How to plan a feature launch
The three-message arc and diagnostic for new-feature campaigns.
Table of Contents
When you're launching a new feature to existing users, don't build a single announcement — build a three-beat sequence designed to move users from awareness through action to follow-up. This article walks through the template, and the diagnostic to run when a launch isn't landing.
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The three-message arc
Every new-feature campaign should follow this structure:
Message 1 — Discovery (first 48 hours)
Experience: Modal or Slideout for high-priority launches; Pin badge on the feature entry point for lighter-touch launches.
Purpose: The user must understand that the feature exists and that they should act on it. The right level of interruption depends on the strategic importance of the launch.
Always check: should this target all users or only a subset? An admin-only action should never notify non-admins.
Message 2 — Quick tour (right after discovery)
Experience: A short Flow, dominated by Tooltips, with as few steps as possible.
Purpose: After the discovery message, guide the user to perform the action. The discovery message should let users skip directly to where they can act, rather than forcing them through a multi-step intro first.
Message 3 — Follow-up bump (3–5 days later)
Experience: In-product Tooltip or Embed on next session, plus an email or push notification for users who haven't returned.
Purpose: Re-engage users who didn't convert. The follow-up should also be available via a Launchpad or help center so users can come back to it on their own time.
Why varying experience types matters
A launch campaign isn't three Flows in a row. Mix experience types — variety creates rhythm and reduces fatigue:
- A Modal (broadcast) to carry the discovery beat
- A Tooltip sequence (action) to guide the user
- A Pin or Embed (persistence) for ongoing awareness after the launch moment passes
Use the same Tooltip tour in two contexts — triggered automatically after the discovery message, and available manually from a Banner or Launchpad for users who want to re-access it.
"We shipped it and nobody's using it"
When a feature launch doesn't land, run this diagnostic:
1. Who is "nobody"?
The first question to ask. Was this shipped to all users or a subset? "Nobody" is rarely literally everyone — and the answer changes the entire diagnostic. Push toward segment-level analysis, not broad "nobody's using it" framing.
2. Audience targeting
- Are events being tracked so you can identify who has and hasn't adopted?
- Is the right audience targeted, or was the wrong cohort excluded?
- Are you targeting by behavior (what they've done) or just by attribute (who they are)?
3. Moment and value
- Are you meeting users at the right moment, or interrupting them mid-task?
- Is the value clearly positioned from the user's perspective?
- Did you find the right entry point in the product?
4. Passive discovery
- Is there a way to discover the feature without the active campaign — a Launchpad item, a Pin, an Embed?
- Are page targeting and environment settings correct?
- Is the SDK working — initialized, user identified, pages tracked, no selector errors?
5. Feedback loop
- Has there been any feedback on the feature itself? Is it actually valuable to users?
- Are users being given the "why" early enough?
Experience types to default to for launches
Lean toward less invasive experience types for feature awareness:
- Pins — badge-style callouts and Pins with custom images highlighting new items. Persistently visible, no interruption.
- Embeds — inline on relevant pages, and the modern replacement for Modals in most launch contexts.
- Behaviorally driven Tooltips — triggered by what the user is doing, not fired as a one-time blast.
Modals are reserved for time-sensitive or high-strategic-value launches.
A feature launch is a tactic, not the goal
Always trace a feature launch back to the higher KPI it serves. Don't build a campaign to "promote Feature X for its own sake" — ask what outcome Feature X adoption drives (retention, activation, expansion), and build the campaign in service of that outcome.