Recipe

Release Notes Craft

Write release notes that users actually read — structured, scannable, and shipped in under 10 minutes.

The Template

## What's New

✨ Feature name — one-line benefit

🐛 Fix name — what broke, what changed

⚡ Perf name — metric + delta

## Breaking Changes

None this release — or list them here with migration steps.

## Upgrade Guide

1. Pull latest image
2. Run migration script
3. Verify health endpoint

Lead with the value, not the change — “Faster exports” beats “Refactored export pipeline.”
One sentence per bullet. If it needs two, split it into two bullets.
Emoji as visual anchors — pick three and reuse them every release so users scan by shape.
Breaking changes always get their own section, never buried in fixes.
Include an upgrade checklist — even if it's one step. Reduces support tickets.

1Draft in shared doc

2PM reviews for accuracy

3Engineering reviews for technical precision

4Add upgrade guide links

5Publish to changelog + in-app banner

Want this automated?

Meridian can generate release notes from your merged PRs. Connect your repo and ship in one click.