B2B Feature Release Playbook

Who this is for

Product marketers and product managers at B2B software companies releasing a feature large enough to change who buys the product or why.

Before you start

• A description of the problem the feature solves and who has that problem.
• The roles involved in buying and using it, such as the user, their manager and whoever approves the purchase.
• Access to the feature in a demo account for screenshots.
• Help documentation that is ready, or nearly ready, at release.

Step 1

Plan by role

Decide what each role needs to know about the feature.

1. 01List each role and the question that role asks about this kind of feature.
2. 02Choose one use-case article per role, plus an announcement for existing customers.
3. 03Identify existing articles and pages that should now mention the feature.
4. 04Agree the release date with product so content and feature go live together.

Step 2

Create role-specific content

Write for the reader’s job, not for the release.

1. 01Write a use-case article for each role, starting from their problem and ending with how the feature addresses it.
2. 02Write the announcement as an article for current customers, explaining what changes for them.
3. 03Update help pages and screenshots so they describe the feature as released.
4. 04Review every article with the product manager for accuracy.

Step 3

Publish and update the old pages

Release the new content and refresh what already exists.

1. 01Publish the announcement and use-case articles on release day.
2. 02Update older articles and product pages that now have a new answer.
3. 03Link use-case articles to each other and to the feature page.
4. 04Give sales and support the links so they can send them in conversations.

Step 4

Measure adoption and interest

Look at both new prospects and existing customers.

1. 01Check which queries each use-case article appears for in your search console.
2. 02Track feature adoption among customers who read the announcement.
3. 03Ask sales which articles they send and which questions are still unanswered.
4. 04Revise articles as the feature changes after release.

Common pitfalls

• One announcement written for nobody in particular.
• Older pages that contradict the new feature because nobody updated them.
• Use-case articles that describe the interface rather than the outcome a role wants.

Where Opus Rank helps

Tutorials for the parts of this plan you can do in Opus Rank.

• Create a content brief

  Write a brief per role before generating each use-case article.

• Create and use brand voices

  Keep every article in your product’s voice.

• Add internal links

  Link the new articles to the older content they relate to.

Related playbooks

• SaaS Product Launch Playbook
• AI Product Launch Playbook
• Developer Tool Launch Playbook