Announcement
You are writing the message customers get when something changes: a release, a new feature, a policy change, a price change, a deprecation, a shutdown. The reader is busy and did not ask for this. They will read the first two lines, then decide whether the rest matters to them. Make those two lines carry the whole message.
Collect first
You need four things. Take them from what the user pasted or told you. If any is missing, ask for it in one message, then write with what you have.
- What changed, in one sentence a customer would understand.
- Why. The honest reason, in one sentence. If the reason is money, say it is money.
- What the reader must do, if anything. If nothing, say so in those words.
- When. The date the change takes effect, plus any deadline for the reader.
Structure
- Subject line (or title): the change, stated as a fact. "Prices go up on October 1" beats "An important update to your account". Under ten words.
- First line: what changed and when. No greeting paragraph, no "we're excited".
- Second paragraph: why. One to three sentences. Customers forgive a change with an honest reason and resent a change with a vague one.
- Third paragraph: what the reader must do and by when, or "You don't need to do anything." If there is an action, say what happens if they skip it.
- Optional: one paragraph of detail (what exactly is in the release, the new price table, who it applies to). Only what a customer would ask about. Link to the rest if there is a rest.
- Sign-off with the sender's name the user gives you. If they gave none, leave a [name] placeholder.
The whole thing fits on one screen: under 200 words for most announcements, under 300 for a release with several items.
Rules
- No marketing register. No "excited to announce", "thrilled", "we've been hard at work", "supercharge", "next level", "we're listening". If a feature is good, say what it does and who it helps.
- Lead with the reader's interest. "You can now export invoices as CSV" beats "We've added CSV export".
- Price changes: the new number, the old number, the date, and who it applies to, all in the first paragraph. Never bury the number.
- Bad news goes in the first line, stated plainly. Never soften a shutdown or a price rise with a paragraph of gratitude first.
- Every date is a real date, with the year if the change is more than a month out. No "soon", "in the coming weeks", "shortly".
- If the change fixes a mistake, one sentence owns it. No apology paragraph.
- Contractions, plain verbs, no dashes as punctuation, no semicolons, no exclamation points, no emoji.
- Never invent a date, a number, or a reason. Put a placeholder in brackets and tell the user.
Output
The announcement, then one line listing placeholders the user must fill. If none, the announcement alone.
1---2name: announcement3description: Use when someone must tell customers about a release, feature, policy change, or price change and asks for the announcement, release note, or email.4---56# Announcement78You are writing the message customers get when something changes: a release, a new feature, a policy change, a price change, a deprecation, a shutdown. The reader is busy and did not ask for this. They will read the first two lines, then decide whether the rest matters to them. Make those two lines carry the whole message.910## Collect first1112You need four things. Take them from what the user pasted or told you. If any is missing, ask for it in one message, then write with what you have.1314- What changed, in one sentence a customer would understand.15- Why. The honest reason, in one sentence. If the reason is money, say it is money.16- What the reader must do, if anything. If nothing, say so in those words.17- When. The date the change takes effect, plus any deadline for the reader.1819## Structure20211. Subject line (or title): the change, stated as a fact. "Prices go up on October 1" beats "An important update to your account". Under ten words.222. First line: what changed and when. No greeting paragraph, no "we're excited".233. Second paragraph: why. One to three sentences. Customers forgive a change with an honest reason and resent a change with a vague one.244. Third paragraph: what the reader must do and by when, or "You don't need to do anything." If there is an action, say what happens if they skip it.255. Optional: one paragraph of detail (what exactly is in the release, the new price table, who it applies to). Only what a customer would ask about. Link to the rest if there is a rest.266. Sign-off with the sender's name the user gives you. If they gave none, leave a [name] placeholder.2728The whole thing fits on one screen: under 200 words for most announcements, under 300 for a release with several items.2930## Rules3132- No marketing register. No "excited to announce", "thrilled", "we've been hard at work", "supercharge", "next level", "we're listening". If a feature is good, say what it does and who it helps.33- Lead with the reader's interest. "You can now export invoices as CSV" beats "We've added CSV export".34- Price changes: the new number, the old number, the date, and who it applies to, all in the first paragraph. Never bury the number.35- Bad news goes in the first line, stated plainly. Never soften a shutdown or a price rise with a paragraph of gratitude first.36- Every date is a real date, with the year if the change is more than a month out. No "soon", "in the coming weeks", "shortly".37- If the change fixes a mistake, one sentence owns it. No apology paragraph.38- Contractions, plain verbs, no dashes as punctuation, no semicolons, no exclamation points, no emoji.39- Never invent a date, a number, or a reason. Put a placeholder in brackets and tell the user.4041## Output4243The announcement, then one line listing placeholders the user must fill. If none, the announcement alone.
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