From OpenAI to Canva, this guide covers effective feature announcement strategies from recent SaaS launche
The goal of this post is not to cover how to write a feature announcement or any other basic practice. Instead, our goal here is to get your creative juices flowing. Feel like your feature announcements are stuck in a rut? These top examples of features announcements by SaaS teams can help you think about how you can best approach your next launch.
Let’s take a look at a few of the best examples for 2026 ⤵️
TL;DR
- Visual proof excels: Companies like Nudge Security and Google use interactive demos and videos because seeing a feature in action drives understanding and adoption.
- Multi-channel launches reach different audiences simultaneously: OpenAI's GPT-4o launch used in-app banners for existing users, blog posts for technical depth, and launch videos for broader reach, with each format serving a different segment without diluting the message.
- Build demand before you announce: KeyPlay uses its PeerSignal community to test topics and gather engagement signals before launching features, ensuring announcements land on existing interest rather than starting from zero.
14 feature announcement examples to learn from in 2026
The examples below are grouped by announcement channel, from blogs and social platforms to email and in-product messaging.
Blog announcements
1. Nudge Security: Changelogs that aren’t boring
When Nudge Security announces a new release, it often highlights the feature directly in its changelog with an Arcade interactive demo. Instead of relying on text descriptions, the demo shows the feature in action so readers can quickly understand what changed and how it works.
Nudge uses the same approach across its website, replacing static screenshots with interactive demos in walkthroughs and documentation.
Creating a quick Arcade showcasing your product is quick and easy. Simply sign up for a free account, use our Chrome extension to take a video of you showcasing your new feature, and Arcade will do the rest, turning it into a seamless, beautiful interactive demo. Plus, with Arcade’s new AI features, that same recording can now also be turned into on-brand videos, images, and more.
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Why this approach works:
- Makes updates easy to understand: Seeing the feature in action removes guesswork. Users don’t have to interpret release notes or imagine how the feature behaves.
- Keeps attention on the update: Interactive demos turn a quick skim into active exploration, increasing the chances that users actually engage with the release.
- Connects announcements to real usage: Ending the demo with a clear call to action gives interested users a natural next step, making it easier to try the feature right away.
2. Rudderstack: Make feature announcements interactive
RudderStack announces major feature launches through a coordinated, multi-channel release that includes blog posts, social updates, and email. Clear calls to action create multiple opportunities to follow up or book a demo while interest is still fresh.
Each format also includes an embedded Arcade demo for added engagement.
Why this approach works:
- Encourages high-intent leads: Calls to action are embedded alongside the announcement, giving interested readers multiple chances to follow up or book a demo while attention is still high.
- Validates the promise: Interactive embeds replace marketing claims with product evidence. This proves the feature's utility up front, warming up leads before they ever speak to sales.
Consistent messaging across channels, paired with clear calls to action, helps Rudderstack’s feature announcements convert attention into a pipeline for the sales team.
3. PostHog: Adapt to your customers’ preferences
When PostHog releases a new feature, the announcement typically lives as a dedicated blog post. The post explains how the feature works, what it enables, and why it matters, often grounding the explanation in real customer examples.
Why this approach works:
- Matches how their users prefer to learn: Developers are more likely to engage with written explanations they can scan, reference, and revisit. PostHog designs feature announcements around that preference instead of forcing a more promotional format.
- Keeps announcements simple and repeatable: Each post follows a familiar structure, which makes new features easy to understand while keeping production overhead low for the team.
- Builds trust through transparency: PostHog’s announcements are direct and unbiased. When competing tools offer stronger functionality, they acknowledge it. That honesty increases credibility and makes users more receptive to new releases.
PostHog’s strategy stands out by anchoring feature announcements in depth and clarity, giving the right audience enough context to engage seriously and evaluate whether a new capability is worth adopting.
4. Google blog: Share mixed media
Google introduces Gemini updates by pairing written explanations with video and demos rather than relying on text alone. The combination explains complex changes and shows real outputs, so readers can understand what changed without translating abstract descriptions.
Why this approach works:
- Communicates complex changes without oversimplifying: Breaking long explanations into text, video, and demos allows readers to process one idea at a time while still seeing how the feature behaves in practice.
- Reduces cognitive load: Visual proof removes guesswork. Readers see results instead of inferring behavior from copy.
- Supports self-serve evaluation: Readers choose how deeply to engage. Skimming, watching, or exploring each leads to the same outcome: a clearer understanding of relevance.
Google’s announcement blends written content for depth with videos, demos, and visuals to reinforce understanding and prompt action.
Social and community announcements
5. Clay: Reach your community with engaging content
Clay energized its LinkedIn community by debuting its ChatGPT integration with a video that seamlessly cut between a real-world user and interactive product clips.
The hybrid approach grounds the tech in human experience and gives followers the type of direct, visual experience that catches attention.
