I built a feature once that I was sure would be a game-changer. Spent three months on it. Launched it with a blog post and an in-app banner. After 60 days, adoption was 8%. Eight percent. Most users had no idea it existed.
That experience taught me something important: building great features and getting users to adopt them are completely different problems. You can have the best product in the world, but if users only use a fraction of it, you'll churn like a product that's actually worse.
Email is the most reliable channel for driving feature adoption because it reaches users when they're not in the product. In-app prompts only work when users are logged in and looking at the right screen. Email works regardless.
The Feature Adoption Hierarchy
Not all features deserve the same adoption investment. Organize your features into three tiers:
Tier 1: Retention-Critical Features
These are features that strongly correlate with long-term retention. Users who adopt them stay significantly longer than users who don't.
To find these, run a simple analysis: compare feature usage between customers who've stayed 12+ months and customers who churned within 3 months. The features with the biggest usage gap are your Tier 1.
Investment level: Dedicated email sequences, behavioral triggers, follow-up campaigns.
Tier 2: Value-Adding Features
Features that improve the user experience and deepen engagement but aren't strongly correlated with retention on their own.
Investment level: Educational emails, tips in ongoing sequences, mention in onboarding.
Tier 3: Nice-to-Have Features
Features that a subset of users find useful but don't meaningfully impact retention or engagement.
Investment level: Documentation, occasional tips, mention in release notes.
Focus 80% of your adoption email efforts on Tier 1 features. These are the features that directly impact your business metrics.
The Feature Adoption Email Playbook
Campaign 1: The Feature Introduction
When to use: Introducing a feature to users who haven't tried it.
Email 1: The Problem-First Introduction
Subject: "A better way to [solve problem]"
"Hey [name],
I noticed you're [current behavior that the feature improves]. A lot of our users do the same thing until they discover [Feature].
Instead of [current manual process], [Feature] lets you [what it does]. The difference:
Before: [Old way, with steps or time involved] After: [New way, simpler, faster, better results]
Most users set it up in about [time]. Here's how: [link to feature or guide]
Give it a try and let me know what you think.
[Name]"
Email 2: Social Proof Follow-Up (5-7 days later, only if they haven't tried it)
Subject: "[X]% of our users use this - here's why"
"Hey [name],
Following up on [Feature] from my last email. [X]% of our active users use it, and the feedback has been consistently positive.
Here's what users are saying:
- "[Short testimonial about specific benefit]"
- "[Another testimonial about time saved or results improved]"
If you haven't had a chance to try it yet: [direct link to feature]
If you tried it and it wasn't useful, I'd love to hear why. Just reply with a quick note.
[Name]"
Email 3: The Personal Walkthrough Offer (10-14 days later, only if still not adopted)
Subject: "Want me to set it up for you?"
"Hey [name],
One more note about [Feature]. I know trying new things in a product you already know can feel like adding complexity. But this one usually simplifies things.
If you're interested but haven't had time to figure it out, two options:
- 5-minute guided setup: [link to interactive guide or video]
- I'll set it up for you: Reply and tell me [key info needed], and I'll configure it on your account. You just check that it looks right.
No pressure if it's not for you. But I think based on how you use [Product], this would save you time.
[Name]"
The "I'll set it up for you" offer is surprisingly effective. Some users will take you up on it, and the ones who don't often feel motivated to do it themselves.
Campaign 2: The Behavioral Trigger Campaign
When to use: When a user's behavior indicates they'd benefit from a specific feature.
Trigger examples:
- User manually does something that a feature automates
- User's usage pattern matches the profile of users who benefit from the feature
- User asks a support question that the feature addresses
- User reaches a scale where the feature becomes valuable
Single email (triggered by behavior):
Subject: "This would save you time"
"Hey [name],
I noticed you [specific behavior, e.g., "manually tagged 45 subscribers this week"]. There's actually a way to automate that.
[Feature name] automatically [what it does] based on [triggers/rules]. You set it up once, and it handles it going forward.
Quick setup: [link to feature with pre-configured suggestion if possible]
Most users who set this up tell us it saves them [time estimate] per [week/month].
[Name]"
Behavioral triggers have the highest conversion rates because the user has literally just demonstrated the need. The email arrives at peak relevance.
