a good reference from MarkUp to check out.

• Like the copy they've used - feels personable and conversational
• It's good to remind audiences about previous comms - and it's good to incl. the link with 'quick demo' to provide further context for those who did miss
• Also like the graphic with "you're invited"

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Another test worth running are video embeds, especially for larger campaign launches, or for any product updates/features that requires more explanation than a annotation/image or GIF.

• Simply be adding a 'video icon' can help increase CTRs to get people to click and watch the video - have tested this before and it can work (depending on content and messaging too)

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As an email variant to test for any events/launches, a simple CTA focused on “add to calendar” to serve as a reminder to users can be effective for increasing ‘show rates’/opt-ins when the launch goes live.

• I quite like this from Canva - sometimes, all you need are clear CTA emails like this to ensure audiences/users uptake whatever it is you're wanting to promote
• Plus, this is a good tactic to get users to add a reminder in their emails (can help with show rates).