Why this approach works:
- Meets users where they already are: The announcement shows up on LinkedIn in a video format that fits how people like to consume content on the platform.
- Captures attention through storytelling: The 40-second video opens with a relatable moment before revealing the product, creating a quick narrative arc. A short “wow” moment near the end adds memorability.
- Makes adoption feel simple: Short product clips inside the video let viewers get a look at how things work without overexplaining.
Clay’s approach works by publishing where users already spend time and in formats they prefer to consume. By pairing high-level narrative with concrete demonstrations, the announcement gives viewers enough context to move from passive watching to active trying.
6. Gamma: YouTube announcements
Gamma launches updates with fast-paced, high-production videos. The edits cut quickly between product UI and narrative text, creating a rhythm that demands attention.
- Captures and holds viewers’ attention: The pacing of the videos forces the viewer to lock onto the movement, showing the feature in action without leaving gaps for attention to drift.
- Generates interest: Rapid sequences of visual clips create a video packed with teasers, leaving the viewer wanting to find out more.
Dense visual pacing, paired with teaser-style visuals, helps Gamma’s feature announcements stand out and keep viewers engaged.
7. Reddit: Design for skimming
Reddit announces new features using short posts built for fast scanning, led by a bold headline and silent, mobile-framed video loops. The format delivers the core update without requiring sound, context switching, or extended explanation.
Why this approach works:
- Matches how Reddit is consumed: Users scroll quickly and decide within seconds whether to stop. A strong headline paired with motion communicates the update before attention moves on.
- Supports instant understanding: Silent loops let users see what’s changed without clicking, expanding, or committing time to a longer explanation.
- Keeps the message focused: Minimal copy and constrained visuals prevent over-explaining.
Reddit’s announcements fit the audience by pairing highly skimmable copy with short product demo videos designed for fast scrolling.
8. Instagram: Write for immediate action
Instagram introduces feature updates through short, action-led carousel posts built for fast scanning.
Why this approach works:
- Fits the audience’s preferred format: Instagram users expect visually polished content and brief messaging. Carousel slides break updates into small, scannable pieces that match how people move through the feed.
- Keeps the message actionable: Each slide combines a demo clip with brief copy that shows what the feature lets users do.
- Encourages immediate follow-up: Action-oriented copy and clear visuals encourage viewers to tap through and try the feature right away.
Instagram’s carousel-style announcements show how short, action-focused slides can prompt users to explore new features without extended explanation.
9. KeyPlay: Gather community interest before announcing
KeyPlay builds interest before announcing new features through PeerSignal, a SaaS data resource created by founder Adam Schoenfeld.
PeerSignal publishes data-driven posts and newsletters on topics relevant to SaaS operators and GTM leaders, like sales intelligence, account prioritization, and buyer intent. When a particular topic drives high engagement, that's a signal to KeyPlay that their audience cares about that problem.
KeyPlay uses those engagement signals to decide which features to announce next and how to position them. If a post about account scoring gets strong engagement, for example, KeyPlay knows there's demand for a feature in that area and can introduce it with messaging that already resonates.
Why this approach works:
- Uncovers demand early: Audience engagement helps validate which ideas are worth announcing and investing in.
- Creates a receptive audience: People who already find value in the content are more likely to pay attention when a feature is introduced.
- Builds interest through ongoing content: Helps KeyPlay’s feature announcements land with a ready, receptive audience.
Data-driven industry content paired with early feedback from real buyers helps KeyPlay’s feature announcements land on existing interest rather than starting from zero.
Email announcements
10. Airtable: Lead with context
Airtable uses email to announce feature updates with enough copy to orient the reader, followed by visuals that show the change in action.
Why this approach works:
- Respects the inbox: The large header leads with context so readers immediately understand why the update matters.
- Uses product tour screenshots: Visuals placed at the top of the email instantly clarify how the update works.
- Keeps focus on one outcome: The email emphasizes a single next step, avoiding distraction and making it easier to move from reading to action.
Airtable’s announcements combine clear context and high-impact visuals with a simple action that moves readers from awareness to adoption.
11. Arcade: Build anticipation with an email waitlist
At Arcade, we introduced our new Creator Studio with a waitlist-driven announcement that combines long and short-form video content to generate excitement.
A video from our CEO explains how the product evolved into the current release.
Alongside that message, we share videos that show off Creator Studio’s new AI-powered capabilities.
Why this approach works:
- Separates interest from access: The waitlist creates a clear next step without requiring immediate adoption. Users can signal intent early, even before the feature is available.
- Builds anticipation without locking in details: High-level visuals communicate direction and quality without committing to specifics. That keeps interest high while leaving room for the product to evolve before release.
- Gives people something concrete to evaluate: Visuals anchor the waitlist to a real product, not just an abstract future release.
At Arcade, we often pair a waitlist announcement with feature-focused videos to validate product value and build anticipation ahead of release.
In-product announcements
12. Canva: Meet users where they’re at
Canva introduces new features inside its app in response to specific user actions.