Campaign 3: The New Feature Launch
When to use: You've released a new feature and want to drive adoption.
Email 1: Announcement (Day 0)
Subject: "New: [Feature name] - [one-line benefit]"
"Hey [name],
We just launched [Feature name]. Here's the short version of what it does:
The problem: [Common pain point this addresses] The solution: [Feature] lets you [what it does] in [how long/how easily]
It's already available in your account: [link]
Here's a 2-minute walkthrough if you want to see it in action: [link to video or guide]
We built this based on feedback from users like you. Let me know what you think.
[Name]"
Email 2: Use Case Deep Dive (Day 7, to users who haven't tried it)
Subject: "3 ways to use [Feature]"
Share three specific use cases with brief examples. Make each one feel like a complete idea the user could implement in 5-10 minutes.
Email 3: Results Showcase (Day 14)
Subject: "Early results from [Feature]"
"Hey [name],
[Feature] has been live for two weeks. Here's what early adopters are seeing:
- [Result 1 with number]
- [Result 2 with number]
- [Result 3 with number]
If you haven't tried it yet, these results are pretty typical. Give it a shot: [link]
[Name]"
Showing early results from other users creates urgency without being pushy. "Other people are already getting results" is a strong motivator.
Measuring Feature Adoption
Core Metrics
- Adoption rate: % of active users who have used the feature at least once
- Activation rate: % of users who tried the feature and continued using it (used it 3+ times)
- Time to adoption: Average days from feature introduction email to first use
- Adoption by segment: How does adoption vary by plan, tenure, and user type?
- Feature stickiness: % of adopters who use the feature regularly (weekly or monthly)
The Feature-Retention Matrix
Build a matrix showing each feature's adoption rate against its correlation with retention:
- High adoption, high retention correlation: Your product's core value. Protect it.
- Low adoption, high retention correlation: Your biggest opportunity. Focus adoption campaigns here.
- High adoption, low retention correlation: Nice features but not driving business outcomes.
- Low adoption, low retention correlation: Consider whether these features are worth maintaining.
Adoption Barriers and How to Address Them
"I don't know it exists"
Solution: Feature introduction emails, in-app tooltips, new feature announcements.
"I don't understand what it does"
Solution: Clear explanations with before/after comparisons, use-case examples, video walkthroughs.
"I don't see why I need it"
Solution: Behavioral trigger emails ("you just did X manually, here's how to automate it"), ROI calculations, peer usage data.
"I tried it and couldn't figure it out"
Solution: Step-by-step guides, personal walkthrough offers, simplified setup flows. Also product feedback to make the feature more intuitive.
"I tried it and it didn't help"
Solution: Follow-up emails with alternative use cases, check-in to understand what they expected vs. what they got. Sometimes the feature genuinely isn't for everyone, and that's okay.
Common Feature Adoption Mistakes
Promoting every feature equally. Not every feature deserves an email campaign. Focus on the 3-5 features that most impact retention and revenue.
Feature dumping. Sending one email listing 10 new features gives users nothing actionable. One feature per email, with clear instructions and a direct link.
Ignoring the "tried and abandoned" group. Users who tried a feature and stopped using it are a different segment from users who never tried it. They need different messaging (follow-up, not introduction).
No follow-up after adoption. Getting a user to try a feature once isn't adoption. Send a follow-up 7 days later: "How's [Feature] working for you? Here's an advanced tip..."
Measuring adoption wrong. "Clicked the feature menu" isn't adoption. "Used the feature to complete a task" is. Define clear adoption criteria for each feature.
Start Here
- Today: List your top 5 features and their adoption rates. Identify which have high retention correlation but low adoption.
- This week: Create a 2-email introduction campaign for your highest-priority underadopted feature.
- Next week: Set up a behavioral trigger that sends a feature recommendation when users do something manually that a feature could automate.
- Ongoing: Track adoption rates monthly and build the feature-retention matrix to prioritize future campaigns.
With Sequenzy, feature adoption campaigns run on behavioral triggers. Track events from your product and automatically send the right feature introduction when a user's behavior signals they'd benefit from it. The sequence adapts based on whether they try the feature, ignore it, or need more help.