Push notifications are sometimes more important than the rest of your UX. Notifications can be the difference between someone checking the app regularly and someone who visits once and never comes back.
We all have seen some great push notifications and some that just suck. If the push annoys the user, then they might simply end up uninstalling your app. That’s sad. But that’s the truth.
A push notification is a product too. Accordingly, it should be designed in a way as to be attractive and exciting and engaging. It should be for people.
Push notification best practices for you to try:
Get the opt-in
You need to be extremely careful before even starting to design the push notification content. The first thing to do is getting a permission to send push notifications to your users. Make them opt-in.
You can (and should!) create your own splash screen to speak to your users personally. On that screen, try to create an attractive message about the importance of opting in to push. Include the best arguments you can think of.
Make the push relevant
Never ever send content for anyone. Each and every user should say, “Oh, this is a message for me.” So, you know your task: no more generic messages. Use segmentation and send tailored, unique, exciting push notifications instead of faceless junk.
Choose the right words
The rule is simple here: content should be interesting. Choose the right tone and be careful with your wording. Generally speaking, you have around 10 words to make a positive impact. Here are a few quick tips:
- Be precise and obvious about what you want
- Add a clear-cut call-to-action
- Use your 10 words wisely
Let your users know you have missed them
This one seems to be one of the most overlooked push notification best practices. But the thing is sometimes even the most loyal customers drastically stop using their once favorite apps. Yes, that’s the saddest thing for app makers.
Conclusion
Using push notifications strategically can be a great way of reminding your users about your app. Just make sure to use them at the right dose: too many irrelevant pushes can make your users leave and never come back again. Not enough messages can result in a decrease in engagement.
Stop Annoying Your App Users: 4 Push Notification Best Practices
PS. I’ve got a personalized notification for you:
