# Example data and instructions before template promotion

> Do not feature a template until it includes believable example data and instructions where needed, because empty structures rarely convert strangers into active users.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/example-data-and-instructions-before-template-promotion/
- Source: [notion.com](https://www.notion.com/help/getting-featured-in-the-template-gallery)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Notion Help Center](/sources/notion-help-center-notion-com/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-27
- Rarity: uncommon
- Budget: free
- Channels: Marketplace, Product, Onboarding
- Stages: activation, template quality, onboarding, featured distribution


## Why this can grow

A blank template asks the buyer to imagine the payoff. Example data and instructions do the opposite: they let the buyer understand the structure, see the intended workflow, and picture how to adapt it. That makes the first session less brittle and raises the odds that a featured slot produces real usage instead of curiosity clicks.

## Ian's take

From scaling consumer platforms across MENA and Southeast Asia, my default is to distrust growth work that only looks good in a slide. My bias is to treat this as a small market test first. Make the audience narrow, make the promise concrete, and let the first real response decide whether it deserves more work. For activation, the useful question is not whether users liked the page. It is whether they got to the first meaningful win faster. For this tactic, I would watch one clear growth signal before putting more time or budget behind it.

## Action plan

1. Define one narrow startup segment where example data and instructions before template promotion can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Marketplace and Product channel.
3. Use the evidence from notion.com to set the first version of the message, format, and audience.
4. Launch a small test for 7 to 14 days with one success metric: one measurable growth signal.
5. Review the result, keep the winning message, remove weak variants, and turn the learning into a repeatable growth playbook.

## Source-backed example

Notion's featuring criteria explicitly ask whether a template has well-written example data and instructions where necessary before it gets surfaced more widely.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Notion template linked-content audit before submit](/growth-ideas/notion-template-linked-content-audit-before-submit/) - 3 shared channels, 3 shared stages
- [Template card freshness and adoption signals](/growth-ideas/template-card-freshness-and-adoption-signals/) - same source, 2 shared channels
- [Notion template specific use case over generic dashboard](/growth-ideas/notion-template-specific-use-case-over-generic-dashboard/) - same source, 1 shared channel
- [Native-language template priority in local marketplaces](/growth-ideas/native-language-template-priority-in-local-marketplaces/) - same source, 1 shared channel

## Read GrowthDex essays

Browse the plain-English essay index at [GrowthDex Blog](/blog/).

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [A template marketplace should help the buyer finish the choice](/blog/a-template-marketplace-should-help-the-buyer-finish-the-choice/) - marketplace growth, brand trust, technical SEO

## Advisory

If you want help turning this into a working growth system, Ian Goh offers advisory at https://iangoh.com/advisory.