Changelog best practices for product teams

A changelog is free marketing and retention, as long as people actually read it. These practices keep yours useful.

Ship updates in plain language

Lead with the benefit, not the implementation. 'Dark mode is here' beats 'refactored theme provider'.

Categorise: New, Improved, Fixed

A simple label helps readers scan and signals momentum across all three categories.

Link releases to requests

When a release answers a feature request, link them. It shows users their feedback drives the product, and it's the heart of closing the feedback loop.

Offer RSS and a widget

Let users subscribe via RSS or an in-app 'what's new' widget so updates reach them where they already are.