What are Push Messages, How Do They Work?

If you’re one of the 4.88 billion people on the earth who owns a smartphone, you’ve almost certainly encountered a push message. Nearly every application and website deploys them to share important real-time alerts with their users.

Push messages exist to inform, notify, and increase digital engagement. In fact, studies show that push messages can boost user engagement with your mobile and web applications by 88%.

Push messages are a notable way to communicate with your consumers, vendors, and even employees. In this guide, we’ll break down what push messages are and how they work, how to fix common push message issues, and share our best practices for effective messaging. We’ll even share tips for growing your business from within by leveraging push messages to maximize your internal teams' engagement, efficiency, and productivity.

In this guide:

• What Are Push Messages?
• How Do Push Messages Work?
• How to Troubleshoot and Fix 3 Common Push Message Challenges
• 4 Best Practices for Sending Effective Push Messages
• Grow Your Business With Internal Push Messages
• Plan for These Push Message Trends
• Crafting Notifications That Connect
• Frequently Asked Questions

What Are Push Messages?

A push message (also known as a "push notification" or push alert) is a short message that pops up on a user’s mobile device, web browser, or desktop. Like email or SMS messages, your business can only send push messages if a user opts in to receive them.

Once the user opts in, notifications will appear as alerts on their device. These notifications typically display a brief message, a call-to-action (CTA), and rich media such as emojis, images, or hyperlinked buttons that lead to your app or website.

There are several ways users can receive push messages on their mobile device, web browser, or desktop:

• Banner notifications: Short messages that pop up and disappear on their own are called banner notifications. They can reveal the first sentence of a message — such as an alert when you receive a Facebook message — or contain alerts for promotional sales, traffic information, or live updates on a sports game.
• Badge notifications: This notification displays a red “badge” in the upper-right-hand corner of an app’s icon. The badge is usually a red circle with a number inside it. Users will see this type of notification when an app needs an update, they have an unread message, or their favorite website posts new content.
• Alerts: These short messages pop up and stay on-screen until the user acknowledges them. These notifications are typically time-sensitive messages about an event time change, flight status change, or security alert.

Push messages are most commonly used as marketing or communications tools, but they’re also great for everything from internal communications to security authentication. In a world where people dread checking their email, push notifications put your content front and center to engage your audience with less noise.

Types of Push Messages

Whether you send them via a mobile app or web browser, push messages are a smart way to stay in touch with your users. However, there are three main types of push notifications that serve different purposes:

• Transactional: These are time-sensitive notifications triggered by your system or user action. They usually provide updates related to a transaction. Common transactional messages include appointment reminders, bank alerts, and order confirmations. The goal of these messages is to reduce no-shows and improve customer communication.
• Promotional: Promotional push messages are common in marketing and sales. These messages usually include limited-time offers, discounts, or invitations. This type of notification encompasses messages about loyalty program updates, cart abandonments, or limited-time discounts.
• Informational: These push messages are more common for news, traffic, or weather updates. You also might need to use them to tell subscribers to update their app. These messages build user engagement by keeping users in the loop and offering timely, helpful information.

Get clarity on what you need to share with your audience before writing a message. There’s a big difference between a transactional and promotional message, so work with your strategy team to clarify what type of messages you want to send in this campaign.

The table below provides an overview of the various types of push messages and what they’re used for.

Type of Push Message	Purpose	Example Use Case
Transactional	Time-sensitive updates or confirmations	Bank alert about a transaction
Promotional	Marketing, special offers, or discounts	Flash sale notification
Informational	General updates or reminders	Weather alert or news headline

How Do Push Messages Work?

So, how do push messages work, anyway?

You’ll need technical knowledge and coding chops to set up and deliver push notifications. It’s important to note that every mobile device and computer has its own operating system (OS), such as iOS, Android, Windows, or Mac. These operating systems generally have their own notification systems: Operating System Push Notification Service (OSPNS).

Translation: You need to work with these systems and their rules to send messages to your users.

Developers use these systems to deliver push messages. Once you develop an application server and client app, you’ll need an app publisher to enable the app with each OSPNS. Follow the steps below to set up and start sending push notifications.

