# 010: Do your Release Notes release value?
¡Hola, Tech Writing Friends!
What makes a good Release Note?
Done right, release notes build trust and improve product adoption. Done wrong, they’re just noise in everyone’s inbox.
Let’s write release notes that actually release value.
Nobody Reads Your Release Notes. Nobody.
Have you ever poured careful thought into writing release notes only for them to go unnoticed?
Here’s the harsh truth: Most users don’t care about the nitty-gritty of every bug fix or feature tweak—they care about what’s in it for them.
How To Fail Writing Release Notes
Most release notes fall into two camps:
Lists everything—no matter how small or irrelevant. (“Fixed typo in dropdown menu, anyone?”)
“Various improvements and bug fixes.”
Users don’t want to read a novel to find the one change that affects them. If users can’t see how the updates help them, they’ll tune out.
Write User-Centric Release Notes
Here’s a better way to manage release notes:
Highlight changes that affect the user experience directly.
Organize into clear sections like New Features, Improvements, and Fixes.
Create a Template:
New Features: Highlight exciting updates that improve the user experience.
Fixes: Explain bugs that were resolved in simple, relatable terms.
What’s Next: (Optional) Tease upcoming updates to keep users engaged.
For every update, explain how it benefits the user.
Link to relevant docs or tutorials for deeper dives.
Release Notes Done Well
Here’s a simple example to get you started:
Ready to level up your release notes game?
Hasta luego,
Quetzalli
