You will learn
Learn 5 best practices for push notifications in order to get the most out of this marketing channel. We give tips for growing your list and crafting your push content.
Before you beginBefore you begin
Push is all about providing the subscriber with value and getting them to engage with your app.
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Turn your audience into subscribers.
- Get explicit consent.
- Customize your opt-in request message.
- Leverage other channels.
- Make messages actionable and desirable.
- Personalize your content.
- Avoid over-sending.
- Be aware of what time you send.
Turn your audience into subscribers
There are 3 best practices for collecting consent for push notifications:
- Get explicit consent.
- Customize your opt-in message.
- Leverage other channels to encourage opt-ins.
Get explicit consent
Downloading your app isn’t the same as consenting to push notifications. Each individual must first explicitly agree to receive push notifications on their device.
For push notifications, the process usually goes like this:
- An individual downloads your app.
- Your app asks that person to enable notifications.
- That person clicks “Allow” (or something similar).
Or, if they didn’t enable notifications at first, the user can go to your app settings and turn on notifications manually.
Customize your opt-in message
Even if it’s an app for a brand you love, you might not opt in to notifications if the message is generic. Before directly asking people to opt in, tell them what they’ll get by signing up (what value you’ll provide and what type of messages they’ll receive).
Even better, prompt people to opt in at a key moment, when a push notification might come in handy. For instance, if someone adds an item to their wish list, you can ask them to opt in to push to get notifications when that item goes on sale. That benefits both parties: you get a new subscriber and they get alerts that help them save.
Leverage other channels to encourage opt-ins
If you’re having trouble getting people to download your app or to provide consent for push, market it via other channels, such as email, SMS, social media, and your website.
You can not only spread awareness of your app (and include a link to find it), but also explain the benefits (e.g., a better shopping experience, special perks, etc.).
Some strategies for leveraging other channels include:
- Show a form or banner to mobile website users that links to your app.
- Send a campaign to your VIP segment when you first launch your app (giving this group the first chance to use it).
- Add a message highlighting your app to your VIP flow.
- Launch a special promotion for new app users and announcing it via social media or other channels.
- Target anyone consented to SMS but not push, linking to your app store listing, and including a coupon that only works in your app.
Make messages actionable and desirable
Push notifications should always include an action the recipient wants to take. If you can’t say why someone would want a certain message, then you might want to re-think sending it. Likewise, if the message doesn’t include a direct call-to-action in your app, push might not be the right channel to use.
Good use cases for push notifications include alerts for:
- Limited-time offers or events
- Major app updates
- Reminders
- Complete a profile
- Watch today’s episode or game
- Exercise
- Study
- Local events
- Price drops
- Back in stock
Tips for crafting your message
Think about your push content like an email subject line. You have 1-2 sentences to pique the recipient’s interest enough to open the message.
Some tips for creating interesting messages are:
- Use selective capitalization (to make it easier to scan).
- Create a sense of urgency (e.g., “today only” or “limited deal”).
- Ask a question or brain teaser.
- Create a sense of mystery or make the reader curious.
- Issue a challenge that the recipient wants to disprove.
- Flatter the recipient.
- Excite the user.
- Give users inspiration.
- Say a joke or be funny.
Personalize your content
Personalizing messages helps you connect with your recipient. It can be as simple as using their name, or as complex as picking an item that matches their style, choosing the best size and color for them, and sending it at the time and day they’re most likely to make a purchase.
The more personalized you are, the more likely your messages will lead to conversions. Plus, you’ll be able to build brand loyalty and your customer base over time.
Ideas for personalizing push notifications include:
- The recipient’s first name
- Items in previously viewed or purchased categories
- Style recommendations
- Price drop notifications, particularly for any items on their wish list
Avoid over-sending
How often to send really depends on how often your users want messages.
When you first start your push strategy, start by sending fewer messages and then carefully monitor your metrics to check the performance. For instance, try sending once a week or every 2 weeks.
According to Helplama, sending between 2 to 4 notifications per week causes ~43% of users to turn off push notifications, and sending 5 or more push weekly leads to ~60% of users quitting an app entirely.
However, depending on your industry and use case, your users may want more notifications, such as daily or almost daily reminders to:
- Exercise
- Continue studying
- Watch a sports game
- Take a mental health break
Be aware of what time you send
While there’s no official quiet hours for push notifications like there is for SMS, you should still be conscious of what time of day you’re sending push notifications.
Like with SMS, push notifications actively ping a user’s phone. If this happens at 3 a.m., the recipient probably won’t be too happy and may turn off notifications entirely.
Since flows trigger based on a user’s behavior, the timing typically works out better for the recipient. But when sending campaigns, you should be aware of:
- The app user’s location
- When the app user is most active (if that data is available)
If possible, create segments using this information and then target campaigns to specific groups. A good rule of thumb is only sending between 9 a.m. and 8 p.m. in the recipient’s local time zone.
Additional resourcesAdditional resources
- Learn how to get started with Klaviyo push:
- Check out how to increase push notification opens
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