Customer Onboarding Templates

Email Templates for Open Source Projects

Great open source projects communicate well. Here's how to do it via email.

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Email is the most effective way to reach your open source community beyond GitHub. Release announcements drive adoption. Community updates keep contributors engaged. Sponsorship updates show transparency. Security advisories protect your users. These 12 templates cover everything from your first release email to a full-blown contribution drive.

Ready-to-Use Templates

Copy these templates and customize them for your needs. Each includes HTML and plain text versions.

Release AnnouncementContributor WelcomeCommunity NewsletterMajor Version ReleaseSecurity AdvisorySponsorship RequestContributor SpotlightRoadmap UpdateContribution DriveCommunity SurveyConference Talk AnnouncementCommunity MilestoneCommercial Offering Launch
Release Announcement
Announcing a new version release
Version release announcements
Subject Line

{{projectName}} v{{version}} is out - {{headlineFeature}}

Preview Text

What's new, what's fixed, and how to upgrade.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{version}}{{releaseDescription}}{{highlightOne}}{{highlightTwo}}{{highlightThree}}{{upgradeCommand}}{{changelogUrl}}{{contributorCount}}{{githubUrl}}
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Contributor Welcome
Welcome email after first merged PR
New contributor engagement
Subject Line

Welcome to {{projectName}}, {{githubUsername}}!

Preview Text

Your first contribution has been merged.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{githubUsername}}{{contributorCount}}{{goodFirstIssuesUrl}}{{communityUrl}}{{contributingUrl}}{{maintainerName}}{{githubUrl}}
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Community Newsletter
Monthly community update and project status
Monthly community engagement
Subject Line

{{projectName}} - {{monthName}} community update

Preview Text

What happened this month in {{projectName}}.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{monthName}}{{starsCount}}{{newStars}}{{contributorCount}}{{newContributors}}{{prCount}}{{highlightOne}}{{highlightTwo}}{{roadmapPreview}}{{githubUrl}}
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Major Version Release
Announcing a major version with breaking changes
Major version releases with breaking changes
Subject Line

{{projectName}} v{{version}} - the big one is here

Preview Text

Breaking changes, migration guide, and what's next.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{version}}{{previousVersion}}{{releaseDescription}}{{featureOne}}{{featureTwo}}{{featureThree}}{{breakingChangeOne}}{{breakingChangeTwo}}{{migrationGuideUrl}}{{supportPeriod}}{{issuesUrl}}{{communityUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Security Advisory
Notifying users about a security vulnerability and patch
Security vulnerability notifications
Subject Line

[Security] {{projectName}} - {{severityLevel}} vulnerability patched in v{{patchVersion}}

Preview Text

Action required: update to v{{patchVersion}} to address {{cveId}}.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{cveId}}{{severityLevel}}{{cvssScore}}{{affectedVersions}}{{patchVersion}}{{impactDescription}}{{upgradeCommand}}{{advisoryUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Sponsorship Request
Asking users and companies to sponsor the project
Fundraising and sponsorship drives
Subject Line

Help keep {{projectName}} sustainable

Preview Text

We need your support to keep shipping features and fixing bugs.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{userCount}}{{companyCount}}{{personalNote}}{{fundItemOne}}{{fundItemTwo}}{{fundItemThree}}{{tierDescription}}{{sponsorUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Contributor Spotlight
Highlighting a community member's contributions
Celebrating community members and encouraging contributions
Subject Line

Contributor spotlight: @{{spotlightUsername}}

Preview Text

Meet the person behind {{contributionSummary}}.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{spotlightUsername}}{{introSentence}}{{contributionSummary}}{{contributionOne}}{{contributionTwo}}{{contributionThree}}{{quoteAnswer}}{{spotlightProfileUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Roadmap Update
Sharing what's planned and gathering feedback
Transparency and community input on project direction
Subject Line

