Wondering what a perfect push message looks like? We'll show you the best practices for creating winning app push notifications!

1. THE
ANATOMY!
OF A
PUSH MESSAGE
perfect

2. WHAT ARE PUSH MESSAGES?
Push messages can be used to:
o Promote special offers & sales
o Highlight exciting new features
o Encourage in-app engagement
But first of all…
o Notifications delivered to the home screen when a
user is outside your app
o Used to drive attention and traffic back into the app
Push messages are:

3. PUSH MESSAGES ARE A BIG DEAL!
o Push notifications boost app engagement by 88%
o 50% of users opt in to push and find push messages useful.
o 65% of users return to an app within 30 days when push is enabled
Click to see more stats on push & in-app messaging!

4. WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A
PERFECT PUSH?
1. Doesn’t make opt-in mandatory
While apps should encourage new users to opt in to push messages by
highlighting value, they should also make it easy to opt out and not make
push required.
2. Makes use of rich features
For devices like Android that allow for rich features, consider including images,
graphic, in-app actions, or emojis in your push messages.
3. Segments audiences & personalizes
The best push notifications aren’t one-size-fits-all broadcast messages – they
are relevant, highly-segmented, and personalized for specific audiences.
4. Finds the perfect timing
Epic push messages are timed perfectly, coinciding with a user’s daily routine
or working in tandem with a seasonal event or holiday.
5. Drives value with killer CTAs
Good push notifications drive value with deals, discounts, and targeted CTAs
that deep link back into the app.

5. 6. A/B tests like crazy
A/B test all elements of your push message, from copy length to punctuation
and CTAs.
7. Nails the frequency
Find a push message cadence that works for your audience without coming
off as spammy.
8. Measures the metrics that matter
Avoid measuring vanity metrics and instead monitor metrics that hold value
for your app.
9. Makes use of marketing automation
Automatically segment new users into pre-crafted buckets with tailored
nurture messages made for specific audiences.
WHAT ARE THE ELEMENTS OF A
PERFECT PUSH? (CONTINUED)

6. DON’T MAKE OPT-IN
MANDATORY

7. USE PRE-PERMISSION SCREENS
Use pre-permission screens to evaluate a user’s current mood before asking
for the final opt-in.
DON’T MAKE OPT-IN MANDATORY

8. USE PRE-PERMISSION SCREENS
Use pre-permission screens to evaluate a user’s current mood before asking
for the final opt-in.
HIGHLIGHT VALUE
Explain to users how opting in to push messaging will benefit them and improve
the value of your app.
DON’T MAKE OPT-IN MANDATORY

9. USE PRE-PERMISSION SCREENS
Use pre-permission screens to evaluate a user’s current mood before asking
for the final opt-in.
HIGHLIGHT VALUE
Explain to users how opting in to push messaging will benefit them and improve
the value of your app.
BE TRANSPARENT
Make sure users understand what kind of notifications they should expect from
your app.
DON’T MAKE OPT-IN MANDATORY

10. USE PRE-PERMISSION SCREENS
Use pre-permission screens to evaluate a user’s current mood before asking
for the final opt-in.
HIGHLIGHT VALUE
Explain to users how opting in to push messaging will benefit them and improve
the value of your app.
BE TRANSPARENT
Make sure users understand what kind of notifications they should expect from
your app.
MAKE IT EASY TO OPT OUT
Let users opt out of push (and who knows - they may choose to opt in later
after using your app). Otherwise you risk annoying your users and driving
them to uninstall your app.
Android opts users into push by default, so make sure you have some
information in your app settings for helping users opt out if they really want to.
DON’T MAKE OPT-IN MANDATORY

11. DON’T MAKE OPT-IN MANDATORY
Highlights value proposition
Specifies the type of
notifications that will be sent.
Encourages users to opt
in to push notifications,
but makes it easy to opt
out as well

12. DON’T MAKE OPT-IN MANDATORY
Highlights value proposition
Specifies the type of
notifications that will be sent.
Encourages users to opt
in to push notifications,
but makes it easy to opt
out as well
Click to read more
about getting users
to opt in to push!
RELATED BLOG POST

13. MAKE USE OF
RICH FEATURES

14. USE IMAGES ON ANDROID
Push messages on Android devices allow you to incorporate
rich images.
MAKE USE OF RICH CONTENT

