What's the most effective way you've found to introduce/launch new features within the product UI?

I think you’re asking if it’s behind a pay wall and not just a free product? If that’s the case, you need material (video!) that can act as a demo, people want to see product, not just read about it. Salespeople who can give great demos and free trials are often a really effective a launch tool. 

There are three main ways that I like to announce features in-product. Please note: I do not recommend you do all three at the same time unless you want your users to find you incredibly annoying. Each has their own time and place, but I find each to be effective in their own way. I've ranked these from least disruptive to the user to most disruptive to the user below: 

• Contextual announcements: One of the most seamless ways to help customers discover new features is to include the announcements, tool tips, or updates right when they can and should use it. This means that instead of blasting the news right when someone logs in, you think through where you might give the user a bit of a nudge to use or try something new and empower them to take action right away. The pro of this type of announcement is that it seems less marketing-y and more helpful. The drawback is that it’s not seen by as many users since it only shows up when a user goes through that specific product flow. 
• In product empty states: Not to play favorites, but this is my favorite type of in product marketing. The empty state refers to the first time a user encounters a feature, or the state of the product or feature before any data/information is added to it. For example, the first time you click on Airtable Apps, you see an empty state that gives a hint at it’s value and why you should use it. These empty states give you much more real estate than a modal or tool tip and often you can help the user not just understand that there’s a new feature, but really help them understand the benefit of said feature and why they should use it. The most effective way I’ve seen empty states used has been with in product videos that explain the value of the feature and gets in a bit of user education before the customer dives in. Keep these videos short (under 1:30) and you should see your conversion rate from those empty states spike! 
• Announcement modals: These are the most ‘in your face’ of all announcements and should be used most sparingly, but they’re often the most effective. These are announcements that pop up for a user as soon as they login to your product, letting them know that you’ve launched something big, new, and impactful. That modal should be short, sweet, and easy to dismiss so you’re not interrupting a user’s workflow too heavily. CTAs on those modals can push a user to start a trial/use the feature or link out to a blog post or landing page that explains more about what’s new.

Product UI real estate is a powerful, contextual tool in introducing new launches. Your customers are most engaged and most likely to take action on your new launch when they are already in the product. And this is especially true for a self-service model because frequently this is the only way customers will find out about a new launch.

Depending on how your product is built or your product and engineering capacity, you have many options to highlight a launch in the UI. You can use “new” feature flags, product tours, contextual nudges, banners, walkthroughs, videos, and even interstitial modals. There are also lots of tools like WalkMe and Intercom to help add touchpoints to your UI.

Your in-product launch strategy will depend on the size of the launch and your customer behavior goals. For a major launch, you could use an interstitial modal during the sign-up process to really capture attention - however, use this one sparingly because it can be really annoying. For a smaller launch, a product banner or a “new” feature flag could work well.

Whatever you do, make sure your strategy is relevant and timely to your target audience. If you annoy your customers, they’ll train themselves to ignore your efforts, or worse they will stop using your product.

At Atlassian, we've found that in-app feature announcements work really well as you have the ability to reach the user when they are in the context of your product vs perhaps checking email and thinking about something else. Here are some tips to make your in-product announcements more effective:

• Be highly targeted: Unless you're announcing a major feature or product that is useful to every type of user (which is rare!), it's most effective and definitely less annoying to customers, if you target your message to the users who will value it the most. Start with a specific group of users who have the highest propensity to find value and craft the message to their needs. You can always go wider and open up this targeting later. 
• Be contextual: Instead of using large banner announcements across every screen of your product UI, think about where and when a user would need to use this feature in their workflow or actions they are taking in the product that indicates a need for this feature. Add the in-app message in context to their user journey and the more likely they will be willing to give it a try or see value in the use-case. 
• Use clear and concise messaging: In-app is not the place where you want to be long-winded or use too much marketing-speak. Being playful is great but make sure the message is helpful, to-the-point, and delightful. 
• Experiment! The great part of in-app messaging if you have a larger audience to reach is that you can A/B test different messages, designs, placements, user events, or target audiences. Run experiments in the beginning until you find your sweet spot. 
• Don't overdo it and allow the user to quickly opt-out: Don't let in-app messages crowd and distract from the user experience. There should be governance over in-app messages to ensure the same user isn't getting many messages on the same day. Make sure you allow a user to skip the message easily. Even better, allow the user to hide the message to read it later or via email. 

Introducing new features in-product is often the best way to drive awareness and adoption, because it's in context of the user's workflow and timed when they're actually thinking about your product (vs. email, social, etc.). 

