# Feature announcement goal event defined before send

> Create the feature-usage event before you write the announcement so the launch message can be judged by actual adoption instead of open rates alone.

- Canonical HTML: https://growth.iangoh.com/growth-ideas/feature-announcement-goal-event-defined-before-send/
- Source: [intercom.com](https://www.intercom.com/help/en/articles/231-a-guide-to-announcing-your-new-features)
- GrowthDex source hub: [Intercom Help: A guide to announcing your new features](/sources/intercom-help-a-guide-to-announcing-your-new-features-intercom-com/)
- Last checked: 2026-05-30
- Rarity: rare
- Budget: low
- Channels: Analytics, Lifecycle, Launches
- Stages: measurement, feature adoption, events, launch analytics


## Why this can grow

Teams often launch the message first and figure out measurement later, which means they optimize the wrong thing. Intercom recommends defining the goal event up front so the announcement can be tied to a real product action, not just delivery or clicks. That forces a cleaner question: what exactly should happen after the user reads this? Once that event exists, the launch stops being vague awareness work and becomes an adoption test with a real pass or fail.

## 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. I would run it small enough to learn quickly, then only scale the parts that real users repeat, save, reply to, or buy from. 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 feature announcement goal event defined before send can create a measurable lift.
2. Turn the tactic into one offer, page, campaign, or workflow for the Analytics and Lifecycle channel.
3. Use the evidence from intercom.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

Intercom suggests sending an event or user attribute before creating the feature announcement, then using that goal to see which recipients actually used the feature.

## Adjacent tactics in the same lane

- [Feature announcement segmented by access, request, and in-product context](/growth-ideas/feature-announcement-segmented-by-access-request-and-in-product-context/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Feature announcement suppresses freshly contacted and brand-new users](/growth-ideas/feature-announcement-suppresses-freshly-contacted-and-brand-new-users/) - same source, 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Win-back eligibility report for reactivation prioritization](/growth-ideas/win-back-eligibility-report-for-reactivation-prioritization/) - 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage
- [Active-user penetration as the new-product health check](/growth-ideas/active-user-penetration-as-new-product-health-check/) - 2 shared channels, 1 shared stage

## Read GrowthDex essays

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

## Related GrowthDex essays

- [A launch should teach before it interrupts](/blog/a-launch-should-teach-before-it-interrupts/) - launches, brand trust, customer support

## Advisory

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