What are Release Notes?

Release notes vs changelog

Release notes describe a single release. A changelog is a running log of all releases. Release notes are a snapshot. A changelog is the timeline. In practice, many SaaS products treat each changelog entry as its own mini release note, blurring the distinction.

The difference matters most for products with versioned releases (mobile apps, desktop software, APIs). If your product deploys continuously, the lines blur even further.

Who reads release notes?

Three audiences, each with different needs:

• End usersWant to know what's new and whether anything they use has changed. They scan for features and fixes relevant to their workflow.
• Developers and integratorsNeed technical details: API changes, deprecated endpoints, migration steps, breaking changes. They read release notes to avoid production incidents.
• Internal stakeholdersSupport teams, sales, and success managers use release notes to stay current. They need to answer customer questions about new capabilities.

Standard release notes format

Most release notes follow a consistent structure:

1. Version number and date. Anchor the release in time.
2. Summary. One or two sentences on the most important change. This is what 80% of readers will see.
3. New features. What capabilities are now available that weren't before.
4. Improvements. What got better. Performance, UX, workflow enhancements.
5. Bug fixes. What was broken and is now fixed. Be specific enough that affected users recognize their issue.
6. Known issues. What's still broken. Honesty here builds trust.
7. Breaking changes. What requires action from users. Migration guides, deprecation timelines.

Common mistakes

• Too technical"Refactored the WebSocket handler to use connection pooling" means nothing to most users. Translate: "Real-time updates are now 3x faster."
• Too vague"Various bug fixes and improvements" is the release note equivalent of "thoughts and prayers." Be specific or don't bother.
• Missing datesUndated release notes are useless. Users need to know when changes happened relative to issues they experienced.
• Buried breaking changesIf users need to take action, say so at the top. Don't hide migration steps in the middle of a 20-item list.

Generating release notes from tickets

Writing release notes by hand means reviewing every ticket, PR, and commit from a sprint, then translating technical work into user-facing language. Worknotes automates this: connect your Linear workspace, select completed tickets, and AI generates user-facing release notes in seconds. You edit and publish.

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