In-App Messages dos and don’ts

The key thing to understand about In-App Messages is that they appear when a user goes into your app. That may seem obvious, but let me explain.

With email, you choose a specific send date and time, and most of your users will see that email within the next few days.

In-App Messages are totally different. You could set an In-App Message live today, but only the people who are active will see it within the next few days – which could be as little as 10% of your audience.

This unique distinction leads to some important dos and don'ts when dealing with in-app messages.

Do give users time to engage

If you're planning a campaign or sale for a specific time period, like Black Friday, give users plenty of time to engage. 

You may have an email going out on the day. But if you want to reach your users with an In-App Message, go live one or two weeks early to boost impressions and engagement.

Do choose your audience wisely

In most cases, there's a reason not to send an in-app message to your whole audience. For example, you probably don't want to send a discount message to users who bought their product in the last week.

The only exception here is if your trigger is very specific and applies to your whole audience – like a support message if the user fails to connect their devices to their WiFi network.

Do test your in-apps before going live

You should always test your in-app messages before going live.

There are two very important reasons for this:

1. To make sure it looks and reads the way you expect it to
2. To make sure it appears on the right screen or at the right time

By testing these things up front, you'll give your In-App campaigns the best chances of success.

Don't set a message live for one day only

I've said it before and I'll say it again. In-app messages aren't the same as email, so you can't set in-apps live for one day and expect to make an impact.

Instead, look at how frequently most of your users are active – for example, once a week. Then run your campaigns to match or exceed that timeframe to maximize engagement.

Don't forget to turn off your In-App Messages

In the same way you shouldn't set messages live for one day, you shouldn't make them open-ended either.

This can help you avoid embarrassing situations like promoting a sale that ended three months ago.

Don't overcommunicate with your users

Finally, use In-App Messages sparingly. 

Here are two good reasons to avoid overcommunication:

1. Users will get frustrated if they see a pop-up every time they try to use your app
2. The impact of your in-apps will get watered down because users will close them as a reflex

To avoid sending too many messages to your users, use Copilot.cx's touchpoint policy.