ClickUp’s Feature Update Email: Great Product, Messy Email
Retention in Action #2
Practical teardowns to help you optimize user engagement and retention.
You know those polished, well-designed emails that look great, until you actually try to read them?
ClickUp’s Forms announcement is a textbook case.
And that’s the frustrating part.
Because the product update itself is genuinely valuable. As someone who uses forms in many of my workflows, this is the kind of release I’d actually want to hear about, understand quickly and start using right away.
But if the email falls flat—if the structure is unclear, the CTAs are uninspired and the content doesn’t build momentum—most readers will miss the value entirely.
Here’s what the email gets right:
A short 2-minute explainer video (and not a 12-minute saga)
A human, front and center, in the hero GIF (preferable to a faceless UI)
A new feature your users, especially your power users, will actually want to use, and soon
A decent attempt in the body copy to explain what’s new and why it matters (which is exactly what a feature announcement should do)
So the foundation is there.
But all of that gets buried under weak framing, lifeless calls to action and missed opportunities to keep the reader engaged from top to bottom.
Here’s a Quick Side-by-Side Breakdown of the Original Email and What It Should’ve Done Instead:
| Original Email | What It Should’ve Done Instead |
|---|---|
| GIF in hero kicks you out to YouTube seconds into the email | Keep readers engaged in the email until it’s time to click |
| Doesn’t introduce the person speaking | Humanize the brand by using names and roles to build trust |
| Same boring CTA, repeated | Use contextual CTAs tied to each section’s value |
| Subheads that label, not lead | Use subheads to hook the reader and keep them reading |
This edition of Retention in Action is a reminder: even a strong product can get lost when the message delivering it lacks clarity, flow and intention.
Keep reading to see how I’d do-over and send this email so it actually gets opened, read and acted on.
Your Subject Line Determines Whether or Not Your Email Gets Opened
(No pressure. But seriously, don’t waste it.)
Before your reader ever sees your beautifully designed layout or new feature breakdown, they see one thing: your subject line and preview text.
You get one shot.
And in this case, ClickUp didn’t make it count.
Here’s what landed in my inbox:
Original Subject Line:
The subject line is vague and plays it safe. Generic enough to apply to any update, and too soft to spark genuine interest.
It mentions a “Forms takeover,” but doesn’t tell me what’s actually new or why I should care. It’s more of a label than a hook.
Original Preview Text:
The preview text is another missed opportunity.
“Check out this week’s platform improvements” doesn’t reinforce the subject line, doesn’t preview a benefit and doesn’t create any urgency.
It reads like a placeholder that got left in.
If your preview text doesn’t support the subject line or move the reader closer to a click, it’s dead weight.
How I’d Write the Subject Line and Preview Text
New Subject Line:
This version leads with a clear, outcome-driven benefit: better workflows.
It immediately orients the reader around what’s in it for them.
And not just what’s new, but why it matters.
There's no jargon, no filler and no question about who the message is for.
New Preview Text:
The preview text then picks up where the subject line leaves off, reinforcing the value with concrete, skimmable advantages: more features, less friction and smarter data.
These are outcomes that matter to a busy product user or ops lead, and they’re delivered in a rhythm that’s easy to scan.
Remember: inbox copy doesn’t need to be clever.
To stand out in a crowded inbox your inbox copy needs to be clear, specific and relevant.
Get that part right, and you’ve earned the open.
And once they open, that’s when the rest of your email finally has a shot at doing its job.
Email Rule #1: Keep Your Reader in the Email Until the CTA
(And for the love of all things good and SaaS-y, don’t send them off to the land of cat videos and competitor ads.)
Here’s what you see when you open ClickUp’s email:
In the center of the hero GIF is a big ol’ “Play” button.
Naturally, you click it.
And boom. You’re whisked away to YouTube.
That’s a problem.
Why?
Because you just yanked your reader out of the experience before they even got to the value.
Instead of nudging them toward your product, you’ve dropped them into the wild west of distraction: autoplay, unrelated content, competitor ads and everything except what you want them to do.
What you want is to keep their attention locked in until the CTA.
And then send them somewhere intentional, like
Your app
A landing page
An in-app modal
Literally anywhere that’s not YouTube, and with a clear next step
To ClickUp’s credit, the video is short at just two minutes.
That’s great.
Wistia's research indicates that videos longer than five minutes experience a steady decrease in engagement, suggesting that shorter videos tend to maintain higher viewer engagement.
So should they keep the video? Maybe.
But a better move would’ve been a short (2–3 second) looping GIF demoing the Forms update in action.
That’s enough to show the value and drive the reader forward, not away.
A Missed Opportunity to Connect with the Reader: Human Face But No Human Context
ClickUp features a real person in the hero.
Great move!
But… who is he?
