In-app messages reach people while they are using the product, which makes them more timely than email. Teams use them to guide new users to a first action, announce a feature, collect feedback or point out a relevant plan upgrade. Because they interrupt, they work best when they are relevant to what the person is doing right now.
Need help with SEO?
Comppound runs SEO and AI search for SaaS companies. We plan what to publish, produce it with AI, and every page passes automated checks, and a person reviews samples and anything high-risk.
- Published to your site and tracked in Search Console
- One person answers for your account
- Plans from $400 a month, terms from 3 months
Common formats
- Tooltips and hotspots that point to a feature
- Banners for announcements and maintenance notices
- Modals for a major release or a required decision
- Checklists and progress cards for onboarding
Respecting attention
Set limits on how often a user can see a message, target by behaviour or plan rather than showing everything to everyone, and make every message easy to dismiss.
Common mistakes
Messaging everyone the same way
A power user does not need the basics, and a new user does not need the advanced feature.
Stacking prompts
Several pop-ups in a row teach people to close them without reading.
Frequently Asked Questions
Not directly, since it lives behind login. It supports activation and retention, which is where organic signups turn into revenue.
Keep reading
- Product Tour: A product tour is a guided sequence of tips or steps that shows new users around a product, either inside the app or on a marketing page.
- Onboarding checklist: An onboarding checklist lists the first steps a new user should take, guiding them to the moment the product becomes useful.
- Aha Moment: The aha moment is the point at which a new user first sees the product's value, and getting people there fast is the core job of onboarding.
- Activation Rate: The share of new sign-ups who reach a defined first moment of value in a product. The bridge between acquiring users and turning them into customers.
- Acquisition Channel: A route through which a company finds new customers, such as organic search, paid ads, referrals, partners or outbound sales. Each has its own costs and limits.
- Annual Recurring Revenue: The yearly value of a SaaS company's active subscription contracts, excluding one-off fees. The headline size metric for most subscription businesses.
- ARR (Annual Recurring Revenue): ARR is the yearly value of a SaaS company's recurring subscriptions, the figure investors and buyers use to size the business.
- Average Contract Value: The average annual value of a customer contract, excluding one-off fees. It shapes which sales motion and acquisition channels a SaaS company can afford.
