What is a Changelog?
To understand what a changelog is, your differences with release notes and for who this incredible tool is, give a way to go. Here, we explain everything, including the format expected to make great release notes and impactful historic changelog!
What are Release Notes?
Technical documentation produced and shared about a launch of new software or product update ( including latest changes, new features, enhancements or bug fixes).
Every new release notes describes new products or new specific details changes. Serve just a certain amount of time, they are written and designed to be easy to understand by users and customers. Explaining how the latest change will make a difference in the user's day.
Although these are frequently associated with the target audience, release notes can also be used internally, for teammates only as an example.
You can think that one release note is one of several ways that a company or business can “stay closer” to your customers possibilities: an open communication channel.
How to use the update notes for your internal team
And what is a Changelog?
A changelog provides a chronological list of all changes and different versions of a product, serves to record the changes and helps to build a map ( and a product roadmap too) to know the evolution of a product or service .
Normally, a changelog is organized into a newsfeed portal, with space for searching oldest updates and separate announcements in custom categories. This way of organization exists to make the users’ understanding of how the system works easier and find explanations about changes that they don't remember.
Remember: Changelog is a simple way to spend your culture, increase progress, communicate and celebrate new steps. Creating value in your company and more value to your users.
Why Keep a Changelog?
Customers and users want to know about everything that changes in tools or platforms that they use, and this wish has one purpose: make it easier to see if it is worth it or not.
Some changes are impactful and can transform the way that every single person increases your productivity or entertains yourself.
Who needs a Changelog?
Everyone who wants to have clear and transparent communication. End users are human beings who care about what their software can do and like updates to improve their experience.
Having a Changelog allows you to improve your relationship with your community, bringing your teammates closer to users.
What makes a good changelog?
In first place: Changelog is made for humans, not bots! So, all your updates announcements have to be focused on how one human person will like to read? The writing is simple, direct and clear. Humans like transparency, so only tell the truth, don't create fake updates or anything else that doesn't exist.
Don’t forget to announce to your users about the features or old tools that have been excluded, and don’t hide bugs found, always see that you know about them and create a new announcement when you fix them.
Avoid using automatic release notes, make yourself every time you need to post a new updated announcement. Important make this because bots seem so artificial and anybody likes to read something written by a bot.
How to organize and manage customer feedback
What should you have in a changelog
Also exists a format that a changelog must follow:
- Product Name
- Document Name
- The date of announcement must be show
- The latest announcement always comes first.
- Separate updates in One-Word custom categories
- Summary to help users know about what’s happened.
- A Contact channel for support about the product changes.
Power your changelog!
To extract as much as possible, increase and power up your changelog! Write an incredible text, direct and easy to read. Put images to make it attractive and intuitive, call the attention!
Put CTA ( call to action) on your announcement too. Using a Changelog Tool like Changelogfy you can release actions. Users can give your comments, telling you what they think about the new update and send reactions to show their satisfaction.
With Changelogfy also is possible to post your latest product updates in multiple languages to stay closer from users, separate in custom categories and only send a new announcement for target users with user tracking.