Adding Push Messages to an App

An app publisher will need to register with each OSPNS. Once registered, the OS service will provide an API (application programming interface) to allow the app to communicate with the service. You will also need to integrate an SDK (a code specific to the OSPNS) into the app. The app publisher will then upload the app to the respective app store.

A small change with a big impact!

Thanks to @meijer_s, you will always know how to get all the API keys and certificates you need for all the push notifications you want to send. 🚀 pic.twitter.com/qnTxG7XBGN

— MagicBell (@magicbell_io) September 12, 2024

Activating Push Messages

The app should now be available for users to download and install on their devices. The app and the user’s device will each have unique identifier codes (IDs) that you need to register with the OSPNS. The ID codes will be shared with the app and the app publisher. The app publisher stores all registration details to customize services and notifications for each user.

Sending Push Messages

There are two ways you can send a push message.

1. Manually compose the message through a message composer and push it to the client app.
2. Set up automated messages via the OSPNS API.

You can define the target audience, tailor messages according to user data (location, demographics, user activity patterns, etc.), and decide whether to schedule a message for a specific time or send it immediately. This feature is essential because it allows you to segment your user base and send personalized messages to different users.

To properly manage user data for push messaging, you’ll need to build the infrastructure or use a push notification service to streamline the process and eliminate the need for time-consuming, costly technical setup. It takes a lot of resources to build and maintain the infrastructure, so push notification services are an appealing option for many businesses.

Don’t forget to test your push messages before you send them to your users. There are several tools you can use to test your messages and troubleshoot any issues. Webpushtest.com, for example, is a free tool that provides a demo of standards-based web push notifications across all platforms — even iOS.

How to Troubleshoot and Fix 3 Common Push Message Challenges

Even the best-built notification infrastructure experiences problems from time to time. However, even a minor hiccup can hurt your customer relationships. Be on the lookout for these three common push message issues and take quick steps to fix them.

The System Isn’t Delivering Push Messages

There are several potential causes for this issue. Users might have disabled notifications for your app without unsubscribing, device tokens may have expired, or your push notification service provider might be down temporarily.

First, check user permissions to ensure the user allows you to send notifications. If that doesn’t fix it, try:

• Refreshing tokens regularly to avoid using expired ones. Set a reminder on your calendar to do this consistently.
• Checking to see if your service provider is experiencing a disruption.
• Testing the messages on multiple devices to see if it’s an isolated issue or a problem with a specific device or OS. Try webpushtest.com for a demo of standards-based web push notifications across all platforms.

Push Notifications Are Delayed

Notification delays usually come down to connectivity issues or payload sizes. Some of the more popular notification services might even throttle notifications during peak times, which you can’t control.

To solve this problem, reduce your payload size to ensure faster delivery. That might mean removing rich media and sending text-only messages. If possible, avoid sending bulk notifications at peak hours to reduce service delays.

Nobody’s Interacting With the Push Notifications

This challenge is usually about the efficacy of the message itself, not your technical setup. Sending messages at the wrong time, sending too many notifications, or poorly written messages can hurt engagement rates.

When in doubt, A/B test (also known as split test) your messages. This option allows you to experiment with different copy, images, and CTAs to learn what your audience likes best. Most push notification services also allow you to segment your audience, which allows you to personalize notifications based on preferences and past behavior, which can improve engagement rates.

The table below provides an overview of common push notification issues, along with possible causes and solutions.

Issue	Potential Causes	Suggested Solution
Notifications not delivered	Expired device tokens Disabled permissions	Refresh tokens Check user permissions
Delayed notifications	Large payload Connectivity issues	Reduce media size Optimize payloads
Low engagement rates	Poor message content Poor timing	A/B test your push messages Refine your CTAs

4 Best Practices for Sending Effective Push Messages

The more effective your push notifications, the better you’ll engage with your audience. Whether you’re new to sending notifications or want to boost the performance of an existing campaign, these best practices will serve you well.

1. Segment Your Audience

Users have to opt in to receive push messages. These opt-ins come into your system as a single database or list. Most businesses send the same messages to everyone on the list, but that’s too generic. You can boost engagement by segmenting this list into smaller lists based on:

• Demographics
• Location
• Interests
• Purchasing history
• Messaging frequency preferences

… and countless other data points.

