Did you know that Tuesday is the best day to send a push notification? Indeed, this day of the week has the highest reaction rate equal to 8.4%! And did you know that the reaction rate reaches the peak (11.4%) at 11 pm? (Source: Accengage in a press release in 2018). Interesting, right?

Today we understand the relevance that push notifications have. They’re one of the most important marketing tools for many brands, since they allow companies to reach their users and customers, encourage them to buy more, and interact with dormant users, providing all of them with an engaging experience.

Once you’ve understood what a push notification is, and you’ve got a rough idea of the right time for your push, the main concern is “What should I write in a push notification?”. Writing a successful push notification is fundamental to not lose your customers’ trust. So, the hot topic is “How can I draw my users’ attention with an effective push?” Don’t worry! This is a common problem for lots of marketing people. That’s why I’ll provide you with some templates from which you can get inspiration to craft awesome push notifications.

First off, you need to keep in mind that your goal is to send useful and helpful content for your target in order to increase customer engagement and boost app retention rates. Then, you need to figure out your push notification’s main features, content, purpose, context, and right timing.

Push notification templates

Let’s have a look at these push notification templates!

User’s activity

  • Welcome new users: Hey , welcome on board! We’re so glad you’ve joined us 🙌 Would you like to discover what we can do together?
  • Speed up the onboarding steps: Hi ! We’d like to know you better. What about adding your preferences in the setting section?
  • Try to re-engage inactive users with useful notifications: Hello ! It’s been a while… We think you’d be interested in [this product, this sale, etc.]

Loyalty push notifications

If you have a loyalty program you can use these templates:

  • New loyalty status achieved: Congrats! 🥳 You’ve unlocked our Platinum Membership! Use your points to shop now
  • Loyalty points earned/used: Shop till Friday and get double loyalty points on each order!
  • Make it more entertaining with gamification! Make sure that everyone can see other users’ scores: Be the #1 shopper and get a free [t-shirt, etc]
  • Points or rewards about to expire:

Purchase

If you’ve got a shopping app, create and send push notifications similar to the following:

  • Order status updates: Your order is…[confirmed/ready/shipped]
  • Sending an electronic receipt: Get your receipt now! 🧾
  • Abandoned cart: Where’d you go? You’re almost there! 🛒Check out now with the CART10 code for a 10% discount on your purchase. 🛒 Order now!
  • Sometimes it could happen that you need to apologize. And it’s fundamental to front the problem by providing a positive experience: We’re sorry [we ran out of the product, your flight was delayed, the app crashed, etc.] Here’s [an offer, some free samples, etc.]
  • Send a push every time an item your user looked for is back in stock: [The product] you were looking for is back in stock! 😎 Get it now!
  • Keep them coming back for more. This gives users a sense of achievement and appeals to their sense of bargain: Shop now, and get 30% off on your next order.
  • Remember to always thank your users and keep them warm with new offers: Thank you for your [purchase, sharing, rating] — here’s [a 10% discount on your next order, only for you! / a coupon only for you if you invite some friends, etc.]
  • Make them curious:

Users’ opinion

  • It’s very important to ask for your app rating: Hey ! How would you rate your experience with us? 🤩
  • Most push notifications also include interactive buttons: Want to [rate the app, share with a friend] now? [Yes/Maybe Later/No]
  • Send a push to those customers giving you a positive rating and nudge them to invite some friends: Next time you visit us, bring a friend with you and you’ll win a [discount, free product, etc.]!
  • If you hold an event, ask for their opinion: What would you like to see at our next event? 🤔Let us know!

Contests push notification

They are a great way to engage your mobile app users:

  • Create an eye-catching notification: Enter to win! 🎟🎟🎟
  • Registration confirmation: Thanks for entering – good luck! 🍀
  • Share contest with a friend: Want to share with a friend?
  • Entry reminders: Have you entered yet? Only [1 day] left!
  • You can reward every participant with a discount: Everyone’s a winner – here’s an [offer] on us. Thanks again for playing!

Live Events

With push notifications, you can promote live events your audience is interested in on social media (e.g Instagram, Facebook, YouTube):

  • We’ll be going live in 10 minutes – Don’t miss it!
  • We’re going live right now: Tune in [LINK]!

Location-Based Notifications

This kind of notification helps you to reach a specific target based on where the user is:

  • When a customer is within a certain distance from your physical store, use Beacons and send him/her a notification: While you’re nearby, don’t forget your…[coupon, unused loyalty points, etc.]
  • If a customer is coming to pick up an item in your store: Here to pick up your [item]? Head straight to the [location]; we’re waiting for you! ☺️
  • When a user enters your store, send him/her context-specific notifications to educate and provide him/her information on products and entertain him/her: Checking out [shoes, kids clothes, suitcases]? Here’s our latest coupon for that!
  • Send your customer a push if the product he/she’d ordered has arrived

Coupons and Promotions

  • You need to spark a sense of urgency. For example, you can send a last-minute reminder: Just a couple of hours left to get 30% off and free shipping! Hurry up, limited stock! 🏃🏃‍♀️🏃‍♂️
  • Remember to use the data you’ve collected to personalize your push notifications. That means that each push notification should make your users feel as if the push was written specifically for them: [Shoes, Make-up, etc.] you won’t want to miss! Get 30% off! Have a look
  • Exclusive offers are the best way to show your customers that you care for them. You could create a discount code with the users’ name. For example, Mike can receive an offer code ‘MIKE20’ for a 20% discount on his first purchase. You’ll blow their mind! 🤯

Convert Window Shoppers to Customers

You can use push notifications ask window shoppers to sign up and this will help you convert leads:

Introduce new products based on users’ interests

Buyers love to know when products related to their last purchase are available. It could be the t-shirt they are waiting for or their favorite writer’s new book. What you need to do is segment users based on their behavior and interests, and send targeted push notifications to these segments. You can also add a discount with an expiration date to spark a sense of urgency: Wanna know what’s new? Check out our latest [feature, product, offer, etc.] 🤳

Wrap-up

Use push notification wisely: find the perfect day, timing, and content. You need to help your users somehow, and intrigue them to click and open the notification. If you’re struggling, keep in mind all the push notification templates you’ve just read.

Last but not least: even if there’s a very strong correlation between notifications’ frequency and better mobile app retention rates, avoid spamming users! If not, a bunch of users will end up unsubscribing, and you’d lose the benefits of this powerful tool.

What’s NEXT? 🤔

  • Have a look at our Engagement Platform and discover all the customized notifications you can implement to gain your customer loyalty! 🤩