Generally speaking, you want to:

1. Make users aware there's something new

2. Provide a product usage fast-lane to users who already 'get it' and want to try

3. Provide additional detail to users who need more hand-holding

Here's what that looks like:

•  Make users aware that there's something new. This could look like a highlight of that product area in the navigation (an icon next to it, a modal pointing to it, etc.), a general modal on the start page, or a highlight on a designated spot where you always talk about new features (a What's New page or modal, for example). Keep this short and sweet.
•  Link to that area of the product. You want to make it easy for users to jump in and try. 
•  Share more detail about what's new and how / why to use it. If you can, keep this in product, alongside the feature. It can be just a couple sentences, or if you have the real estate you can add a GIF and some step-by-step instructions.
•  Link to more detail. A help center article is generally a better destination from inside the product than a blog post. 

Also important — here's what not to do:

1. Have intrusive modals that get in the way of product usage 
2. Use language that feels too much like marketing- or sales-speak
3. Always have some kind of promo or call-out running — users get tired of seeing it and will automatically close out of it even if they would have found something valuable 

There isn’t a one-size-fits-all approach to introducing new features. The most effective strategy depends on the nature of the feature and how it integrates with the rest of your product. That said, I’ve found that a combination of four tactics typically works well:

1. In-App Announcements: This is a no-brainer. These ensure that users are immediately aware of new features the next time they log in. Pop-ups or banners can highlight key benefits and encourage users to explore the update. However, it’s important to think through where the pop-ups will be the least disruptive. What you don’t want is to trigger a popup when someone is mid-flow on something. 

2. Guided Tours: Interactive walkthroughs can help users understand how to use the new feature effectively. By showing them step-by-step, you reduce the learning curve and are more likely to increase adoption. 

3. Tooltips: Subtle hints and highlights within the UI are a great way to guide users in real time as they explore the new features. This helps make the new feature intuitive to discover and use. Usually, you’ll need to partner with your Product team to scope and build these in as part of the new features. 

4. Videos: Embedding short videos (demos & marketing) within the product UI provides a dynamic and engaging way for users to see the new feature in action. Videos are also great if your new feature is an add-on or upsell. I've seen companies get better engagement and adoption when they put a video in place of where customers see/experience new features they don't have yet. 
   

Combining some form of these strategies ensures that users are informed, supported, and encouraged to engage with new features in a way that feels somewhat natural and beneficial. Another thing to remember is to make sure the feature you're promoting is relevant to the audience. If you serve multiple audiences, segment the in-app messages and experiences to those who will benefit from it.

I'm a huge fan of in-product education software like Pendo or UserPilot - they allow you to create personalized, triggered, guided, targeted education flows that are highly effective - much more so than just a pop up and banner. And better yet, they're highly measurable and actionable - we even pass the data off to our Sales/Customer Success teams so they can use it to prioritize their outreach.

My opinion is that if its in the UI, it needs to be very intuitive. So if you cant drive usage/awareness with a single in-product notification, then the UI needs some refinement to make it clearer to users. Of course, you can still educate users in other areas, blogs, help center articles, etc. but I would consider the main driver being an in-product notification.

New product features seamlessly integrated and intuitively weaved within a product UI can be key levers for user adoption and satisfaction - starts with strong customer discovery, intuitive design and robust feature build. There is no band-aid fix for poor design.

Once you've built the right product experience, you can start to think about shaping user habits. Think personalization, omnichannel engagement and reduction of cognitive burden when you think of approaches to drive user stickiness.

Here are some ideas for driving awareness and product engagement -

• In-app/surface messaging: Tooltips, guided product walkthroughs, announcement banners, contextual pop-ups, full screen takeovers for the in-the moment messaging have been THE MOST impactful in driving desired customer behavior especially in consumer apps. Examples: Uber rider app, Doordash app, Amazon are good examples of products that leverage in-app messaging effectively.

• In-app Onboarding and Tutorials: Primary onboarding involves introducing the user to the app and guiding them to their "aha" moment, ensuring they become engaged and active users. Secondary onboarding focuses on maintaining user engagement, encouraging the discovery of new features, and increasing usage to drive revenue growth. Demos, guides and tutorials help guide users on product value and feature functionality.

• Personalized & Omnichannel experiences: The best app onboarding experiences take the full user journey into account and involve cohesive messaging across multiple channels such as email, customer success outreach, self-service support, video walkthroughs, and more. Some excellent examples that come to mind include Asana, Headspace that understand the importance of personalization in the onboarding experience.

• User Education & Support: Update your help center with articles, FAQs, and troubleshooting tips related to the new feature. At Iterable, we have a robust offering called "Iterable Academy" that provides a series of self-guided learning modules to help marketers build fluency with the platform as they design & orchestrate complex, multichannel campaigns.

• Engagement and Incentives: Gamification techniques like badges or points encourage users to try out new features. Also, incentives such as discounts, free trials, or exclusive access can encourage users to explore & adopt new features. Remember "Farmville"? I maybe dating myself here. The genius in how Farmville succeeded back in the day in getting so many people addicted was in how it handled commitments on a player's time: every time you played Farmville and planted a crop, you made a commitment to come back during a 12 hour window or so to harvest your crop, or else you forfeited your investment. While Farmville is no more, there is something to be learned about driving sticky user behavior through gamification.