By grouping users by shared characteristics, you can send more targeted messages and reduce the risk of annoying your users. Since these messages are more personalized and relevant, subscribers are more likely to stick around and engage with you, reducing unsubscribes and boosting click-through rates.

2. Use Advanced Push Message Features

The content of your push message matters, but you might need a little more than a compelling CTA to turn heads. If you’re sending messages and users aren’t biting, consider advanced push message features and customizations like:

• Rich media: Use images, emojis, and GIFs in your push notifications to make them visually appealing. Just keep these file sizes as small as possible; otherwise, your push service may not be able to send them.
• Deep linking: Embed deep links within notifications to direct users to specific pages or content within your app or website. This option is excellent for cart abandonment sequences that encourage users to act.
• Interactive buttons: Buttons give you another avenue to boost engagement. Add buttons for actions like “Snooze,” “Remind Me Later,” or “Shop Now.” Buttons clarify the action you want the user to take, increasing engagement by giving them an easy way to act on your message.

3. Always Respect Users’ Privacy

At a minimum, you’re legally required to ask for user permission before sending notifications. You also need to make it easy to unsubscribe if they change their mind later.

But that’s just the bare minimum required by law. In a world of privacy violations and data breaches, you can improve customer relationships by taking their privacy seriously. That means:

• Informing users about how you collect and use data to improve their experience.
• Giving users control over their notifications with an easy unsubscribe process. A “Manage Preferences” notification center is also helpful for users who don’t want to unsubscribe but want to personalize their experience.
• Collecting only the bare minimum information necessary to send notifications.
• Encrypting all data, whether it’s in transmission or storage.
• Auditing your privacy practices. Review your permissions, opt-in rates, and user feedback regularly. Update your privacy policy as needed to comply with new data privacy laws or user preferences.

4. Check Analytics and Feedback

Data is the cornerstone of any successful push notification campaign. Data-driven insights help you understand what works and adjust accordingly. Built-in push platform analytics and third-party tools like Google Analytics are helpful.

Track key metrics such as open rates, click-through rates, and conversions to refine your push notification strategy. It’s also helpful to look at your timing and note what days or times users are more engaged with your messaging.

Of course, don’t overlook the power of user feedback. Keep an eye on opt-out rates to identify potential issues in your messaging strategy. High opt-out rates indicate something is seriously wrong.

You can also provide feedback options within your app that allow users to voice any concerns about notification content, frequency, and more. Take this feedback seriously; it’s the key to creating better messages in the future.

The table below provides a snapshot of some of the most critical push message engagement metrics.

Engagement Metric	Definition	Why It Matters
Open rate	Percentage of users who opened the notification	Measures initial engagement
Click-through rate (CTR)	Percentage of users who clicked on the notification	Indicates the effectiveness of your CTA
Opt-out rate	Percentage of users who unsubscribed from notifications	Helps identify alert fatigue

Grow Your Business with Internal Push Messages

Push messages are a standard tool that marketing teams use to engage with their customer base and target audience. Push messages help amplify user engagement, increase conversions, and boost retention.

However, did you know you can also use push notifications to communicate with your internal teams? Your employees keep the business working smoothly to provide consumers with the service and products that keep them coming back. Improving employee engagement and communication is an easy way to empower your team to do their best work, ultimately improving the customer experience.

Here’s how push messages can grow your business from within.

1. Engage Internal Teams

Engage your internal teams with concise push messages instead of company emails no one opens or reads. You can send push messages in real time so they automatically appear on employees’ desktops or mobile devices.

Encourage employee interaction and involvement by using push messages to promote upcoming company events (office parties, awards ceremonies, team retreats), employee recognition, or company news.

2. Keep Employees Informed

Keep your employees informed and educated with individual or company-wide push messages. Be the first to alert your staff about significant internal changes, project deadlines, upcoming events, internet outages, or even office closures due to weather emergencies.

This type of information leaves your staff feeling positive about your company because it’s relevant, saves time, and shows you care about employees’ well-being.