No name.
No role.
No intro.
Just a silent loop of someone mouthing words.
A simple intro like…
“Hi, I’m Jesse from the ClickUp product team, and I’m excited to show you what’s new in Forms!”
…would’ve transformed this from a passive GIF to a personal invitation.
Further investigation tells me Jesse may actually be Eric. But I’d never have known if I didn’t watch the video and pay close attention to subtle details.
Lesson: don’t make your users work this hard.
Now
When Your Email Doesn’t Guide, It Loses Readers
ClickUp’s Forms update had the goods: polished visuals, real improvements, even a human face in the hero.
But the body copy that announced it? Exhausting to read.
Here’s where it fell apart:
No narrative thread. Just a sequence of features with no flow or build-up.
Subheads that label, not sell. They read like internal file names, not reasons to keep scrolling.
CTAs that go nowhere. “View release notes” doesn’t answer what’s in it for me. And repeating it doesn’t make it more persuasive.
What this email needed was a reason for its reader to keep reading, engaging and click through.
Let’s look at how the copy, structure and CTA strategy could’ve made that happen.
How I’d Rewrite This Email for Better Flow and Conversions
To their credit, ClickUp broke the update into distinct sections.
Structurally, that’s a solid start.
But the content inside those sections? It didn’t pull its weight.
Pro tip: Don’t write subheads that describe. Write subheads that intrigue.
A great subhead doesn’t just tell your reader what the section is about. It makes them curious enough to keep going.
Headlines and subheads aren’t labels.
Rather, their job is to hold attention and build interest, whether your email is five lines short or fifty lines long.
And forget word count.
The only question you should be asking is:
Does this line make my reader want to keep going?
If the answer’s anything but “yes,” it’s a speed bump. And in email, speed bumps kill momentum.
Once you’ve got their attention, the body copy’s job is to deliver the why:
Why this feature exists.
Why it matters.
Why they should care now.
And when that case is clear?
The CTA should feel inevitable.
Like the next logical step.
Not a random button slapped on at the end.
Your CTA should be directly tied to the value you just explained, and it should invite action, not just awareness.
Let’s walk through how each section of the body copy could have been rewritten to build momentum, instead of stalling out.
First subhead and body copy:
The first subhead is:
Smarter, more elegant Forms
This is vague and subjective.
Smarter than what?
Elegant according to whom?
It sounds nice, but it doesn't tell me anything useful or actionable.
New Subhead:
I pulled this line directly from the original body copy.
Pro Tip: Sometimes the real gems are hiding in your body. Don’t be afraid to switch things around and turn your great body copy into a great headline or subhead.
The new subhead hints at transformation: you're not just making forms prettier, you're making them do more.
When you're updating users on new functionality, don’t just describe the change, sell the outcome.
This version tells me there’s something new and powerful here, and it’s going to save me time or make me smarter, or even better, do both.
The body copy can be rewritten to:
While the original version was okay, this version of the body copy is leaner and easier to read.
CTA To Add:
This CTA flows directly from the story in this section and it feels like a next step, not a generic fallback.
After being told I can do more with my data, starting to build feels like the obvious move.
Second subhead and body copy:
The second subhead is:
Informational blocks and question descriptions in Forms
This reads like internal documentation. It's technically accurate, but it’s dry, lifeless and offers no benefit to the reader.
It tells me what it is, but not why I should care. If you want your reader to keep reading you need to tell them why they should care.
New Subhead:
This new subhead reframes the feature in terms of value.
Now we’re talking about outcomes.
You're not just adding blocks to a form—you’re increasing completion rates and improving data quality.
Because let’s be honest: what’s the point of a form no one fills out.
Or worse, fills out badly?
This framing hits a universal pain point. It creates a moment of recognition for anyone who's ever had to deal with messy, half-complete or totally useless form responses.
New Body Copy:
This new body copy is clear and actionable.
It explains the why behind the feature: people give better answers when they feel supported.
And it’s not about “blocks,” it’s about better outcomes.
CTA to Add:
This CTA is conversational, direct and tells your reader that when you give people a better experience, you’ll get better data in return.
Third subhead and body copy:
The third subhead is:
Forms Hub: Every form in one place
This sounds like the title of a settings page. It states a fact, but not one that’s inherently interesting or persuasive.
Also, this misses the opportunity to highlight what this hub helps the user do.
New Subhead:
This line is clear, benefit-focused and rooted in what users actually care about: getting things done faster and with less friction. It promises convenience, with no extra flair needed.
This phrasing also hints that something changed: if it’s easier than ever, that implies improvements.
Remember that the point of any messaging you send is to help your users see how your product will make their lives easier and better.
New Body Copy:
The original body copy opens with flat, utility-first phrasing (“access and manage”) and leans on passive structure.