15. USE IMAGES ON ANDROID
Push messages on Android devices allow you to incorporate
rich images.
APP INTERACTIONS VIA PUSH
Some devices also allow apps to set up actions that can be
performed within push messages.
MAKE USE OF RICH CONTENT

16. USE IMAGES ON ANDROID
Push messages on Android devices allow you to incorporate
rich images.
APP INTERACTIONS VIA PUSH
Some devices also allow apps to set up actions that can be
performed within push messages.
ADD EMOJIS
Try including emojis in your push messages for added visual
interest!
MAKE USE OF RICH CONTENT

17. MAKE USE OF RICH CONTENT
Medium on Android lets users
perform app-related actions from
within push notifications
Groupon for Android inserts
bright, colorful banner images
in to push notifications to grab
attention

18. MAKE USE OF RICH CONTENT
Both Android and iOS
devices can incorporate
emojis into push
messages for added
visual interest

19. SEGMENT
AUDIENCES &
PERSONALIZE

20. SEGMENT AUDIENCES
Bucket app users into groups based on past purchases, user
characteristics, and behaviors.
SEGMENT AUDIENCES & PERSONALIZE

21. SEGMENT AUDIENCES
Bucket app users into groups based on past purchases, user
characteristics, and behaviors.
SEND PERSONALIZED MESSAGES
Send messages personalized for your segmented user buckets that
are hyper-relevant for specific audiences.
SEGMENT AUDIENCES & PERSONALIZE

22. SEGMENT AUDIENCES
Bucket app users into groups based on past purchases, user
characteristics, and behaviors.
SEND PERSONALIZED MESSAGES
Send messages personalized for your segmented user buckets that
are hyper-relevant for specific audiences.
AVOID GENERIC MESSAGING
Do not send out one-size-fits-all broadcast messages that may
not be relevant to all your audiences.
SEGMENT AUDIENCES & PERSONALIZE

23. SEGMENT AUDIENCES & PERSONALIZE
Runkeeper uses past
profile data to remind
users when they might
want to go for a run

24. SEGMENT AUDIENCES & PERSONALIZE
Uses location
data combined
with in-app data
to send a targeted
message with an
actionable alert
Highlights
monetary
discount to
entice users

25. FIND THE PERFECT TIMING

26. USE LOCAL TIMING
Send push notifications at appropriate times of day that match the
user’s local time.
FIND THE PERFECT TIMING

27. USE LOCAL TIMING
Send push notifications at appropriate times of day that match the
user’s local time.
CUSTOMIZE MESSAGING FOR
HOLIDAYS
Send messages that coincide with certain times of the year, holidays, or
cultural events.
FIND THE PERFECT TIMING

28. USE LOCAL TIMING
Send push notifications at appropriate times of day that match the
user’s local time.
CUSTOMIZE MESSAGING FOR
HOLIDAYS
Send messages that coincide with certain times of the year, holidays, or
cultural events.
END IRRELEVANT MESSAGES
Make sure to shut off expired messages when they become out of
date. For example, you wouldn’t want to send a Thanksgiving
message in December.
FIND THE PERFECT TIMING

29. FIND THE PERFECT TIMING
Hydro Coach reminds users to
drink a glass of water as soon
as they wake up in the AM
Best Buy celebrates
Thanksgiving with a great
emoji while promoting their
Black Friday sales!

30. DRIVE VALUE WITH
KILLER CTAS

31. INCORPORATE CTAS
Include call-to-actions in your push messages to drive user action.
DRIVE VALUE WITH KILLER CTAS

32. INCORPORATE CTAS
Include call-to-actions in your push messages to drive user action.
CONVEY URGENCY
Notify users about time sensitive deals and 24 hour flash sales to drive
immediate engagement and conversions.
DRIVE VALUE WITH KILLER CTAS

33. INCORPORATE CTAS
Include call-to-actions in your push messages to drive user action.
CONVEY URGENCY
Notify users about time sensitive deals and 24 hour flash sales to drive
immediate engagement and conversions.
DEEP LINK
Make sure that your push messages deep link to relevant screens
within your app – don’t just dump users at the home screen!
DRIVE VALUE WITH KILLER CTAS

34. DRIVE VALUE WITH KILLER CTAS
Call-to-action conveys urgency and
encourages immediate action
Profile data & preferences are usedto
segment female users and send them
targeted sales notifications