{{projectName}} roadmap - what we're building next

Preview Text

Here's where the project is headed and how you can shape it.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{inProgressOne}}{{inProgressTwo}}{{upNextOne}}{{upNextTwo}}{{exploringDescription}}{{feedbackUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Contribution Drive
Recruiting contributors for a focused campaign like Hacktoberfest
Hacktoberfest, contribution sprints, and community drives
Subject Line

{{projectName}} needs you - {{eventName}} is here

Preview Text

We've tagged {{issueCount}} issues for new contributors. Jump in.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{eventName}}{{eventDescription}}{{issueCount}}{{categoryOne}}{{categoryTwo}}{{categoryThree}}{{reviewTime}}{{issuesUrl}}{{communityUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Community Survey
Gathering feedback from users and contributors
Annual or quarterly community feedback collection
Subject Line

5 minutes to shape the future of {{projectName}}

Preview Text

We're planning what to build next and your input matters.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{surveyTime}}{{topicOne}}{{topicTwo}}{{topicThree}}{{previousOutcome}}{{surveyUrl}}{{deadline}}{{githubUrl}}
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Conference Talk Announcement
Promoting a talk, workshop, or meetup about the project
Conference talks, meetups, and community events
Subject Line

{{projectName}} at {{eventName}} - come say hi

Preview Text

{{speakerName}} is presenting {{talkTitle}} on {{eventDate}}.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{eventName}}{{speakerName}}{{talkTitle}}{{talkDescription}}{{eventDate}}{{eventTime}}{{eventLocation}}{{eventUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Community Milestone
Celebrating a project milestone like stars, downloads, or contributors
Celebrating GitHub stars, npm downloads, or contributor milestones
Subject Line

{{projectName}} just hit {{milestoneNumber}} {{milestoneType}}

Preview Text

A big thank you to everyone who got us here.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{milestoneNumber}}{{milestoneType}}{{journeySummary}}{{statOne}}{{statTwo}}{{statThree}}{{lookingAhead}}{{celebrationUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Commercial Offering Launch
Announcing a hosted or cloud version of the open source project
Launching hosted, cloud, or enterprise versions of OSS projects
Subject Line

Introducing {{productName}} - {{projectName}}, hosted for you

Preview Text

Same project you love, without the ops headache.

Personalization Variables:
{{projectName}}{{productName}}{{benefitOne}}{{benefitTwo}}{{benefitThree}}{{pricingDescription}}{{productUrl}}{{selfHostDocsUrl}}{{githubUrl}}
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Best Practices

Include upgrade commands and code examples in release announcements.

Thank contributors by name or GitHub username.

Be transparent about project finances if you accept sponsorships.

Keep emails technical and value-focused - skip the marketing.

Send security advisories immediately, not on your regular schedule.

Always reassure self-hosters when launching a commercial offering.

Common Mistakes

Sending release emails without upgrade instructions.

Not welcoming new contributors - first impressions matter for retention.

Spamming the mailing list with every minor patch release.

Corporate-speak that doesn't match the community's tone.

Burying breaking changes at the bottom of a release email.

Launching a paid product without explaining what happens to the open source version.

Subject Line Examples

Timing & Performance

Best Days
Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday
Best Times
9:00 AM, 2:00 PM
Open Rate
25-35%
Click Rate
3-5%

Personalization Tips

Release Emails Drive Adoption

Most users don't check GitHub releases. An email with the version number, key features, and an upgrade command gets your latest code into production faster than any other channel.

Welcome Every First-Time Contributor

A personal welcome email after someone's first merged PR dramatically increases the chance they contribute again. Include links to more issues, the community chat, and the contributing guide.

Transparency Builds Trust

If you accept sponsorships, share financial updates with your community. How much you raised, how it was spent, and what it enables builds the trust that keeps sponsors renewing.

Security Advisories Are Non-Negotiable

When there's a vulnerability, your users need to know immediately. A clear, actionable security advisory email with the affected versions and upgrade command is the most responsible thing you can do as a maintainer.

Celebrate Your Community

Milestones, contributor spotlights, and community surveys show your users they're part of something bigger than a GitHub repo. These emails turn passive users into active community members.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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