It also buries the most compelling part—“easier than ever to create, share, and view Forms”—at the end of the sentence, where it’s more likely to be skimmed past than noticed.
When you're writing for attention, lead with the value, not the action. Tell me what's possible first, then tell me how.
The strongest message should do the heavy lifting up front.
CTA to Add:
It’s simple, direct, and matches the tone of the update.
After reading this section, “Explore” feels like the natural next move.
Fourth subhead and body copy:
And the fourth subhead is:
Forms tailored for your work and your brand
This subhead doesn’t work because it’s wordy (repeats the word “your” twice in a row without any added punch) and doesn’t highlight why customizing forms matters.
New Subhead:
This new subhead focuses on identity, not just customization, because branding is not about colors, it’s about credibility.
It reframes the feature around user pride and brand consistency, something that actually matters in a B2B context.
New Body Copy:
This body copy works better for a few reasons:
Active voice: “Customize” puts the user in control.
Specific about outcomes: I cut “delightful” and replaced it with specific, relevant outcomes: look polished and professional.
It explains the value clearly: This isn’t about vanity, it’s about first impressions and fostering credibility.
CTA to Add:
This CTA is action-oriented, specific and ties directly to the benefit in the body copy.
And Then… They Stuffed in a Whole Other Launch?
After all of that body copy and a video that ejects you out of the email and straight into YouTube, this section launches you into a list of unrelated updates:
The problem?
It feels tacked on.
And it completely shifts the focus.
If this email was supposed to spotlight Forms, why are we suddenly talking about a new Zapier integration and the their API and how it supports more ways to communicate?
This isn’t a product update roundup.
It’s a feature dump.
And it undercuts everything that came before it.
The reader was already at the bottom of a long email.
At best, they ignore this section.
At worst, it dilutes the message and turns a clear CTA into background noise.
What they should’ve done:
Tease it.
Then stop.
I would go with something like:
Short. Intriguing. And saves the rest for another email that can actually do those features justice.
I would then roll that into the close like this:
Hope you’re as excited about the new ClickUp Forms as we are. Can’t wait to hear what you think.
Also, we’ll be rolling out even more updates this week, including deeper integrations and smarter ways to customize your workflow. Keep an eye on your inbox.
Talk soon,
Eric
On behalf of the ClickUp Forms Team
Here’s Exactly How I’d Send This Email (Wireframe Included)
You’ve seen what didn’t work. Now here’s how I’d structure this entire email instead.
Get your copy of the editable wireframe template
Want to customize this wireframe for your next product launch?
You’ll get the exact layout I use to map out high-performing product emails, in an editable Google Doc, from headline to final CTA.
This fast and practical wireframe lays out the entire flow: headline, visuals, CTA placement and messaging hierarchy.
This new email is written and designed for clarity, momentum and action.
| From Name: | Eric from ClickUp |
| From Address: | eric@clickup.com |
| Reply-To Address: | clickupdates@clickup.com |
| Subject Line: | Build better workflows with the new ClickUp Forms |
| Preview Text: | New features so you can get better data from every form. |
This week’s ClickUpdates is all about Forms: From faster setup to smarter data collection, we’ve added new features to help you get more out of every form you send. Hi, I’m Jess from the ClickUp product team, and I’m excited to show you what’s new in Forms! [GIF]
[ Try Out ClickUp Forms Now → ] Here are some ways ClickUp Forms can streamline your work: Do more than collect information—put it to work for you Connect data, centralize feedback and get AI-powered analysis where you need it most. [IMAGE]
[ Start building smarter Forms → ] Get more responses you can actually use Use descriptions, examples or quick heads-ups to help people answer more confidently so you get better data. [IMAGE]
[ Help your users help you → ] Forms Hub: It’s easier than ever to create, share and view Forms Create, share and view all your Forms in one place—faster than ever. Whether you’re tracking survey responses or managing bug reports, the new Forms Hub keeps everything organized and ready to use. [IMAGE]
[ Explore the new Forms Hub → ] Make every Form feel like it came from you Customize cover images, backgrounds and buttons to match your brand, so every Form feels polished and professional from the first click. [IMAGE]
[ Design a Form that looks like your brand → ] Hope you’re as excited about the new ClickUp Forms as we are. Can’t wait to hear what you think. Also, we’ll be rolling out even more updates this week, including deeper integrations and smarter ways to customize your workflow. Keep an eye on your inbox. Talk soon, Eric |
Put These Retention in Action Lessons to Work
A great product deserves great messaging. So don’t let your feature update email be the weak link.
Build momentum with subheads that spark curiosity, body copy that explains the why and CTAs that move people to act.
And if you give these lessons a shot, let me know how it goes. I genuinely want to hear about your wins, your lessons—and even your challenges.