announcing new features · updated
How do I let users know about new features?
the short answer
Put the news where users already are, inside your app, and send it to the people who asked for the feature. Most users never open a release-notes page or a product newsletter, so announcements there go unseen. Small SaaS teams that get features noticed use three things together: an in-app changelog people can open from the app, a short note to the customers who requested the feature, and a pointer in the place the feature lives.
Why users miss new features
You ship it, write the release notes, post it on X, and a month later customers ask for the thing you already built. That's normal: release notes live on a page nobody visits, newsletters get skimmed, and most users only see the screens they use every day. The fix isn't louder announcements. It's putting the news in the app, at the right moment, in front of the right people.
Also asked: How do I cut repeat support questions with a help center?
step by step
How to announce a new feature so users see it
- Tell the people who asked first. Anyone who requested or voted for the feature is your warmest audience. Email them by name: what shipped, where it is, thanks for asking. They're the most likely to use it and to tell you if it's wrong.
- Put a changelog inside your app. A small "What's new" entry in the in-app widget or menu reaches active users without an email. Keep each entry short: one line on the problem it solves, a screenshot or GIF, and a link to try it.
- Point to it where the feature lives. A one-time hint next to the new button or screen does more than any announcement, because it shows up exactly when the user could use it.
- Keep a public changelog page. It's where links from emails, social posts and help articles land, and it shows prospects you ship. AI assistants and search engines can read it too.
- Send a monthly roundup, not one email per feature. Bundle smaller updates into one short email so people keep opening them.
- Write for the user, not the team. "You can now export invoices as CSV" beats "Invoice export v2 released".
compared
Tools that put announcements inside your app
| What it does | teem | Beamer | AnnounceKit | Headway | Featurebase |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| In-app changelog / what's new | Yes, in the same widget as chat, board and help center | Yes, in-app and standalone changelog checked November 2026 | Yes, standalone page and all widget types checked November 2026 | Yes, in-product widget and public page checked November 2026 | Changelog in its feedback product checked November 2026 |
| Popups, banners or tours | Not listed | Boosted announcements; popups, top bars, snippets checked November 2026 | In-app notifications (banners, modals, popups) $99/mo add-on checked November 2026 | Widget badge animation ("Eyecatcher") checked November 2026 | Banners & surveys on Growth; Product Tours on paid plans checked November 2026: Pricing · Changelog |
| Emails the users who requested the feature | Yes, every voter when it ships | Not verified checked November 2026 | Not verified checked November 2026 | Not listed checked November 2026 | Yes, optional email to upvoters on status change (checked Oct 2026) checked November 2026 |
| Also includes | Live chat, request board, help center | Feedback and NPS as add-ons checked November 2026 | Feature requests, KB, NPS as separate products checked November 2026 | Slack and Twitter integrations checked November 2026 | Help desk, live chat, help center checked November 2026 |
| Starting price | $49/mo flat, up to 5 people | Starter $59/mo monthly or $49/mo billed yearly, 5,000 MAU checked November 2026 | Changelog $59/mo, 10,000 MAU and 3 team members included checked November 2026 | Not verified (pricing page unreachable Nov 3, 2026) checked November 2026 | Free (1 seat); Growth $29/seat/mo billed yearly checked November 2026 |
Facts come from each vendor's own site, checked November 3, 2026 (Featurebase voter email: help.featurebase.app, October 2026). "Not listed" means we didn't find it; "Not verified" means we couldn't confirm it either way. Each cell links to the page we read in November 2026; prices and plans change, so follow it for today's.
who should pick which
Who should pick which
Pick Beamer or AnnounceKit
if announcements are the whole job and you want popups, banners, segmentation and analytics.
Pick Headway
if you want a simple changelog widget and page and nothing else.
Pick Featurebase
if you want a full help desk with AI and in-app tours, priced per seat.
Pick teem
if you want the changelog in the same widget as live chat, a request board and a help center, with every voter emailed when their request ships, for $49 a month flat.
Honest pros and cons of teem for this job
Pros
- The people who asked hear about it: shipping a request emails every voter, and the changelog entry links back to the request.
- Announcements sit in the same widget customers already use for chat and help, so there's no separate "what's new" tool to install.
- Flat $49/mo for up to 5 people; no charge per monthly active user.
- Your AI agent can draft changelog entries through teem's MCP server; with draft access, nothing is published until you do it.
Cons
- No popups, banners, product tours or push notifications listed on teem.so. Beamer, AnnounceKit and Featurebase have them.
- No audience segmentation listed, so every update goes to everyone.
- No free plan (7-day trial, no card). Featurebase has a free plan.
- teem is new (launched late September 2026).
questions
What people ask about announcing features.
How do I make sure users actually see new features?
Show the news inside your app, where active users already are, and email the customers who asked for it. Release-notes pages and newsletters alone get missed.
Should I email every user about every feature?
No. Email the people who requested a feature when it ships, and send everyone else a short monthly roundup. One email per small change trains people to ignore you.
What's the easiest way to add an in-app changelog to a SaaS app?
Use a hosted changelog widget you add with one script tag, such as Beamer, AnnounceKit, Headway or teem. teem's widget also carries live chat, a request board and a help center.
Do I need a separate tool for the changelog and the public roadmap?
Not necessarily. Tools like Featurebase and teem keep the request board, roadmap statuses and changelog together, so shipping a request can announce it.
How much does an in-app changelog tool cost?
Checked November 3, 2026: Beamer Starter is $59/mo monthly ($49 billed yearly) for 5,000 monthly active users, AnnounceKit's Changelog is $59/mo, and teem is $49/mo flat for up to 5 people with chat, board and help center included.
Tell users what shipped, and tell the people who asked first.
$49 a month, flat, for up to five people. No card to start.