• Iterate, iterate, Iterate: Launch, test, learn and .... you guessed it .. iterate!

Some of my favorite product UIs that I think are effective at driving user behavior are Blinkist, Duolingo, Asana and Notion - love these apps for their intuitiveness, versatility and catering to a wide range of user preferences.

• Intercom - I love their product! You can create announcements on the bottom right of your UI, or as large nearly full screen overlays... but it's not intrusive and looks separate from product notifications.

• A guided tour using an external tool like WalkMe.... or develop something similar internally

• Butter bars within the UI that sit at the very top of the screen and hyperlink text that goes to a blog post

• This one is cheating because it's not technically the UI, but create a personalized log in screen that has a place for new feature launches.

It depends on the scale of the launch, but I would generally use the following process: 

• Get Specific on Your Target Audience: 

  • Customer Segmentation: Identify key segments such as new users, power users, or specific industries. Tailor the launch to resonate with these groups. 

  • Journey Timing: Consider where customers are in their product journey to tailor the introduction appropriately.

  • JTBD and Regional Nuances: Focus on the specific jobs to be done and any regional differences to ensure relevance.

• Test Your Messaging Early:

  • Alpha and Beta Testing: Partner with Account Management and Sales to gather diverse feedback from power users and new customers. 

  • Iterative Refinement: Use this feedback to refine messaging, ensuring it resonates across different segments.

• Develop ‘Quick Hit’ Assets: these don’t take much effort and can provide directional signal: 

  • In-App Notifications: Create brief notifications to alert users to the new feature without disrupting their workflow.

  • Guided Tours and Tooltips: Implement interactive tours and tooltips for quick adoption.

  • Banners and GIFs: Use engaging visuals to highlight the feature’s benefits.

• Partner Closely with Engineering, DS, and Growth Teams: 

  • Collaborative Planning: Align with Engineering and DS teams on objectives and key metrics for in-app tests.

  • Rapid Iteration: Quickly iterate based on feedback to continuously improve the feature and messaging. 

  • Data-Driven Decisions: Regularly review performance data with the Growth team to optimize the feature and messaging.

• Assess Longer Shelf Life Assets: 

  • Performance-Based Development: Develop detailed content like video tutorials and webinars based on the success of quick-hit assets.

  • Personalized Onboarding: Create tailored onboarding flows for different user segments to ensure relevant and actionable information.

There are a few different ways you can do this (and also a lot of tools out there that can help! Pendo, Chameleon, and Braze as examples.) The top three that I've seen include:

1. A push notification or in-product pop-up will get the most urgent visibility for a new feature.

2. You could also use a banner or in-app message can help you get visibility for the new feature without 'interrupting'.

3. The least obtrusive would be to include in a self-service feature manager, e.g. if your app offers the ability for admins to self-service access and turn on features for an EA. This would have less prominence but could be an effective way to introduce and gain early feedback on a new feature before more widely rolling it out.

In the first two, these will perform even more effectively if they've been personalized and/or leverage customer usage insights to showcase the relevance of this new feature to the customer's use of your product. For example, if a customer is already using an adjacent product/capability, they may be more apt to try and adopt quickly -- so a tailored message that explains how this new feature is additive to their existing experience could motivate them to move quickly. Alternately, you could use this feature launch as a 'carrot' to drive adoption of core features by creating a tailored message that shows ROI of brands already further along this maturity path.

Using the product UI as one of your marketing channels for a launch can be so effective because you are meeting your customer where they are. It also reduces friction in the customer journey and lends to more seamless adoption.  

However, you must be very careful with marketing directly in the product UI because it’s easy to abuse the channel and create excess noise for your customers. Remember, at the end of the day, you want your customer to find value in the product and not be bombarded with marketing. Make sure your messaging in the UI is succinct and to the point. Don’t inflate it with marketing fluff. 

Here are some effective ways to launch and message new features within the product UI:

• “What’s new”: Utilize the change log or news feed in the product UI as a central place for users to go to learn about new releases and get educated. You are teaching your users to go to this feed regularly so make sure you update it frequently. 

• Tool tips: Add tool tips to existing features or modals in your UI to highlight a new functionality. You have the user’s attention and it’s a more seemless adoption path. 

• AI assistant: Many SaaS products are introducing AI assistants directly in the UI. This is a great channel to use to let a user know about a new feature or enhancement to their existing workstream. It needs to appear like a natural and relevant suggestion so make sure you work closely with your AI team to incorporate the new feature into the AI data set. 

