How to Write Changelogs That Developers Actually Read
Most changelogs are either too technical or too marketing-heavy. Here's how to write changelogs that inform your users without boring them, build trust without overpromising, and actually get read.
Changelog Best Practices
How to communicate updates that users actually care about
I read a lot of changelogs. As someone who constantly tries new developer tools, I probably read 20-30 per week. And honestly? Most of them are terrible.
They're either so technical that only the person who wrote the code can understand them, or so marketing-heavy that they sound like ad copy instead of actual information.
Good changelogs are rare, but when you find one, it's magical. You actually understand what changed, why it matters, and whether you should care. Let me show you how to write one.
The Anatomy of a Bad Changelog
Before we talk about what works, let's look at what doesn't. Here are the most common changelog sins:
❌ The Technical Dump
v2.1.4
- Fixed bug in UserController.handleAuth()
- Updated dependency lodash to 4.17.21
- Refactored DatabaseManager class
- Added unit tests for PaymentService
Problem: Users don't care about your internal code structure. They want to know how this affects them.
❌ The Marketing Fluff
🎉 Amazing New Features That Will Transform Your Workflow!
We're excited to announce revolutionary improvements that will take your productivity to the next level with game-changing enhancements!
✨ Experience the magic of our enhanced user experience
🚀 Unlock unprecedented performance optimizations
Problem: This tells me nothing. What actually changed? What can I do now that I couldn't before?
❌ The Cryptic One-Liner
v1.2.0 - Bug fixes and improvements
Problem: This is basically saying "we changed stuff." Not helpful for anyone.
What Makes a Great Changelog
A great changelog answers three questions for every change:
What Changed?
Clear, specific description of the update
Why Does It Matter?
The benefit or impact for users
Who Cares?
Which users are affected by this change
Here's the same changelog from earlier, but written well:
✅ The Same Changes, Done Right
Version 2.1.4 — October 20, 2024
🔒 Fixed login issues with Google OAuth
Some users couldn't sign in with Google due to a session handling bug. This is now resolved.
⚡ Improved app loading speed
Updated core dependencies to reduce initial load time by ~30%. You'll notice the app feels snappier.
🛠️ Enhanced database reliability
Backend improvements to prevent the occasional "something went wrong" errors some users experienced.
The Formula That Works
After analyzing hundreds of changelogs (and writing dozens myself), I've found a formula that consistently works:
The Changelog Formula:
Here's how this looks in practice:
Common Change Types:
Good Headline Examples:
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Don't Use Technical Jargon
❌ Bad:
"Refactored API endpoints for better RESTful compliance"
✅ Good:
"Improved API reliability and response times"
Don't Oversell Small Changes
❌ Bad:
"Revolutionary new button design that will transform your experience!"
✅ Good:
"Updated button styles for better accessibility"
Don't Skip the "Why"
❌ Bad:
"Added new search filters"
✅ Good:
"Added date and category filters to help you find tasks faster"
Real Examples That Work
Let me show you some actual changelog entries that follow these principles:
Stripe (Excellent at explaining impact)
🔒 Enhanced fraud detection
Our machine learning models now catch 12% more fraudulent transactions while reducing false positives by 8%. This means fewer legitimate payments get blocked while keeping your business safer.
Linear (Great at user-focused language)
✨ Improved comment threading
You can now reply directly to specific comments on issues. This makes it easier to have focused discussions without losing context in long comment threads.
GitHub (Clear about who benefits)
⚡ Faster code search for large repositories
Search results now load up to 50% faster in repositories with over 100k files. Organizations with large codebases will see the biggest improvement.
The NudgeKai Approach
For NudgeKai, we follow a simple changelog philosophy: if a user can't immediately understand why they should care, we've failed.
Here's our actual changelog template:
🎉 [Feature Name]
[One sentence explaining what users can now do and why it's useful]
✨ [Improvement Name]
[What's better now and how users will notice the difference]
🐛 [Bug Fix]
[What was broken, who it affected, and that it's now fixed]
Every entry gets reviewed by someone who didn't work on the feature. If they can't understand it, we rewrite it.
Your Turn
Good changelogs take practice. Start with these guidelines:
Changelog Checklist:
Remember: your changelog is often the first thing users see when deciding whether to update. Make it count.
What's your approach to writing changelogs? Have you found techniques that work well for your users? Share your experience—we're always looking to improve our own changelog writing.