As the main builder of Appcues at Appcues (aka the person responsible for creating messages using our own product), I get a steady stream of requests—from one-off announcements to full lifecycle campaigns. And most teams want things up and running yesterday.

When I first started this role, all those requests came from different places: Slack DMs, spreadsheets, Notion tags, comments in meetings. They often lacked key details, and I was spending too much time chasing down context.

To clean it up, I started with a simple intake form. It helped standardize requests—but it wasn’t connected to anything else. There was no tracking, no visibility, and no way to prioritize—or push requesters to prioritize. People didn’t see what else was in flight, what their request might bump, or what they were trading off by asking for something new.

So I kept going. I turned that standalone form into an experience planner in Notion—and now it powers how I manage Appcues internally, from request to launch and beyond.

1. Created a shared intake form in Notion

The first step was bringing all the requests into one place. Anyone can now submit an idea, request, or need for a new Appcues experience using a Notion form. It takes what used to live in a scattered kickoff doc and asks for those same essentials: goal, audience, campaign type, timing, and lifecycle stage. That gives me the right context upfront—and sets better expectations for what’s involved.

2. Connected submissions to a central database

Once submitted, every request flows into a Notion table that acts as our source of truth. We tag by stage (Not started, In progress, Live), flag blockers, and add notes about targeting, creative, and dependencies. Having everything in one place not only makes the queue easier to manage—it gives the rest of the organization visibility into what’s being worked on and what’s already shipped.

3. Set up real-time alerts

To keep things moving, I added a few automations. When a request comes in, I get a ping in Notion. And a Slack alert posts in our #Appcues4Appcues channel so the team stays in the loop. It’s helped surface requests earlier, avoid collisions, and keep momentum going.

4. Closed the loop with launch updates

When an experience goes live, I update the status—and Slack shares the update automatically. It’s a small thing, but it helps close the loop with stakeholders and gives visibility into what’s shipped without needing a separate check-in.

🛠️ Steal it: Here's our Notion Template. It’s the structure of what we’re using right now—make it your own! 

I’m working on more follow-up automation—like reminders to review results post-launch or prompts to iterate on campaigns that are doing well. And figuring out how to track impact in a way that ties directly back to these requests.

Until then, this system has helped me keep up, move faster, and be more intentional about what gets built (while automatically updating the rest of my team).

Hope it helps you do the same.