35. DRIVE VALUE WITH KILLER CTAS
Concise and specific call-to-action
Highlights discount and value,
segmented to a specific
audience of free subscribers

36. A/B TEST LIKE CRAZY

37. TEST MESSAGING
Try different wording, phrases, message length, and CTAs.
A/B TEST LIKE CRAZY
Click to read more
about how to master
A/B testing!
RELATED BLOG POST

38. TEST MESSAGING
Try different wording, phrases, message length, and CTAs.
SEE WHICH PUSHES PERFORM BEST
Experiment with different push messages and see which kind of
message your audience responds to.
A/B TEST LIKE CRAZY
Click to read more
about how to master
A/B testing!
RELATED BLOG POST

39. TEST MESSAGING
Try different wording, phrases, message length, and CTAs.
SEE WHICH PUSHES PERFORM BEST
Experiment with different push messages and see which kind of
message your audience responds to.
DON’T A/B TEST MORE THAN ONE
ELEMENT AT A TIME
You should only A/B test one element change at a time so that you’re
never confused about which change is driving the results.
A/B TEST LIKE CRAZY
Click to read more
about how to master
A/B testing!
RELATED BLOG POST

40. TEST MESSAGING
Try different wording, phrases, message length, and CTAs.
SEE WHICH PUSHES PERFORM BEST
Experiment with different push messages and see which kind of
message your audience responds to.
DON’T A/B TEST MORE THAN ONE
ELEMENT AT A TIME
You should only A/B test one element change at a time so that you’re
never confused about which change is driving the results.
A/B TEST LIKE CRAZY
Click to read more
about how to master
A/B testing!
RELATED BLOG POST

41. NAIL YOUR FREQUENCY

42. FIND THE PERFECT FREQUENCY
FOR YOUR APP AUDIENCE
Different apps allow for different push notification frequencies – for
example, social apps can send more notifications detailing friends’
posts and activity.
NAIL YOUR FREQUENCY

43. FIND THE PERFECT FREQUENCY
FOR YOUR APP AUDIENCE
Different apps allow for different push notification frequencies – for
example, social apps can send more notifications detailing friends’
posts and activity.
DON’T SPAM USERS
While social apps may send frequent push notifications, other apps
such as promotional or ecommerce apps may need a lower frequency
to avoid spamming users with constant ads.
NAIL YOUR FREQUENCY

44. MEASURE MOBILE METRICS
THAT MATTER

45. LOOK PAST APP OPENS
App opens aren’t everything – you’ll likely have much more important
metrics to measure that are relevant to your app, such as your KPIs.
MEASURE MOBILE METRICS THAT MATTER

46. LOOK PAST APP OPENS
App opens aren’t everything – you’ll likely have much more important
metrics to measure that are relevant to your app. Use KPIs to
influence your key metrics to measure.
MEASURE WHAT MATTERS FOR
YOUR APP
Different apps will have different metrics for success.
MEASURE MOBILE METRICS THAT MATTER
o Media apps might measure articles read
o Music apps might measure songs played
o Gaming apps might measure levels completed

47. MAKE USE OF
MARKETING AUTOMATION

48. AUTO-ENROLL NEW USERS INTO
EXISTING CAMPAIGNS
New users can be enrolled into pre-designated campaigns that
match certain criteria.
MAKE USE OF MARKETING AUTOMATION

49. AUTO-ENROLL NEW USERS INTO
EXISTING CAMPAIGNS
New users can be enrolled into pre-designated campaigns that
match certain criteria.
NURTURE VIA AUTOMATED PUSH
Nurture users down the funnel with automated push messaging
campaigns that match their assigned segments.
MAKE USE OF MARKETING AUTOMATION

50. AUTO-ENROLL NEW USERS INTO
EXISTING CAMPAIGNS
New users can be enrolled into pre-designated campaigns that
match certain criteria.
NURTURE VIA AUTOMATED PUSH
Nurture users down the funnel with automated push messaging
campaigns that match their assigned segments.
MAKE USE OF MARKETING AUTOMATION
Click here to get your free app
marketing automation kit from
Localytics!
FREE MARKETING AUTOMATION KIT

51. THEEND

52. THEEND
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53. Presented by
Check out our blog for more
app marketing awesomeness!
AND DON’T FORGET TO
PUSH IT

54. Presented by
Check out our blog for more
app marketing awesomeness!
AND DON’T FORGET TO
PUSH IT
Pushitgood