3. Provide User-Friendly and Effective Communication

Push messages are prompt, easy to manage, and have a higher response rate than emails, making them a more effective way to communicate with your staff. Since employees only need to absorb the information or click the CTA, this option is incredibly user-friendly. Plus, push messages are relatively simple to produce for minimal added expense.

4. Automate Processes and Reminders

In addition to broadcasting company news and announcements, push messages can automate departmental processes such as legal compliance updates, onboarding, paid time off, and other HR-related benefit notices.

Push messages can also automate reminders for training, project or task deadlines, and schedule updates. Automated processes and reminders ensure transparent communication and create a positive employee experience. Positive employee experiences lead to increased production, fewer mishaps, and a more collaborative atmosphere.

Plan for These Push Message Trends

Push messaging might be a relatively new frontier for some companies, but this communication channel is already beginning to evolve. These upcoming trends hint at faster, more intuitive notification campaigns that save development resources while improving the end-user experience.

AI-Powered Personalization

Nobody wants to feel like a number. Personalization makes your users feel like you understand them. The downside is that it takes a lot of data and hard work to pull off effective personalization.

Artificial intelligence (AI) will soon make it much easier to personalize push message content at scale. This technology is already personalizing blog copy, ads, and emails, so it’s just a matter of time before AI becomes ubiquitous in push messaging platforms.

Omnichannel Strategies

Users increasingly interact with your business across multiple platforms (web, mobile, wearable devices, smart home devices, etc.). Push messaging will need to adapt to these channels. Stay on top of this trend by creating omnichannel notification strategies so users enjoy a seamless experience regardless of which app or website they’re on. For example, smart routing ensures notifications appear on the most relevant device at the right time.

Rich Media

Text-only push messages improve speed and reach users on less advanced devices. Still, more users expect the engagement and creativity of rich media. If you haven’t added images, GIFs, or emojis to your push message content yet, now’s the time to start.

Context-Aware Notifications

There’s nothing subscribers hate more than irrelevant notifications. With this trend, notifications will rely on context like location, weather, time zone, and proximity to a retail location to send hyper-relevant content.

The easiest way to do this is to set up geofencing, which triggers notifications based on a user’s location. Many platforms also make it simple to tailor messages based on a user’s context, although you need to comply with privacy regulations if you’re using location-based data.

Crafting Notifications That Connect

Keep your users informed and engaged with mobile push notifications. Learn how they can boost engagement, drive traffic, and keep users connected with your app. https://t.co/z3DiZF5URb #PushNotifications #UserEngagement #AppEngagement pic.twitter.com/nnowBaOG4i

— MagicBell (@magicbell_io) August 7, 2024

Push messages are a game-changing tool that can help your business grow from the inside out. Using push messages strategically can create value, increase engagement, and improve both the customer and employee experience.

Following this guide will help you set up a push message campaign, troubleshoot common issues, and refine your messages for better performance. But you still need one essential ingredient to get started: A solid push messaging platform.

MagicBell’s customizable, complete notification system is the best way to set up not only push messages but also provide an all-in-one omnichannel inbox that improves the user experience. Our inbox organizes push messages and prompts users to open unread notifications they initially dismissed.

Implement a customized turnkey notification in 15 minutes or less: Create your free MagicBell account now.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the most common mistakes in push message content?

Businesses make these push message mistakes the most:

• Sending too many notifications
• Failing to personalize messages
• Sending messages at inconvenient times, like when users are sleeping
• Failing to write a compelling call-to-action (or any CTA at all)
• Writing long, complicated messages

How do push messages differ across various industries?

Businesses should customize their approach to push messages based on their customers’ needs. For example, eCommerce and retail brands focus on promotional messaging and cart abandonment reminders. On the other hand, banks use push messages to send fraud alerts and account balance updates. Media platforms like Netflix or news publishers use push messaging to update users on the latest content.

What are the best practices for designing push notifications?

The best push notifications are:

• Short — no more than 50 characters
• Personalized to user behavior, preferences, or location
• Interactive, with rich media and action-focused CTAs
• Compatible with users’ devices and operating systems

Related articles about push messages:

1. Do I Really Need Push Messages?
2. 5 Examples of Highly Effective Browser Notifications
3. How to Use Firebase to Send Push Notifications
4. How Do Push Notifications Work?