For example, clicking to create an image can trigger a pop-up that introduces the AI image generator. For broader updates, a persistent banner sits on the dashboard, allowing users to browse new features at their own pace.
Why this approach works:
- Captures intent: Users see the feature at the moment it’s relevant to what they’re trying to do. Timing the announcement to an action increases the likelihood of exploration and adoption.
- Provides clarity: Simple, in-context messaging sets expectations before users click. People understand what the feature does and why it’s useful without extra explanation.
- Anchoring announcements to specific actions within your app turns Canva product updates into helpful nudges. This context converts a potential interruption, such as a pop-up, into a moment of discovery, increasing adoption without interrupting the user’s workflow.
13. Figma: Let users play along
Figma invites users to explore new features directly in the workspace. It pairs these in-product moments with polished launch videos on social media. Users see the update on social, then try it immediately in their own feeds.
Why this approach works:
- Drives exploration: Users experiment with new capabilities as part of their normal workflow. They learn by doing rather than reading in isolation.
- Unifies the message: In-app prompts and external videos reinforce each other. The feature lands with the same impact whether a user discovers it inside the product or on social media.
Figma pairs in-product access with high-quality video to turn a static announcement into a hands-on experience users can engage with immediately.
14. OpenAI: Let your product do the talking
OpenAI announced its GPT-4o update directly inside the product using a simple in-app banner that gave users immediate access to the new model.
They paired this in-app announcement with a blog post and launch video on their site for maximum coverage of a much-anticipated launch.
Why this approach works:
- Video demonstrates, text explains: The launch video showed GPT-4o's capabilities in action, making it easy for prospects and press to understand what changed without reading through technical documentation. Videos are also more shareable across social platforms than blog posts alone.
- Multi-channel approach maximizes reach: The in-app banner activated existing users immediately, the blog post provided depth for researchers and developers, and the launch video reached broader audiences as it was shared across LinkedIn, news sites, and more.
Pairing immediate in-product access with a launch video and blog post lets OpenAI meet users where they are while extending reach across social channels and technical audiences.
What makes a great feature announcement?
The strongest feature announcements deliver clarity in a format users can quickly scan.
Across the examples above, three consistent patterns emerge.
- Visual proof accelerates understanding. Screenshots, short videos, and GIFs make product changes concrete. Seeing a feature in action communicates value faster and more clearly than text alone.
- Interactivity supports adoption. Announcements that invite interaction help users move beyond awareness. Clickable demos and hands-on previews let people assess a feature as they learn about it, shortening the gap between discovery and adoption.
- Existing audiences matter. Feature announcements are more effective when they’re released through channels where users already spend time or expect updates. Companies that invest in owned audiences, such as email subscribers, blog readers, and active social communities, tend to see stronger responses to new feature announcements.
Feature announcements play a central role in user education. Teams that prioritize visual proof, interactive formats, and contextual presentation make it easier for users to understand what changed and decide whether to adopt it.
Next steps: Announce new features with Arcade
Creating launch content is often the most time-consuming part of a feature announcement. Arcade lets teams create high-quality launch and teaser videos, images, and demos directly from product recordings, without relying on large budgets or outside agencies.
In fact, when Shopmonkey switched to Arcade for their launches, they were able to cut time to launch by 50%.
The best part is that Arcade can handle all kinds of feature launch resources, including:
Arcade is built for teams that want feature announcements grounded in the real product. Record once, then use Arcade’s AI-powered capabilities to create videos, demos, and visuals that stay consistent, reusable, and ready to ship as features evolve.
Ready to bring your product story to life? Try Arcade free today!
FAQs
How do I decide which channels to use for a new feature announcement?
Tier your releases based on impact. A Tier 1 launch (major platform change) requires a synchronized push across email, social, blog, and in-product messaging. A Tier 2 release (meaningful feature or improvement) warrants selective communication through 2-3 channels like blog posts, in-product notifications, and changelog updates. A Tier 3 update (minor fix) only requires a changelog note. Matching the channel volume to the feature value prevents user fatigue.
What metrics matter most for a feature announcement?
Focus on feature adoption rate over launch engagement. High open rates on an email are vanity metrics if users do not log in and try the new capability. Track the percentage of active users who engage with the feature within 7 days of the announcement.
Should I prioritize in-app notifications or email?
Use them for different goals. Email drives awareness and brings inactive users back into the product. In-app notifications drive contextual adoption for users who are already active. The most effective strategies use them in tandem to cover both audiences.
How do I handle announcements for minor updates?
Batch them. Sending an email for every small fix trains users to ignore your messages. Grouping minor improvements into a monthly "What's New" roundup or changelog respects the user's inbox while demonstrating consistent product velocity.
Do I need high-production video for every release?
No. Reserve high-effort assets for features that require explanation or behavior change. For smaller updates, a simple GIF or static screenshot is often faster for the user to consume and understand.
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