The 13 Ingredients Of Every Amazing Push Notification

The average smartphone user receives 63.5 push notifications per day. The best of these messages neatly balance a dozen separate factors, including timing, relevance, and creativity. 

An effective mobile notification needs to work like an amuse bouche: in one bite, it should offer a complete taste of your product or service. 

If you’re wondering why your push notifications aren’t generating more engagement or greater app retention rates, there’s a good chance that they’re missing some crucial elements. 

In this article, we’ll take a look at what makes an effective notification so compelling and how you can use the same ingredients to enhance the engagement and loyalty that your apps generate.

Takeaways
1. Craft concise and compelling copy.
2. Use personalized messages to target users.
3. Incorporate strong and clear CTAs.
4. Segment your audience effectively.
5. Optimize for different devices and platforms.
6. Deliver value and benefits to users.
7. Utilize engaging visuals and emojis.
8. Pay attention to timing and frequency.
9. Implement A/B testing for continuous improvement.
10. Leverage user behavior and preferences.
11. Offer exclusivity and urgency in notifications.
12. Personalize based on location and context.
13. Analyze data to refine your push notification strategy.

1. Language That Invites Or Challenges You To Participate In The Campaign

You have to invite your users to take action and challenge them to do so. You do this by using language that is both inviting and challenging.

Start your messages with ‘you.’ Instead of saying, “We just launched a new feature,” say, “You just launched a new feature.”

Use language that creates a sense of urgency. This tells people you’re serious about the subject matter and want their help in making it successful. For example: “You can help us prevent thousands of deaths per year.”

Enhancing your push notification strategy through video marketing can greatly impact user engagement. Learn more about the benefits of incorporating video in your campaigns by checking out our guide on why video marketing is an effective way to build a community.

2. A Clear Call-To-Action (CTA)

A clear call-to-action (CTA) is the single most important element of your message. A good CTA should be simple, clear, and actionable. It should also be short around 5 words or less but not too short! 

In addition to being compelling in its own right, your CTA should also be in line with everything else about your push notification: its visual design, copywriting style, tone of voice, and more.

Finally, your CTA needs to be relevant to the content of your push notification. If you’re sending an announcement about an upcoming sale on accessories at a clothing store like H&M or Zara (for example), a generic “Save 10% off now!” 

Might work fine depending on how well it pairs with other elements of the message; but if it doesn’t work for this particular type of business then don’t use it!

3. The Name Or Brand Logo Of The Company

You know that feeling when you see something and instantly recognize it? Or even better, when you’re not sure what it is but something about it just feels right? That’s branding at work.

The brand name or logo is one of the most important elements of your push notification and there are two reasons why. First, a strong branding strategy can influence purchase decisions and drive brand loyalty. 

Second, having a recognizable name or logo will help attract new customers who might not otherwise notice your product or service if they don’t know what to expect from your company.

Launching a B2C marketing campaign that delivers impressive ROI requires careful planning and execution. Discover valuable insights and tips in our article: 15 tips to launch your B2C marketing campaign with impressive ROI.

4. The Types Of Actions You Can Take From Within The App

Your push notification needs to give users enough information about what will happen when they click on it, without being too detailed. 

That’s why it’s important to use language that doesn’t contain any unfamiliar words or acronyms that would confuse users (e.g., “Sign up for our VIP rewards program!” vs. “Sign up for our rewards program!”).

Here are some other best practices:

Give them a clear call-to-action the action should be easy to understand and easy to complete in one step or very few steps within the app itself (for example, making a purchase).

Keep it relevant this is especially important if your app isn’t already installed on their phone, since they may not even know how many apps they have yet! 

To make sure that people don’t think your push notifications are spammy or annoying, personalize them with code names or product names instead of generic ones like “The App” or “The Store.” 

You can also personalize by general demographic info like age range/gender/location/etc., but keep this information as general as possible.

So no one feels targeted by ads directly sent their way based solely on one action taken on social media platforms such as Facebook where there isn’t much anonymity anymore due to algorithms tracking everything we do online 24 hours per day 365 days per year forevermore until death do us part…

5. An Element Of Fun, Humor, Or Surprise

Surprise is another great way to get attention. If you include something unexpected, it can be a great way to grab people’s attention even if that surprise is something as simple as a different color than what they’re used to seeing in notifications.

