Release Notes Template
A release notes template that works for both internal engineering changelogs and customer-facing product updates. Covers version, highlights, new features, improvements, bug fixes, and deprecations. Free to copy, download, and use. No signup required.
# Release Notes --- ## Version [X.Y.Z] — [Date] > **One-line summary:** [The most important thing in this release in plain English] --- ### ✨ New Features #### [Feature Name] [2–3 sentences describing what it does and why it matters to the user. Avoid technical jargon. Focus on the user benefit, not the implementation.] **How to access:** [Settings → X, or "available to all Pro users", or "enabled by default"] --- #### [Feature Name] [Description] **How to access:** [Location / tier / flag] --- ### ⚡ Improvements - **[Improvement]:** [What changed and how it's better. E.g. "Export now runs 3x faster for files over 50MB."] - **[Improvement]:** [Description] - **[Improvement]:** [Description] --- ### 🐛 Bug Fixes - Fixed: [Describe the bug that was fixed, not the code that changed. E.g. "Dashboard failed to load for users with more than 500 projects."] - Fixed: [Description] - Fixed: [Description] --- ### ⚠️ Deprecations & Breaking Changes > ⚠️ Action required if you use [X]. - **[API endpoint / feature]** will be removed on **[date]**. Migrate to [new endpoint / feature] by then. [Migration guide link] - **[Setting / behavior]** has changed. [What the old behavior was and what it is now.] --- ### 🔧 Under the Hood > *(Optional — include for developer-facing products or internal changelogs)* - Upgraded [dependency] from [v1] to [v2] - Migrated [service] to [new infrastructure] - Reduced p99 API latency from [X]ms to [Y]ms --- ### Known Issues - [ ] [Issue]: [Description and workaround if available]. Fix expected in [next version / date]. --- ### What's Coming Next > A brief preview of what's in progress — builds anticipation without making commitments. - [Feature in progress] — [Expected quarter / "coming soon"] - [Feature in progress] — [Expected quarter] --- --- ## Version [X.Y.Z-1] — [Previous Date] > **One-line summary:** [Previous release summary] ### ✨ New Features [...] ### 🐛 Bug Fixes [...] --- ## Changelog Archive | Version | Date | Highlights | |---|---|---| | [X.Y.Z] | [Date] | [Key change] | | [X.Y.Z-1] | [Date] | [Key change] |
How to use this Release Notes template
Write for users, not engineers
Release notes that describe 'refactored the auth middleware' mean nothing to customers. Translate every change into user impact: 'Login is now 40% faster' instead of 'optimized token validation.'
Lead with the most important change
The one-line summary at the top sets expectations. If this release ships one headline feature, say so clearly — don't bury it in a list of 15 bullet points.
Call out deprecations prominently
Deprecation warnings must be obvious — use the ⚠️ section with a clear date and migration path. Customers who miss deprecation notices become angry support tickets 3 months later.
Keep a living changelog, not just versioned snapshots
The Changelog Archive table at the bottom turns your release notes page into a searchable record of what shipped when. This is invaluable for sales ('when did X ship?'), support, and onboarding new PMs.
Want a Release Notes grounded in your actual customer data?
PMRead ingests your customer interviews, feedback, and Slack threads — and generates PRDs backed by real evidence, not guesses.
Frequently asked questions
How long should release notes be?
As short as the release warrants. A patch with 3 bug fixes needs 3 bullet points. A major release might need 2 pages. The mistake is padding minor releases with filler or compressing major releases into a tweetable summary that leaves users confused.
Should release notes be customer-facing or internal?
Both — but they serve different audiences. Customer-facing notes focus on user benefit, plain language, and 'how to access' guidance. Internal engineering changelogs include technical detail: PRs, infra changes, performance deltas. Use this template for customer-facing; maintain a separate internal CHANGELOG.md for engineering.
Who should write release notes?
The PM should own the customer-facing release notes with input from engineering (for accuracy) and marketing (for tone). Engineers writing raw changelogs is fine for internal use, but customer-facing notes need a PM to translate technical changes into user benefit.
How often should I publish release notes?
At minimum, with every public-facing release. High-frequency shipping teams (weekly or more) often batch notes into a weekly digest. Monthly summaries work well for customers who don't want to track every deployment. Whatever cadence you choose, be consistent — customers notice when the changelog goes quiet.
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