In this tutorial, we will walk through creating and publishing your first announcement in Userorbit. By the end, you will have a live update visible in your public changelog and in-app widget.
Prerequisites
Before we begin, make sure you have:
- A Userorbit account with access to the Announcements module.
- At least one collection created (or you can use the default one).
- The widget installed in your product if you want to see the in-app result.
Step 1: Navigate to Announcements
From the Userorbit dashboard, click Announcements in the left sidebar. This opens the announcements list where you can see all your drafts, scheduled, and published updates.
Step 2: Create a new announcement
Click the New announcement button in the top right. Userorbit opens the announcement editor with a blank canvas. Give your announcement a clear, descriptive title. Something like "Introducing dark mode" works better than "Update v2.3.1" — your users care about what changed, not your version numbers.
Step 3: Write your content
Use the content editor to describe your update. The editor supports rich text formatting including headings, lists, bold and italic text, code blocks, images, and embedded videos. A good announcement typically includes:
- A brief summary of what changed and why it matters.
- Any steps users need to take to use the new feature or adapt to the change.
- A screenshot or image showing the update in action.
Keep it concise. Most users scan announcements rather than reading every word, so lead with the important information.
Step 4: Choose a collection
On the right side of the editor, you will see a Collections field. Click it and select the collection this announcement belongs to. Collections help organize your changelog — for example, you might have separate collections for "Features," "Fixes," and "Improvements." If you do not have collections set up yet, you can skip this for now and add one later.
Step 5: Set your publish options
Before publishing, review the options in the sidebar:
- Publish date — Defaults to now. You can backdate it or schedule it for the future.
- Cover image — An optional banner image displayed at the top of the announcement.
- Email broadcast — Toggle this on if you want to send the announcement as an email to your users.
Step 6: Publish
When everything looks good, click Publish. Your announcement immediately appears in your public changelog. If you have the widget installed, users will see an unread notification badge the next time they open your product.
Step 7: Verify in the widget
Open your product where the Userorbit widget is installed. You should see a notification indicator on the widget icon. Click it to expand the feed and confirm your announcement appears with the correct title, content, and formatting.
What to do next
Now that you have published your first announcement, explore these next steps:
- Create collections to organize your updates by category.
- Set up your public changelog page with a custom domain.
- Configure email broadcast settings to reach users who are not actively in your product.
- Customize the widget appearance to match your brand.