Best Release Notes Templates with Examples

A comprehensive guide on writing release notes your customers will actually enjoy

Table of Contents

• Importance of Release Notes
• Understanding your Target Reader
• 1. The Technical Template
  • Openchangelog Format
  • Keep a Changelog Format
• 2. The Storytelling Template
  • Openchangelog Format
• Conclusion

At Openchangelog we have seen a lot of release notes, the good, the bad and the boooring. Today we are here to help you write release notes that your customers will actually look forward to reading.

Importance of Release Notes

Release notes are are a crucial part of communicating product updates, fixes, and improvements to your users. But often not maintained, poorly written or overly technical. When done right, they:

• Buld trust by keeping users informed.
• Reduce support tickets by explaining changes and features.
• Promote new features and help with adoption

But how can you make sure your release notes stand out and provide value? Let’s dive into some of the best templates and examples to inspire your next changelog.

Understanding your Target Reader

Before you even begin writing your release notes, it’s crucial to understand who you’re writing for.

The tone, detail level, and structure of your release notes will vary greatly depending on whether your audience is technical (such as developers) or non-technical (like general customers).

1. The Technical Template

Technical users, like developers, engineers or IT teams typically want detailed information about the updates, especially if the changes affect APIs, integrations, or system performance. These readers appreciate specifics about technical improvements, bug fixes, and version control.

What they expect:

• Version numbers and release dates
• Links to additional resources like API documentation
• Detailed descriptions of new features, bug fixes, and system changes.
• Clarity on how the changes impact integrations or performance.

Example

Openchangelog Format

---
title: Release 3.5.0
description: Version 3.5.0 is a major update introducing new API features and fixing minor security issues.
publishedAt: 2024-10-11
tags:
    - API
    - Security
---


### What's New
- **OAuth 2.1 Support:** We've added full support for OAuth 2.1, providing...
- **Batch API Requests:** New support for batch API requests, allowing...

### Bug Fixes
- **Session Timeout Bug:** Fixed an issue where user sessions would expire...
- **Memory Leak:** Corrected a memory leak in the background sync layer...


For migrating from `3.4.0` to `3.5.0` read our [migration guide](link).

Keep a Changelog Format

Another popular format for writing release notes is the Keep a Changelog format. We recommend following this standard if you plan to maintain a single CHANGELOG.md file.
It has become popular in both open-source and broader development communities because of its simplicity, helping maintainability, its clarity by grouping changes, and its compatibility with Semantic Versioning, making it easy to communicate updates to both technical and non-technical audiences.
For a step-by-step guide on integrating Openchangelog with the Keep a Changelog format, check out our blog post.

2. The Storytelling Template

On the other hand, for non-technical users, the focus should be on usability and benefits. They want to know what’s in it for them and how the product enhancements will make their life easier. This storytelling approach provides a more engaging narrative while making it easier for readers to connect with the changes.

What they expect:

• Plain language that avoids overly technical jargon.
• Visual aids, such as screenshots or videos, to help them see what’s new.
• Clear explanations of how the updates improve their experience.

Example

Openchangelog Format

---
title: Colorful Tags
description: Make your release notes visually pop with custom tags
publishedAt: 2024-10-09
tags:
    - Feature
---

![](https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/cf07e9e8-41ee-404b-ab7b-1d41c10cdbdd)

We've added colorful tags to help categorize your release notes. Whether it's a new feature, bug fix, or improvement, you can now make your updates more visually distinctive.

Just add tags to your release notes and we'll automatically color them based on the tag name.

Conclusion

Write Notes Worth Reading: Your release notes are more than a simple changelog – they’re a chance to showcase your brand’s personality, celebrate your team’s hard work, and make your users feel like they’re part of something special.

Wow you made it this far? You must really like release notes and are probably a good candidate for Openchangelog.

Openchangelog let’s you integrate writing engaging release notes, into your product development process, ensuring that your users never miss out on your latest updates.