Surprise can also be used in conjunction with fun and humor to make a serious message more engaging. In this example from the company Delectable, combining surprise with humor makes their push notification memorable:

6. An App Icon

The app icon is your company’s identity, and it’s a big deal. It’s what people see first when they download your app, so you want to make it count.

The app icon should be:

A visual representation of the brand. Your logo or mascot can be used here if they’re identifiable.

But don’t limit yourself to just those two options if you have another strong visual that represents what people think of when they hear about your product (for example, maybe a cute dog is part of your brand).

A shortcut to the app itself; this means that an individual element from the icon needs to stand out as being different from other icons on their phone screen at first glance and long after users have had time to get used to its presence in their phones’ home screens.

7. A Sense Of Urgency

The most important thing to remember when using urgency in your push notifications is that it’s not a good idea to use this strategy if it’s not necessary. 

If you don’t have any special offers or limited-time events, don’t try and make up urgency as a reason for the user to respond quickly. 

If people can see through your attempt at creating urgency and realize that there is no real reason for them to act right away, they will see you as manipulative instead of compelling.

However, when used correctly and effectively, a sense of urgency can be one of the most powerful tools in your arsenal. Here are seven ways you can use urgency:

• Give users a deadline for action (make sure it’s not too far into the future).
• Make it clear that it’s a limited-time offer (and specify how long).
• Make it clear that it’s a limited quantity offer (and specify how many).
• Make it clear that it is only available for certain customers or groups of customers at this time (and specify whom).

Unraveling the puzzle of brand engagement is key to capturing your audience’s attention. Explore effective strategies and techniques in our comprehensive guide: 10 unraveling the puzzle of brand engagement.

8. A Reward Is Offered For You Taking An Action Now

You can offer a reward for your user taking action now. Rewards can be in the form of discounts, free products, or even a free subscription.

You can also offer a reward for your user taking action now in the form of a free trial or sample.

You could also offer rewards by providing consultations on products and services where you might share some information that helps them decide whether they want to buy from you or not (without actually selling anything). 

If they’re interested in what you have to say and think it might be helpful, then they’ll follow through with purchasing something else from you later down the line.

Another option is offering refunds if someone takes an action within the next 24 hours so that people who know they need something may still take advantage of this opportunity without feeling pressured into making an impulse decision now instead of thinking about it first (which is why most people don’t like push notifications). 

This can also be done by offering gift cards/promotions/coupons/credit towards future purchases instead if neither discount nor refund seems appropriate here depending on what kind of product/service being offered being sold online. 

For example, maybe one store sells clothing so maybe giving away 10% off every purchase over $100 seems like enough incentive but another business sells laptops so maybe offering 20% off everything including accessories would encourage more people to shop there instead since it’s less likely anyone will spend $1000+ just buying their new computer alone–meaning this type

9. Compelling Content And Visuals That Catch Your Eye

Clear, compelling headline: The headline of your push notification should be concise and easy to read. It should also be compelling enough that the reader wants to learn more about it by clicking through.

Photo or video: A photo or video can catch a user’s eye in an instant, so make sure you use one in your push notifications whenever possible.

Call-to-action: A call-to-action is the “call” part of the CTA (i.e., “get started now!”). Your CTA should instruct users exactly what you want them to do after they open up the notification whether that’s download something or sign up for something new.

Sense of urgency: Push notifications are great tools for getting users’ attention at all times of day, but they’re especially effective when used at times when people need information fast (like during a sale). 

Try sending out weekly reminders about sales happening on certain days to get customers’ attention when they’re most likely making buying decisions.

Reward: Offering a reward with each click-through is another strategy that works well with push notifications because it keeps people engaged without costing anything to you as a company and if done correctly, it could even improve customer relationships over time!

10. Something Colorful, Bright, Shiny, Or Unique That Stands Out On The Home Screen And Lock Screen

While you may want to do everything in your power to make sure that people see the notification when they open their phones, it’s important not to be too aggressive about it. 

Your push notification should always look good on any device while still maintaining its personality and style but if it doesn’t stand out at all from the rest of the app or phone in question, then there’s no reason for anyone to notice it as anything special at all.

A great way to ensure that this happens is by using a bright image (preferably one with a lot of contrast against both other notifications.