Incorporating in-product experiences into a launch can boost awareness and adoption, and it's a great way for customers to discover new value. Plus, it gives you the chance to get immediate feedback on what you've just rolled out. But it's important to remember that creating valuable experiences is key—most users aren't fans of being marketed to directly within the product. The best approach I've found for introducing and launching new features within the product UI is through a clear, structured four-step process.

1.Set the Strategy:

• Define the Strategy: Start by pinpointing your objectives, like increasing user engagement, improving conversion rates, or enhancing satisfaction.

• Segment Users: Dive into your user data to identify who will benefit the most from the new features. Look at their usage patterns and preferences to tailor your messaging and user experience.

• Highlight Value: Clearly explain the benefits of the new features. Your buyers and users may be different, be sure your messaging is tailored to the users of the product, showing how the features solve specific problems or improve their experience.

2.Decide on Engagement Methods: When choosing content and methods of engagement, I'll take into account the complexity of the features and the technical aptitude of the audience.

• Low complexity: Quick tips or FAQs that provide brief instructions can be effectively delivered through in-app notifications to keep users updated on new features.

• Moderate complexity: Tutorial videos that demonstrate features step-by-step, along with infographics that clearly explain features, benefits, and usage, can be presented via an in-product overlay modal or through an onboarding experience.

• More complex or entirely new user experiences: More detailed educational content, such as in-product guided walkthroughs or comprehensive tutorials, have been effective.  Also, consider the user journey and aim to trigger experiences at moments when they make the most sense.

3:Design the launch experience rollout: To ensure effectiveness, it's crucial to target alerts only to the customers who should see them. Communicating messages that are not relevant or contextual can lead to noise, causing users to ignore them or, worse, stop using your service. It's also important to test the effectiveness of your messages and delivery methods. Start with a small group of users or opt for a phased rollout. This approach allows you to monitor engagement, gather feedback, and make necessary adjustments before expanding the release to a broader audience.

4.Measure, learn, and iterate:  Monitor how users interact with the new features. This data will inform you whether users can find and effectively use the features, enabling continuous improvement based on actual usage insights. It will also give  you insights that can inform future launches.

This approach ensures that your in-product feature launches are well-planned, user-focused, and flexible, adapting based on real feedback from users.

We typically use one of two options, depending on the business and customer impact of the feature.

For new features with huge upside or the potential to cause a lot of customer confusion if not explained carefully, a more disruptive, in product modal is effective. Design it with a strong headline and a visual element and show it to customers upon login. Customers will be "forced" to engage with the modal and any subsequent pages before taking an action or closing out. Modals provide a reasonably large piece of real estate so you can include a compelling graphic or screenshot and plenty of info on the benefits.

For features that are "nice to haves" or that require little explanation, a feature tour works well. We've used small colored dots and questions marks in the past to indicate what's new on the page, with an on hover tool tip displaying next to each dot to explain what's new. This is a nice, non-disruptive way to catch people's attention and introduce a new feature.

Great question.

• For bigger features I think it is okay and also effective to be very much in the face of the user, with e.g. a modal that the user actively have to close. One can even add a product tour of the feature and/or a video.
• With smaller features I would use more subtle hotspots with tooltips or similar.

All of this can be build with Userflow by the way.

I'm a big fan of in-app guides and tours. And from my personal experience, it usually outperforms email.

Everything should be crafted with the best user experience in-mind. After you come up with a wireframe for the flow, ask yourself these questions:

1. How does the user discover this in-app tour? (is it hidden behind a trigger, such as navigating to a certain page?)
2. Does this guide/tour compete with or compliment other tours?
3. Is the tour broken up into bite-size pieces? (I recommend less than 6 guides in a tour)
4. Is it annoying or interrupting my workflow?

It's all contextual, too! If you're launching a tier 1 new product, you probably want to draw attention to that when the user first logs in. However, improvements and lower tier features don't require something as flashy. I love contextual tooltips and badges to nudge the user when it's convenient for them and doesn't disrupt their workflow.

My one piece of advice on this though is to make the announcement about the WHY and not the HOW.

Too often teams focus on showing people the feature (through a feature tour or tooltip etc.) but that really misses a key step, which is to get someone excited about how the change can add value to their life and work. 

Here is my suggested framework for in-product announcements (having worked on this for many years):

1. 2-3 weeks before launch: provide a heads-up / short teaser to let a user know a change is coming and why they should be excited by it. This also helps quell any anxiety when the change arrives. 
2. Announce the change and why you put the effort into making it (and how it'll add value to the user). Encourage them to explore and play (don't take the fun out of self-discovery by handholding them through it)
3. If they haven't used it in a couple weeks, offer a tour or walkthrough
4. Once they've seen it / used it, do a quick in-product survey to understand whether it met their expectations and how easy it is to use (this will help you relay info to the product team on whether the feature needs more work)

You can do a bunch of this stuff with Chameleon and there are a bunch of examples of what others have done here. 

Good luck!