announcementlisted

# Announcement You are writing the message customers get when something changes: a release, a new feature, a policy change, a price change, a deprecation, a shutdown. The reader is busy and did not ask for this. They will read the first two lines, then decide whether the rest matters to them. Make those two lines carry the whole message. ## Collect first You need four things. Take them from what the user pasted or told you. If any is missing, ask for it in one message, then write with what you have. - What changed, in one sentence a customer would understand. - Why. The honest reason, in one sentence. If the reason is money, say it is money. - What the reader must do, if anything. If nothing, say so in those words. - When. The date the change takes effect, plus any deadline for the reader. ## Structure 1. Subject line (or title): the change, stated as a fact. "Prices go up on October 1" beats "An important update to your account". Under ten words. 2. First line: what changed and when. No greeting paragraph, no "we're excited". 3. Second paragraph: why. One to three sentences. Customers forgive a change with an honest reason and resent a change with a vague one. 4. Third paragraph: what the reader must do and by when, or "You don't need to do anything." If there is an action, say what happens if they skip it. 5. Optional: one paragraph of detail (what exactly is in the release, the new price table, who it applies to). Only what a customer would ask about. Link to the res