And whatever else is displayed on-screen) which will catch people’s attention when they glance down at their phones later on in their day — even if they don’t interact with them immediately after seeing them!

Crafting compelling content that resonates with your audience requires following expert-approved principles. Dive into our article on 17 expert-approved principles to follow when creating content to discover effective content creation strategies.

11. A Sense Of Scarcity, Whether Related To Time Or Quantity Available

The countdown timer is one of the most popular ways to create a sense of urgency. By showing users how much time they have left, you’re able to grab their attention and get them to act now before it’s too late.

The countdown clock is another way to show scarcity, but this option can be used in conjunction with or instead of a countdown timer. 

The difference between these two options is that with a countdown clock, you show how many hours or minutes are left before something happens whereas with a countdown timer, you show how many seconds until something happens (or has already happened). 

While both types of clocks can be valuable when creating urgency within your push notifications, deciding which one will work best for your brand depends on what kind of message you want to convey. 

To help guide you in deciding which type of clock would be best for your business or clientele, here are some examples:

12. An Invitation To Participate In A Social Experience

Social invites are the best way to get people to respond to your push notifications. They’re more effective than other types of invites, like surveys or coupons, and they can be used in a variety of ways:

To ask people to participate in a social experience. You might send an invite that asks someone to share photos with their friends on Instagram or Facebook or upload them directly into your app using an embedded button. 

This type of invite works well when you want people to participate in something asynchronously (i.e., not at the same time). For example, if you own a clothing brand and want people’s opinions about new styles before they launch next season’s line; 

Or if you run a podcast and want listeners’ feedback on what topics they’d like covered next week; 

Or if you have stickers for sale that users can buy from within the app and then use those stickers as part of their profile picture on social media platforms such as Twitter and Tumblr!

13. Personalization

An important element of any good push notification is its ability to personalize the content. Personalization can take many forms: it might be based on a user’s behavior, location, or time of day, for example. 

It may also mean customizing the content in some way that feels tailored for you as an individual.

For example, if you have an early morning flight and have been checking your boarding pass regularly on your phone for weeks now as well as receiving notifications about delays then sending you another notification at 5:30 am will be irrelevant and annoying. 

A better approach would be to customize the message so that it focuses on something else entirely (like how easy it is to find your gate).

Personalization doesn’t just make users feel seen, understood, and cared about as individuals; it also helps them get more value out of their communications with brands!

Understanding why B2C marketing is essential can greatly impact your business success. Learn about the significant reasons by reading our article: 14 reasons why you need to pay attention to B2C marketing.

Conclusion

Just as in any form of persuasive writing, a well-crafted push notification contains all of the necessary elements. It tells you what’s going on and why it matters to you. It motivates you to take action by offering something valuable in exchange for your attention and participation. 

It keeps it short, sweet, and to the point by using language that is relatable and appeals to your sensibilities. It does so without being overbearing or demanding too much of your time or attention span. 

By following these tips (and avoiding these common mistakes), you can create better push notifications that lead to higher conversion rates and increased user engagement across platforms like mobile phones, tablets, wearables even smart TVs!

Further Reading

13 Web Push Notification Best Practices to Ace Engagement and Conversions: Explore effective strategies for enhancing engagement and conversions through web push notifications.

A Detailed Guide to Mobile Push Notifications: Dive into a comprehensive guide that provides insights and tips for creating impactful mobile push notifications.

Push Notifications: How to Engage Your Audience: Learn how to effectively engage your audience using push notifications with this informative guide.

And here’s the “FAQs” section with semantic-based questions and answers:

FAQs

What are the best practices for optimizing web push notifications?

Optimizing web push notifications involves strategies like crafting personalized messages, using clear CTAs, and segmenting your audience effectively.

How can I create engaging mobile push notifications?

To create engaging mobile push notifications, focus on relevancy, timing, and value to the user. Craft concise messages with clear benefits.

What role do push notifications play in audience engagement?

Push notifications play a crucial role in engaging your audience by delivering timely and relevant information, prompting actions, and maintaining user interest.

How can I ensure push notifications are not intrusive to users?

To prevent push notifications from being intrusive, use user preferences to control frequency, timing, and types of notifications. Allow users to easily opt in and out.

What impact do well-crafted push notifications have on user conversions?

Well-crafted push notifications can significantly boost user conversions by directing users to valuable content, special offers, and personalized recommendations.