About Surfline
Surfline is the leading surf forecasting app for wave chasers around the world. Since 1985, they’ve helped surfers know where and when to go—offering real-time surf reports, HD cams, and expert forecasts.
🎯 The challenge
Surfline’s app is rich with data—but that depth can make it difficult for users to discover new features, especially on mobile. It’s a challenge many product-led teams face: how do you guide users to new value when your product is already packed with it?
“For new users who aren't well-versed in forecasting, it can be overwhelming,” said Leif Harder, Growth and Product Marketing Manager. “On top of that, we’d launch valuable features that were often two tabs in, and people just weren’t seeing them.”
At the same time, Surfline shifted its strategy toward product-led growth. That meant shipping updates monthly and making sure users knew about them. But without a scalable way to surface those updates in-product, the team needed a new approach.
🏆 The solution
Surfline brought on Appcues to help them surface new features and onboard users into them without relying on engineering.
“We did a lot of research,” said Leif. “Appcues was one of the only platforms that could give us this level of control on mobile. We could identify a specific spot in our app, drop in a tooltip, and create a whole journey around that experience.”
They used Appcues to power their entire product release motion—from broad company announcements to targeted, contextual nudges inside the product. In fact, Appcues became the front door for every new feature.
One early win? Their CEO experiencing a full release firsthand.
“It’s one thing to tell our company we have this new tool. It’s another thing when people, including the CEO, open the app and say, ‘Wow, this is incredible.’”
👀 How they did it
1. Committed to monthly releases that show progress
Surfline made a company-wide commitment to ship something new every month—and to make that progress visible to users.
“One of our product marketing initiatives is a monthly release series,” said Leif. “Even if people don’t remember every individual feature, they’ll understand—through the right comms and journeys—that we’re making regular enhancements.”
That cadence has helped close the loop between user feedback and product improvements, building trust and keeping users engaged.
2. Turned every release into a guided journey
As part of their product-led growth strategy, Surfline paired every update with in-app messaging. It became a consistent part of their launch process: Banners and half-page modals framed the big picture. Tooltips anchored users directly to the new functionality. And because Appcues didn’t require engineering, the product marketing team could fully own the process from planning to publish.
“Once we set up our Anchored Tooltips…it was a big help. It's the nicest QA experience I’ve ever had,” said Leif. “And as a builder, I get to see it come to life, instantly.”
3. Met users where they were—at exactly the right moment
With most of their audience on iOS, Surfline focused on delivering Flows in-app, on mobile, and at the moment of need. Whether it was a tooltip placed directly above a new cam view or a message timed to appear when users explored a fresh feature, each experience was contextually placed and purposefully timed.
“We wanted to direct people exactly where they could discover new value,” Leif explained. “And with Appcues, we can do that without engineering.”
4. Surfaced relevant educational content
Most releases connected back to a companion blog post to tell a broader story or unpack the update in more detail. Appcues guided users to those posts from right inside the app.
“We’re pushing the blog across multiple channels,” said Leif, “but Appcues is what drives people there from the product itself.”
And it’s working—their latest blog post is already on track to outperform previous ones that weren’t shared in-product.
✅ Results
Appcues has become central to Surfline’s product marketing strategy. In the past year:
- They’ve launched dozens of updates—each with its own guided in-app experience
- More users are discovering and engaging with new features
- Product sentiment is trending up across NPS, social feedback, and app store reviews
“We’ve seen a noticeable shift in sentiment across a variety of channels,” said Leif. “People recognize that we’re investing in the product—and that awareness is huge for retention and conversion.”
That awareness is especially strong among their iOS users.
“With the help of Appcues, we now regularly reach ~100% awareness of monthly feature updates among our iOS audience,” Leif shared.
That kind of reach doesn’t just inform—it retains. And it’s a key reason Appcues now supports some of Surfline’s biggest growth moments, including:
- A revamp of the free tier experience
- A launch of a new ad-supported plan
- A surf cam upgrade campaign
🔥
Our hot take
Surfline didn’t just start shipping more often—they started doing it with intention. By making each release relevant, contextual, and easy to discover, they turned routine updates into something users actually care about. As Leif put it: “The journeys we’re making through Appcues are a huge part of our product narrative now.” Way to go, Leif!